Snakeskin (2001)

Snakeskin: Directed by Gillian Ashurst. With Melanie Lynskey, Boyd Kestner, Dean O’Gorman, Oliver Driver. A hitchhiker takes two kids on the ride of their dreams, but they soon learn that their newfound hero is just as capable of delivering nightmares.

“I went to Snakeskin not expecting much, perhaps something along the lines of u0026quot;Stickmenu0026quot; a NZ version of a successful overseas production, with a focus on Kiwiana and gimmicky NZ references. Too a large degree I was not disappointed. Oliver Driver plays yet another weirdo (although this time a skin head speed freak) which he does well, however, his appearances are becoming a little too familiar. While the acting and actors are excusable the writing is not, the first half of the film is nothing particularly new but works, but, by the second half the writing is completely incoherent. At one point towards the end it seems as if too many characters have been introduced and writer/director Ashurst just gets rid of them, they walk off, get shot etc. etc…. More noticeable than their demise is the increasingly strange (dare I say quirky) mishmash of ideas thrown in to try to hold the script together as it winds down towards the end which is neither a surprise nor original. (In fact for all you B-grade film viewers, very u0026quot;Tales from the cryptu0026quot; type thing). The whole film is very New Zealand on the surface and should be praised for being true to u0026quot;NZu0026quot;, those of you who liked u0026quot;Stickmenu0026quot; will like this film, but for me it does not compare with u0026quot;Goodbye pork pieu0026quot;. Go and see it if only for the landscape.”