Director Jeremy Sims's film adaptation of Reg Cribb's titular 2003 play employs the vastness of the Australian Outback as a backdrop for a sincere drama about an elderly cab driver named Rex (Michael Caton), who has never ventured beyond his New South Wales mining hometown of Broken Hill. Rex's bout with stomach cancer leaves him with three months to live, and when he discovers that a right-to-die law has been instituted in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, he drives the 2,000-mile distance to take advantage of this opportunity. The trip across the Outback provides Rex with an opportunity to reevaluate his life, while his connection with people meets along the way gives him new ways of looking at his situation. Despite being a euthanasia story, Last Cab to Darwin is a life-affirming film that is blessed with an extraordinary view of the Outback's beauty (thanks to cinematographer Steve Arnold), and a marvelous ensemble cast headed up by veteran Australian actor Caton. Also featuring Jacki Weaver—likely the most familiar cast member to American viewers—this is highly recommended. (P. Hall)
Last Cab to Darwin
First Run, 123 min., not rated, DVD: $24.95 Volume 32, Issue 1
Last Cab to Darwin
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