DVD Review: Director Brett A. Hart Impresses With His Debut BONE DRY
This desert based chase film is in the tradition of Duel, The Hitcher and Breakdown. Luke Goss stars as a businessman returning home from a trip who, for no apparent reason is chased and tormented by the mysterious Jimmy (Lance Henriksen). This low budget effort has great tension throughout and there are some very interesting scenes that are better than films with ten times the budget. The film looks fantastic with its digital photography highlighting the beautiful and barren desert wasteland.
What I found interesting about director Brett A. Hart’s film was that it held my attention incredibly well. Bone Dry is effectively a two-hander between Henriksen and Goss, and they both acquit themselves by delivering great performances. Henriksen in particular is the stand-out, however he is always good value and could probably deliver this performance in his sleep. I do have to admit to having some trepidation over Goss’ casting as Eddie. As anyone of a certain age will remember, he was a member of 1980’s boy band Bros and I must say that I’m not a fan of his music or film work. However, he did manage to evoke sympathy, and soon you will be rooting for him as he is hunted by Henriksen.
The film is a well made and taut thriller and Brett Hart shows some great directorial choices. The highlight of the film must surely be when Goss is stripped naked and tied to a giant cactus tree beneath the baking midday sun. He must try and find a way to escape, and we watch as he torturously tries to climb to the top. This is a well directed sequence, and my only complaint with the film is the climax doesn’t really top it. Speaking of the ending, there’s a nice little twist; however make sure that you don’t watch the trailer beforehand as it gives a bit too much away!
Bone Dry is a tight-well made little B-movie (I mean that in the best possible way). It’s well acted and the desert setting looks great with the digital photography. You could do much worse that picking this film up on DVD.
Special Features
Considering the low budget of the film, there’s a good selection of extras. First up is a commentary by director Brett Hart and star Lance Henrikson. This is a highly enjoyable yak-track and both gentlemen come across and friendly and they show a great interest in the film. There’s a nice little making of, however it mostly is B-roll footage; that could do with a little narration. There’s a trailer, a deleted scene and most interestingly, a pitch trailer that shows the story of the film as a series of photographs that was obviously intended to drum up financial support for the films production.
