Bad Eggs (2003)

Director:

Tony Martin

Writer:

Tony Martin (written by)

Release Date:

24 July 2003 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

Someone's on the shonk.

Plot:

Ben Kinnear and Mike Paddock are two undercover detectives with way too much publicity.

Awards:

7 nominations

Cast

Mick Molloy	...	Ben Kinnear
Bob Franklin	...	Mike Paddock
Judith Lucy	...	Julie Bale
Alan Brough	...	Northey
Bill Hunter	...	Ted Pratt
Marshall Napier	...	Doug Gillespie
Steven Vidler	...	Pendlebury
Nicholas Bell	...	Wicks
Shaun Micallef	...	Premier Lionel Cray
Robyn Nevin	...	Eleanor Poulgrain
Brett Swain	...	Bartlett
Denis Moore	...	Marcus Ridgeway
Pete Smith	...	Darcy
Chris Peters	...	Rodney Poulgrain
Peter Rowsthorn	...	Wacka

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Fountain Gate Shopping Centre, Narre Warren, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

A Million Monkeys

Trivia:

The scene following the destruction of Mike's house when he is furious was filmed during the night when a World Cup football match was being played. The fury in Bob Franklin's performance was 100% genuine because he was annoyed about missing the match.

Quotes:

Ted Pratt: In hospital you get to catch up on your reading.
[holds up newspapers]
Mike Paddock: Those three disasters have been taken completely out of context!

Movie Connections:

References Crackerjack (2002)

Soundtrack:

Where or When

Someone is on the shonk. To steal a phrase … ‘From the opening scene we know that we're onto something good'. Finally, after along time, we have a decent Aussie movie on our hands.

In a time when Aussie movies are in a bit of bad patch, here is one that really surprised me. It is the Tony Martin brainchild, ‘Bad Eggs', a film that is so serious, that you have to look real hard for its funny bits. Martin has made a very intelligent movie, one that simmers along at a nice pace, includes a fine cast and shows off some of the great Melbourne locations. ‘Bad Eggs' is a movie that proves some cops will go to extraordinary lengths to get to the bottom of the trouble. But no-one told these cops the trouble they might end up in as well……………

Ben Kinnear and Mike Paddock are undercover cops with the elite Zero Tolerance Unit. Busted down to uniformed duties after a series of humiliating blunders, the duo accidentally uncovers a conspiracy that goes right to the middle. Helped only by embittered reporter, Julie Bale and a reluctant computer geek, Northey, Ben and Mike set out to clear their names and expose the villains.

Most of the praise for ‘Bad Eggs' has to go writer/director Tony Martin. With this film he has proven that he has a future in the industry. The script he wrote for the film was extremely well written, as it had a fascinating story, some clever character creations (although some of the guys we see onscreen are anything but clever) and the Aussie language we hear in the film is a good reminder of that culture. Yet the story was also quite complex, as we learn more and more about what is actually going on.

Martin's direction was another highlight of the film. With this sort of quality direction, it would be hard to believe this is Martin's first time as a movie director, making this film an even bigger achievement for him. The opening of the movie must have been difficult to shoot, but Tony got it spot on. The film flowed beautifully after the start. I truly look forward to Martin's next movie.

Bad Eggs also has a great Australian cast. The main characters in the film are Ben Kinnear (Mick Molloy) and Mike Paddock (Ben Franklin). Molloy gives a pretty good role here, as he is funny and serious at various moments of the film. His expressions are also quite interesting. It is a much better role from Molloy than his performance in ‘Crackerjack'. Franklin (From TV's Crash/Burn), was great in his role, as he was very funny, although he seem not to have to work hard at being this way. Paddock says and does some of the more silly antics in the movie. I love how he goes ‘Chicka-chow'. Another integral character to the story is Julie Bale (Judith Lucy). Here, Lucy shows that she really can act. Lucy and Molloy suit each other onscreen, sharing a good chemistry in ‘Bad Eggs'. Judith also gives her character a steely resolve, something that I enjoyed seeing.

The supporting cast of the film is just as great. Northey (Alan Brough) might be a geek, but proves he is a good guy, who helps Kinnear and Paddock when they need it the most. Heading the ZTU unit is Doug Gillespie (Marshall Napier), who we see has many headaches thanks to his undercover agents. While, Widow Eleanor Poulgrain (Robyn Nevin), help out Ben and Mike, when she could be excused for not doing so. The bad guys in the film are a bit ‘schonky' alright. Ted Pratt (Bill Hunter) is a foul mouthed senior cop, who is definitely not on the level. Helping Ted is Wicks (Nichols Bell), a very sneaky and unethical police official. Then, with a very interesting cameo appearance in the film is state premier Lionel Cray (Shaun Micallef). Micallef was pretty good in the movie, with his character very dubious and having some of the more memorable lines.

The various scenes in the film are great. The opening of the film with the out of control car, going into a shopping mall was great to see. Then you have setups such as the fire at the widow's house, the bombing of the house and the driving of a car into a service station gas tank all being entertaining. However there was one scene that reminded of a film that I did not like too much. The infiltration of the highly guarded computer room by Ben and Mike, reminded me of the vault scene from Mission Impossible (1996) for some reason. I also enjoyed the dancing sequence used at the end of the film, with Molloy and Lucy showing that they can dance beautifully together.

With that in mind, I also like the musical themes in ‘Bad Eggs'. The music makes the film seem like it is super serious, then at the change of a tone, the film can seem to be very ‘light-hearted'. I like the music that was used in the final scene of the movie, as it gave the film a ‘classy' kind of feeling, with the song in question being "Where or When" from singing maestro Frank Sinatra. The musical score for Bad Eggs was by David Graney and Clare Moore.

I have never seen a film that is so serious, yet at times so stupid. The balance of those elements works particularly well here. This film is not meant to be taken that seriously by its viewers, as the movie takes care of that for us. I was weary of this movie, because I was not a fan of the Mick Molloy Aussie flick ‘Crackerjack', but I have plenty of respect for ‘Bad Eggs'. Tony Martin can be pleased with this effort as director, as he has proven to me that he should continue his career in movie-making. I highly recommend ‘Bad Eggs', a film that I believe just might help clean up the ‘bad smells' that are starting to overtake the Australian Film Industry.

CMRS gives ‘Bad Eggs': 4 (Very Good Film)