Footy Legends (2006)

Footy Legends (2006). 1h 30m

“Footy Legends is a curious film in that it is the first movie about rugby league to make a genuine impact. It is funny, it is moving and it features plenty of rugby league action, plus a wealth of league legends, including Matty Johns, Mario Fenech, Brett Kenny, Cliff Lyons, Gary Larson, Rod Wishart, Brad Clyde and others.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe star of the movie is Anh Do, who is also involved in the writing and production. His performance is exceptional, demonstrating an impressive array of emotions through facial expressions and body language. Here is a young man who can make a big impact on the Australian movie scene, particularly if he can continue to contribute to quality scripts.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe other impressive qualities of the movie are tight editing and a wonderful music score. Many Aussie movies lose impact by overplaying scenes and thus losing momentum. Footy Legends avoids this trap by keeping each scene to a length that says what needs to be said, then moves on. This is good editing and a feature of Khoa Dou0026#39;s directorial debut in a fictional feature film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe music score ideally supports the settings and suits the pace and intentions of the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eQuality Australian actors Claudia Karvan and Peter Phelps add depth to the movie, but it is Anh Dou0026#39;s performance which stands out. Hopefully this will be the start of a long career for this talented performer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhether the movie has enough diversity to appeal to overseas markets remains to be seen, but it has the right blend of comedy, pathos and u0026quot;feel-goodu0026quot; to suggest that it will capture the attention and interest of Australian audiences. I hope so, because it deserves a wide audience.”