''The Tender Hook'' is a 2008 Australian film noir directed by Jonathan Ogilvie and starring

Hugo Weaving Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is an English actor. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. He is the recipient of six Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts ...

Rose Byrne Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film ''Dallas Doll'' (1994), and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She obtained her first leading film role i ...

and Matthew Le Nevez. The film was retitled ''The Boxer and the Bombshell'' for its North American DVD release.

Plot synopsis

The film tells the story of a love triangle set in a stylised version of Sydney's criminal/boxing underworld in the 1920s. The story is about Iris' rise to the apex of a love/power triangle that includes her English con man, lover, McHeath, and Art an honest, young boxer. Within the flawed moral landscape each character struggles to establish their sovereignty.

Cast

as McHeath *

as Iris * Matt Le Nevez as Art Walker * Pia Miranda as Daisy *

Luke Carroll Luke Carroll is an Australian stage, television and film actor. Education Carroll attended Marcellin College Randwick and graduated in 1996. Television and film Carroll started out in guest roles in some Australian shows, including ''The Flyin ...

as Alby "Othello" O'Shea *

John Batchelor John Calvin Batchelor (born April 29, 1948) is an American author and host of ''Eye on the World'' on the CBS Audio Network. His flagship station is New York's 710 WOR. The show is a hard-news-analysis radio program on current events, world his ...

as Ronnie * Tyler Coppin as Donnie

Production

''The Tender Hook'' is the second feature by writer/director Jonathan Ogilvie, and stars Hugo Weaving,

, and Matt Le Nevez. Producers are Michelle Harrison and John Brousek. The crew includes: director of photography, Geoffery Simpson; editor, Ken Sallows; production designer, Peter Baxter; costume designer, Cappi Ireland and composition of the score by Chris Abrahams from

The Necks The Necks are an Australian avant-garde jazz trio formed in 1987 by founding mainstays Chris Abrahams on piano and Hammond organ, Tony Buck on drums, percussion and electric guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass guitar and double bass. They play im ...

. The film was financed by the Film Finance Corporation Australia, and Parkland Pictures (UK), with support from Film Victoria. Parkland Pictures (UK) handled international sales, with Icon Films distributing in Australasia.

Reception

The film was not a box-office success, earning only $64,232 against its $7 million budget. Critics gave the film negative to average reviews.

David Stratton David James Stratton (born 10 September 1939) is an English-Australian award-winning film critic, as both a journalist and interviewer, film historian and lecturer and television personality and producer. Life and career Born in Trowbridge, ...

and

Margaret Pomeranz Margaret Pomeranz (born 14 July 1944) is an Australian film critic, writer, producer and television personality. Early life Pomeranz was born Margeret Anne Jones-Owen on 14 July 1944 in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney. She was educated at the P ...

both gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, with Stratton explaining the film has "some very strong elements... utnever really works as a thriller or as a romance".

References

External links