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2002 Australian drama film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tracker is a 2002 Australian drama film/meat pie Western directed and written by Rolf de Heer and starring David Gulpilil, Gary Sweet and Damon Gameau. It is set in 1922 in outback Australia where a colonial policeman (Sweet) uses the tracking ability of an Indigenous Australian tracker (Gulpilil) to find the alleged murderer of a white woman.
The Tracker | |
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![]() Theatrical film poster | |
Directed by | Rolf de Heer |
Written by | Rolf de Heer |
Produced by | Rolf de Heer Julie Ryan |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Ian Jones |
Edited by | Tania Nehme |
Music by | Graham Tardif |
Distributed by | Umbrella Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Box office | A$818,388 (Australia)[1] |
1922, somewhere in Australia. An Aboriginal man is accused of murdering a white woman, and three white men (The Fanatic, The Follower and The Veteran) are on a mission to capture him with the help of an experienced indigenous man (The Tracker).
As they travel through the rugged Australian outback, each suffers under the stern hand of The Fanatic, who will stop at nothing to bring the accused to justice, even if that means sacrificing the others to reach the goal.
Meanwhile, the motives of The Tracker remain elusive, and despite their relentless pursuit the men always seem to be a half-day behind their quarry.
After the death of one of the men, and a surprise mutiny, what endgame awaits for the group, and the enigmatic Tracker to whom they have entrusted their survival.
The film was shot in the semi-arid, rugged Arkaroola Sanctuary, in South Australia's Flinders Ranges. De Heer used an intentionally small film crew, saying that "It's all a much better process ...".[3] The film is intercut with paintings by Peter Coad which portray brutal actions not shown, while the lyrics of the soundtrack (written by De Heer) form part of the narrative, and are sung by Archie Roach with music composed by Graham Tardif.[4]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has a score of 88% based on reviews from 33 critics, with an average 7.1/10 rating.[5] Based of 16 critics on Metacritic, the film have a score of 71 out of a 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four calling the film "haunting" and the performances "powerful".[7] David Stratton described the film as "remarkable".[8]
Walter Addiego of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote "See the film mainly for the quiet and powerful work of Gulpilil in the title role".[9] Slant Magazine's Jay Antani was quoted saying "The Tracker is the first significant movie to find its way into American theaters in 2005".[10]
Awards | Category | Subject | Result |
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AACTA Awards (2002 AFI Awards) |
Best Film | Julie Ryan | Nominated |
Rolf de Heer | Nominated | ||
Best Direction | Nominated | ||
Best Original Screenplay | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | David Gulpilil | Won | |
Best Editing | Tania Nehme | Nominated | |
Best Cinematography | Ian Jones | Nominated | |
ARIA Award | Best Original Soundtrack Album | Graham Tardif | Nominated |
ASSG Award | Best Sound | Won | |
AWGIE Award | Best Film - Original Screenplay | Rolf de Heer | Won |
Cinemanila International Film Festival | Best Actor | David Gulpilil | Won |
FCCA Awards | Best Film | Julie Ryan | Won |
Rolf de Heer | Won | ||
Best Director | Nominated | ||
Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | David Gulpilil | Won | |
Best Editing | Tania Nehme | Nominated | |
Best Cinematography | Ian Jones | Won | |
Best Music Score | Graham Tardif | Won | |
Ghent International Film Festival | Grand Prix Award | Rolf de Heer | Nominated |
Best Screenplay | Won | ||
Inside Film Awards | Best Feature Film | Julie Ryan | Won |
Rolf de Heer | Won | ||
Best Direction | Nominated | ||
Best Script | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | David Gulpilil | Won | |
Best Music | Graham Tardif | Won | |
Best Cinematography | Ian Jones | Nominated | |
Best Sound | Nominated | ||
Paris Film Festival | Press Award | Rolf de Heer | Won |
Screen Music Award | Best Original Song | Graham Tardif | Won |
Valladolid International Film Festival | Jury Special Prize | Rolf de Heer | Won |
Golden Spike Award | Nominated | ||
Venice Film Festival | SIGNIS Award - Honorable Mention | Won | |
Golden Lion | Nominated | ||
The Tracker | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | August 2002 | |||
Genre | World, folk | |||
Label | Mana Music, Mushroom Records | |||
Archie Roach chronology | ||||
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A Soundtrack was released in August 2002. The album is credited to Australian musician Archie Roach. The soundtrack won best soundtrack at the 2002 Film Critics Circle of Australia.[11]
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2002, the album was nominated for ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album[12]
Country | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue |
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Australia | August 2002 | Mushroom Records | 334932 | |