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The Snowtown Murders
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Metascore
66 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critics What's this?

User Score
4.5 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 4 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Daniel Henshall, Louise Harris, Lucas Pittaway
  • Summary: The film follows Elizabeth Harvey, a mother raising her three boys in a poor suburb. After her latest boyfriend displays pedophilic tendencies, she takes up with a new man, hoping for security but instead welcoming an even more vicious predator into her home. John Bunting is the moral compass of a self-appointed neighborhood watch who, fueled by cigarettes and beer, cast judgments on those living around them. Bunting enlists his crew in acts of sadistic vigilantism on those he considers deviants, and in the process takes Elizabeth's son Jamie under his wing. The Snowtown Murders is an uncompromising film focused on the relationship between vulnerable teenager and a father figure who is revealed to be the worst kind of bully. (IFC Films)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 13
  3. Negative: 2 out of 13
  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeannette Catsoulis
    Mar 1, 2012
    90
    The Snowtown Murders reminds us that sometimes evil is immediately recognizable, but at other times it comes bearing bacon and beer.
  2. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rothkopf
    Feb 28, 2012
    60
    Cigarettes are sucked hungrily by all involved, old and young, in the trashscape of this depressing Australian crime film - a movie that heaps so much dank atmosphere on its suburbanites, you can't help but sigh with relief when events turn to serial killing (finally?).
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    Mar 2, 2012
    38
    Overlong and grim to the point where some scenes are virtually unwatchable.

See all 13 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. hoops2448
    10
    Before I start I must warn anyone thinking of watching Snowtown that it is a visually/ mentally distressing film with disturbing imagery and a horrifying plot. When I viewed it in a room of 30 people or so, the room was down to 15-20 by the end of the film because of the films content. Not only is it not for the faint of heart, it's not for those with a strong heart. Even if you can watch the worst horror films without even as much as a gasp, trust me, you still aren't prepared for Snowtown. That being said Snowtown is a beautifully directed, true story based around Australian serial killer John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) and his systematic corruption of a teenager (Lucas Pittaway) into his gang of murderers. The story is dark but wonderfully written with every character being brilliantly thought out and drawn thanks to a great script by Shaun Grant. The most shocking part of Snowtown is the fact it never for a moment feels like a movie. It feels like you are following real people from Pittaway's Jamie, a lighthearted youngster dragged into John's hateful business thanks to manipulation by his mother Elizabeth (Louise Harris), his brother and John, his mother's new boyfriend. Daniel Henshall gives the performance of a lifetime as Bunting bringing to life a despicable character who not only affected a family but a whole community. Snowtown ensures a feel of unease for the entire run by setting up characters only to turn them on his head with John entering as a kind protector but gradually revealing the darkness within. The film makes sure not to make its characters come across as sociopathic, in fact, it emphasises the characters plethora of feelings and emotions. For instance in one scene John witnesses someone else carry out his kill and the look of shock and joy on his face is truly terrifying. The absolute delight displaces any idea that these characters are mentally ill. As Jamie falls deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole, John’s deeds get steadily worse as if to him it seems like a game. He convinces himself he is doing the community a service by ridding the streets of perverts and homosexuals but he fails to see the fact that all the perverts combined don't add up to the agony he is causing countless people. The music helps maintain the tension and feel of disillusionment the film has while both preparing the viewer for the films more shocking moments while allowing the viewer to enjoy (it might be a stretch to say enjoy) the lighter moments. The aforementioned lighter moments are the most surprising of the film as they show John to be capable of such warmth and affection, especially among children while still being able to do what he does. The film grips you from beginning to end (apart from the moments where you will just have to look away) due to its strong central performances from Henshall, Pittaway and Harris with the latter's portraying utter helplessness brilliantly. It's a film that relies so heavily on the performers in bringing these well-known people to life and in that regard it is a complete success and utterly spellbinding. However I could never watch it again as it is cinema at its worst and finest. It is fantastic and terrible at the same time and will keep viewers talking for days and days if only because they are so afraid of going to sleep.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. Halfwelshman
    5
    On the face of things, it is extremely difficult to find fault with Snowtown - artistically and technically speaking, it is flawless. Brilliantly-filmed and beautifully acted, particularly by the two central actors, Daniel Henshall playing a charismatic and utterly terrifying John Bunting, and Lucas Pittaway playing the withdrawn, vulnerable and emotionally unstable young man James Vlassakis, who is gradually corrupted by Bunting's influence, until he actively participates in the brutal series of murders himself. Both Henshall and Pittaway are simply spellbinding. For me, I found the film a little too real. When filmmaking is like this, depicting such a recent and traumatic real-world event in such an unflinching and horrifying matter, it can be extremely difficult to watch. You feel restrained, forced to just sit and observe the nightmare unfold on screen (though, chillingly, you just can't shake the thought that what you are watching really did happen in a small, Australian town just over a decade ago). The extended scenes of brutality are almost unbearable, not necessarily because of the graphic detail shown (there is relatively little), but because of their intensity, the unrelenting human monstrosity on show, and their gruelling length - the feeling of unease builds to unbearable levels, but rather than giving the viewer a release, the scene just carries on, until you feel physically sick. Never is this better demonstrated than in the scene where Bunting and one of his associates are strangling one of their victims in a bathtub, and taking great pleasure out of prolonging the man's pain as long as possible. James witnesses what is taking place, and tries to leave, providing a welcome relief for the viewer as he exits the house, muffling the horrific sounds of the victim's struggle, but then, just as we think we've escaped, Bunting calls James back inside, and we are forced to witness the horror through to its end. I really did find the film too close-to-the-bone, and quite nauseating at times. I understand director Justin Kurzel and writer Shaun Grant's aim was to depict the Snowtown Murders honestly, realistically and without sympathy for the culprits, but the viewing experience they put their audience through is nothing short of torture. It's beyond unpleasant to watch, and the whole film, and what it hopes to achieve, quite frankly feels a bit nasty. Despite its undeniably brave depictions of a real-life series of murders, its striking cinematography, memorable performances and a clever and sinister "monstrous family" dynamic between Bunting and his disciples, Snowtown is not a film I could ever watch again. I like to keep a little more distance between myself and a killer, and being allowed inside the dark recesses of Bunting's mind and watching him influence so many innocents with his natural charisma, and gradually corrupting them to their very core is just too upsetting. I commend Daniel Henshall for his captivating performance, but I honestly don't know how he can sleep at night, having journeyed so far into the state of mind of one of the most depraved and evil men in Australian history. Snowtown made me feel ill throughout its mercilessly long run-time, and it still makes me feel nauseous while I wrote this review. I'm not sure a film should ever have an effect like that on a viewer. I will never forget the film, but I almost wish I could.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

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