Swerve

THRILLER; 1hr 26min

STARRING: Jason Clarke, Emma Booth, David Lyons

Speeding bullet Swerve starts out with a dodgy drug deal and a fatal crash in the wilds of South Australia somewhere between Broken Hill and fictional Neverest, then twists from there into a minefield of hidden agendas. Dark-horse local policeman Frank (Clarke), his unhappy wife, Jina (Booth), innocent bystander Colin (Lyons), who can’t seem to get away, and a briefcase full of ill-gotten cash are the key ingredients in a down-and-dirty thriller that keeps on getting dirtier — which is likely to happen when a ton of money and a wanton woman are involved.

Disaster pile-ups are seductive, their inexorably jinxed conclusion being half the fun. The other half is the course the bedevilled characters take to their foredoomed destination. Writer-director Craig Lahiff keeps everyone moving while sticking for effect to skiddy and deceptive back roads. They’re trickier to get a grip on, but the splashy scenery is never dull.