The Book of Revelation (2006)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Ana Kokkinos

Writers:

Rupert Thomson (novel)
Ana Kokkinos (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 September 2006 (Australia)

Genre:

Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A secret he would not share. An obsession he could not control. A mystery he dare not resolve.

Plot:

An erotic mystery about power and sex, the entanglement of victim and perpetrator, and a man's struggle to regain his lost self.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Pantomime | Toilet | Hostage | Non Statutory Female On Male Rape

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Tom Long	...	Daniel
Greta Scacchi	...	Isabel
Colin Friels	...	Olsen
Deborah Mailman	...	Julie
Zoe Coyle	...	Renate
Nadine Garner	...	Margot
Olivia Pigeot	...	Bernadette
Ana Maria Belo	...	Sally
Belinda McClory	...	Jeanette
Sibylla Budd	...	Deborah
Geneviève Picot	...	Barmaid
Nina Liu	...	Vivian
Brian Lipson	...	James
Damien Fotiou	...	Shopkeeper
Marty Fields	...	Charging Officer

Runtime:

Canada:119 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Argentina:113 min (DVD version)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:R | UK:18 | Singapore:R21 | New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:18

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Film Finance

Trivia:

Anna Torv plays both Daniel's girlfriend Bridget, and one of his female captors. Director Ana Kokkinos advises this was done purely because Anna Torv was the best available person for both roles, rather than the character of Bridget secretly being one of Daniel's captors.

Soundtrack:

The Secret Garden

Interesting idea, poorly written, muddled execution.

Many questions arise about the making of this film. The first of which is: Why make a film that plays out as little more than an awkward female fantasy? It's one thing to leave an audience with issues to discuss about a film's intent, it's something entirely different to go into the process of writing a script which fails to adequately address real human issues before they are rendered on the screen.

Why the outrageously melodramatic and often comical soundtrack? Why the excessive and frequently clunky dialogue? Why is the lead character's girlfriend one of the hooded abductors? What purpose is there to turning the lead character's freedom from abduction into a joke by having him complete his "mission"? (This is a classic Little Aussie Film moment. Resort to quirky comedy at the most inappropriate moment.) Why so many scenes where absolutely nothing happens? (This accounts for approximately 15 minutes of the film, which is at least 30 minutes too long.) Why, if a man is imprisoned for so many days, does he not endeavor to make a serious attempt at escape?

The Director, who co-wrote the script, has failed on many counts to deliver a satisfactory story.

Dave Garver, Australia.