''Raw Deal'' is a 1977 Australian

meat pie A meat pie is a pie with a filling of meat and often with other savory ingredients. They are found in cuisines worldwide. Meat pies are usually baked, Frying, fried, or deep fried to brown them and develop the flavour through the Maillard react ...

western film The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referre ...

directed by

Russell Hagg Russell Hagg (born 1938) is an Australian designer and director. He studied architecture at Melbourne University before becoming a designer in British films, then worked for Crawford Productions as a writer and director.Andrew Pike and Ross Coo ...

made by the company responsible for the TV series ''

Cash and Company ''Cash and Company'' is an Australian television period adventure series, which screened on the Seven Network in Australia in 1976 and on ITV (including the London Weekend Television and Anglia regions) in the UK. The series was set during ...

'' and ''

Tandarra ''Tandarra'' is an Australian television series which screened on the Seven Network in Australia in 1976 and on ITV (including the London Weekend Television and Anglia regions) in the UK. It was a follow-up series to ''Cash and Company'' whic ...

''.

Plot

In the 1870s, the colonial administrator hires bounty hunter Palmer and gun salesman Ben to wipe out an army of Irish Catholic revolutionaries in their stronghold. Palmer and Ben recruit three gun men to help them and their mission is successful but when they go to get their payment they are trapped by treacherous officials. Ben and Palmer must fight their way to safety.

Cast

Gerard Kennedy Gerard Michael Kennedy (born July 24, 1960) is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as Ontario's minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of C ...

as Palmer *

Gus Mercurio Augustino Eugenio Mercurio (10 August 19287 December 2010) better known as Gus Mercurio, was an American-born Australian character actor who appeared in radio, television, and film. Early life Mercurio, the eldest child of Vincent A. Mercurio ...

as Ben *

Rod Mullinar Rodney Mullinar (born 1942) is a British Australian actor, noted for his roles on Australian television. He emigrated to Australia with his first wife, casting agent Liz Mullinar in 1969. Career Mullinar took the leading role in Australian e ...

as Alex *Christopher Pate as Dick *Hu Pryce as Ned *John Cousins as Sir Charles *

Michael Carman Michael Carman (born 11 October 1951) is an Australian film, television, and theatre actor. He trained at St Martins Theatre from 1969 to 1971 and attended Swinburne Film and Television School from 1971 to 1974. Filmography Film Television ...

as Sir Frederick * Norman Yemm as O'Neil * Gary Day as Tyrone Leader *

Briony Behets Briony Behets (born 1951, London, United Kingdom) is an English-Australian actress who found fame acting in Australian soap operas of the 1970s and 1980s Early life Behets' father worked as a civil engineer, which took him around the world and ...

as Alex's Lady *

Anne Scott-Pendlebury Anne Scott-Pendlebury (also known as Anne Pendlebury) is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She played the role of Hilary Robinson in the soap opera ''Neighbours''. Career Scott-Pendlebury is the daughter of L. Scott Pendlebu ...

as Dick's Girl

Production

The movie was shot in

Sunbury, Victoria Sunbury () is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hume local government area. Sunbury recorded a population of 38,851 at the . Statistically, Sunbury is co ...

and Mungo,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. According to ''Filmink'' "The film uses Western tropes, but it makes some attempt to adapt to Australia – the plot revolves around the sectarianism of the time, which was a much bigger issue here than in the USA. There’s references to

Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes (; 13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was born and educated ...

, and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

Reception

The film was a commercial disappointment and failed to recover its costs.David Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival'', Angus & Robertson, 1980 p267-268 Patrick Edgeworth later said he felt a key problem with the film was the lack of a strong female role.

Accolades

References

External links

*
''Raw Deal''
at Oz Movies Australian Western (genre) films 1977 Western (genre) films Films set in colonial Australia 1977 films 1970s English-language films 1970s Australian films {{1970s-Western-film-stub