''Raw Deal'' is a 1977 Australian

meat pie A meat pie is a pie baked with pastry with a filling of meat and often 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 ...

western film The Western is a film genre defined by the American Film Institute as films which are "set in the American West that mbodythe spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier." Generally set in the American frontier between the Calif ...

directed by

Russell Hagg Russell Hagg (1938 – 10 February 2022) was 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 P ...

made by the company responsible for the TV series ''

Cash and Company ''Cash and Company'' is an Australian television period adventure series, set during the Victoria (Australia), Victorian Victorian gold rush, gold rush of the 1850s. It screened on the Seven Network in Australia in 1976 and on ITV (TV channel) ...

'' and '' Tandarra''.

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 as Palmer * Gus Mercurio as Ben *

Rod Mullinar Rodney Mullinar (born 1942) is a British Australian actor, noted for his roles on Australian television. Biography Early life Mullinar born in Hereford, Hertfordshire, emigrated to Australia in 1966, at the urging of an Australian friend in ...

as Alex *Christopher Pate as Dick *Hu Pryce as Ned *John Cousins as Sir Charles * Michael Carman as Sir Frederick * Norman Yemm as O'Neil * Gary Day as Tyrone Leader *

Briony Behets Briony Behets (born 1951) is an English-born Australian actress who found fame acting in television soap operas of the 1970s and 1980s. She is known for her early roles in '' Birds in the Bush'', '' Number 96'', '' The Box'', '' Bellbird'', 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 plays the role of Hilary Robinson in the soap opera ''Neighbours''. Career Scott-Pendlebury is the daughter of L. Scott Pendlebur ...

as Dick's Girl

Production

In April 1976 it was announced the film would be called ''Both Ends Against the Middle'' and MIke Preston would play a role, off the back of his guest appearance in ''Tandarra''. Preston called the film "an Australian combination of ''The Magnificent Seven'' and ''The Dirty Dozen''." The movie was shot in

Sunbury, Victoria Sunbury ( , ) is a satellite town of 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 ...

and Mungo,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. Finance came from the Australian Film Commission, the Victorian government, the Seven network, GUO distributors and private investors. 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 educate ...

, and

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

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.

Critical

Colin Bennett of ''The Age'' said "almost everything about the" film "is second hand American - even the title... We are up to better things now and should dispense with the stupid ''Raw Deal''s." The ''Sun Herald'' felt "it makes good news of a well chosen male cast" and "the plot is packed with lively and sometimes crude action." David Stratton called it "a rather enjoyable romp set in the country’s colonial past... it is handsomely mounted... the action scenes are effectively staged and the actors... are relaxed and professional. The film never sets its sights too high (it’s about on the level of an average spaghetti western), but it is certainly entertaining."Stratton pp 267-268

Accolades

References

External links

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