Backroads
Seen it?1977 | 61 min | Action, Drama
Weeknight Watchearly ratingWhy it’s a Weeknight Watch
With mixed reviews and soft box office, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for action fans. If you loved Beast, start here.
- The mood
- Exciting.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 1 min.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1977: an older pace and style.
Two strangers – one white, one black – steal a car in western NSW and head for the coast. Jack is abrasive, cunning and disparaging about Aborigines. Gary doesn’t really care – he just wants to escape. En route, they pick up Gary’s Uncle Joe, a French hitchhiker and a young woman who’s running away. Their petty crimes escalate as they go, heading towards disaster.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsBelow par
Mixed reviews
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$25K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 4K people sought it out in the past year, and interest is climbing
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Cast & crew
Directed by Phillip Noyce
- Bill HunterJack
- Gary FoleyGary
- Zac MartinJoe
- Terry CamilleriJean Claude
- Julie McGregorAnna
- Essie CoffeyAboriginal Woman
- Allan PenneyShopkeeper