Andrew Pulver 

The Magician

Andrew Pulver: A hitman comedy
  
  

The Magician
Some good tricks ... The Magician Photograph: PR

A hitman comedy in a similar, if less graphically violent, vein to the Belgian mockumentary Man Bites Dog from the early 90s. It looks and feels like an exceptional student film - which is apparently what it is, written, directed and starring the extremely focussed Scott Ryan, an alumnus of the Melbourne Institute of Technology. As the subject of the "documentary", Ryan-as-gunman manages a considerable screen presence; Ryan-as-director puts together some brutal and funny sequences (one, where he forces a robber to return goods stolen from the cameraman, is particularly good). But choppy editing and erratic time-shifts tend to undercut rather than enhance the character Ryan has magicked up.

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*