The Castle Review

THE CASTLE
REVIEW
How often do you take the time to tell your house, that he is not just a house, but a home? As the old saying goes, ‘a man’s home is his castle’, and it is upon this premise that Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) embarks on a David versus Goliath battle to save his ‘castle’ in Rob Sitch’s masterpiece.

Set in typical Australian suburbia, the Kerrigan family are an average Australian family, and it is this ‘normalness’ that adds so much charm to the film. The backbone of the dialogue is Australian slang, yet the script is beautifully crafted. Darryl Kerrigan, after being told that a multi-million dollar business is kicking his family out of their home to make room for an expanded airstrip, seeks the help of a bumbling local lawyer Dennis Denuto (played by Tiriel Mora).

The ‘Aussie battler’ scenario seems a little cliché, but it is the little quirks and details sprinkled throughout the whole movie that put it into a league of its own; Darryl’s obsession with the word ‘serenity’, Dale’s feeling of accomplishment after digging a hole.

It is the performance of all the actors in The Castle that really make it shine. The roles of the three sons, Dale (Stephen Curry), Steve (Anthony Simcoe) and Wayne (Wayne Hope), are played so simply yet superb. The film fantastically displays the family as a unit, and after the film you will smile brightly at the memories of your own ‘Kerrigans’.

Whilst overseas audiences may not fully appreciate the brilliance of this low-budget movie (the whole film cost less than the end credits of The Matrix) film, The Castle is ray of sunishine that will brighten any Australian’s day.