The five greatest genre-bending Ozploitation movies

Posted On December 29, 2024December 29, 2024

Exploitation films refer to the gratuitously violent, sexual, and controversial B-movies of the 1970s and 1980s, designed to cash in on popular trends of the time. While once derided, they are now cherished by many cinephiles for their audacious style and willingness to explore taboo themes, not to mention their influence on filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. However, Ozploitation—the Australian counterpart of the genre—has yet to gain the same level of recognition, despite its unique contributions to cinema.

Australian exploitation films were an off-shoot of the Australian New Wave cycle ignited in the 1970s. After the launch of the Australian Film Commission, the Australian film scene was swamped with a slew of genre-defying, bonkers B-movies that would become known as the Ozpolitation cannon. Due to difficulties with distribution outside of the country, many of these films didn’t become more widely known until the advent of streaming.

Now, however, they’re beginning to gain a cult following, especially after the release of Mark Hutley’s documentary on the Ozpolitation movement. Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation is a fittingly frenetic look at the classics of Ozpolitation, a few of which are included on this list. One Ozpolitation film in particular, Mad Max, not only went on to worldwide acclaim but has since been credited as a major inspiration for the contemporary action genre.

The gratuitous violence, sexual themes and choppy style of these films might cause some to bristle, but the key to exploring this movement is to place it within its context. Instead of seeing them as opposed to the more thoughtful and aesthetically conventional films of that time and place – like Picnic at Hanging Rock – it is best to view them as two sides of the same film coin, one that explores the colonial history, alienation and the distinction between urban and rural life.

Here are the top five must-see Ozpolitation movies if you plan on getting into this unique and important film genre.

Five essential Ozploitation movies:

5. Mad Dog Morgan (Phillip Mora, 1976)

A historical western based on the real life of outlaw Daniel Morgan, Mad Dog Morgan injects some grittiness and psychological horror into the Bush Ranger and western genres. Starring Dennis Hopper as its loose-cannon star, it follows Mad Dog Morgan as he turns from bushranger to gun-toting outlaw.

Hopper’s performance bristles with intensity fueled by his renowned hedonism off the screen at the time. His character’s descent into madness is portrayed as almost supernatural, with the Australian landscape feeling both epic and claustrophobic at the same time. It’s a film that’s as chaotic as its setting, and it manages to turn from a story about a brutal penal colony to one of friendship and proto-celebrity. Its blending of genres paired with Hopper’s all-guns-blazing performance makes it an unforgettable experience for those with an interest in the Ozpolitation umbrella.

4. The Man From Hong Kong (Brian Trenchard-Smith 1975)

The first film to be made as an international co-production between Japan and Hong Kong, The Man from Hong Kong, follows a special Royal Hong Kong Police Force agent on an extradition mission. Along the way, he becomes embroiled in an epic battle with a local crime lord, portrayed by none other than Australian James Bond, George Lazenby. An Ozpolitation parody of the 007 and Dirty Harry franchises, it brought Hong Kong action to Australia.

Blending martial arts, action, and espionage is a high-energy genre mash-up with plenty of cheese, car chases and fight choreography. With its over-the-top spectacle and off-kilter humour, it’s a fun introduction to the Ozpolitation canon that has since gained a cult following. It even has an eight-and-a-half-minute-long car chase scene that surely could have inspired the iconic film at the top of this list.

3. Long Weekend (Colin Eggleston, 1978)

One of the finest iterations of the canon, Colin Eggleston’s Long Weekend is sure to pique the interest of modern audiences with its eco-horror themes. Following an unstable couple whose camping trip goes awry due to their disintegrating marriage and general lack of respect for nature. It explores the dark consequences of humanity’s treatment of mistreatment of nature through the personification of the Australian landscape, and it is a malevolent and beautiful character in and of itself.

More of an unsettling slow burn than the usually explosive Ozploitation classics, it’s part eco-horror, part relationship drama that tantalises with its lack of a physical villain. Is nature conspiring against them, or is it all just a coincidence? Now a cult classic for its haunting atmosphere and psychological tension, it has a lot to say about contemporary society. This underlying political tension is something that is often overlooked in the Ozploitation canon.

2. Wake in Fright (Ted Kotcheff, 1971)

Taking it right back to the very beginnings of the Ozploitation cycle is Ted Kotcheff’s portrait of one man’s personal descent into hell, Wake in Fright. An unflinching portrayal of life in Australia, it was considered controversial at the time for its unsettling atmosphere and brutality. It centres on an urban school teacher who ends up stranded in a brutal small outback town.

Considered lost for decades before being found in a box marked for destruction, Wake in Fright both epitomises and transcends the Ozploitation genre. On the surface, it’s a straightforward psychological drama, but through the incorporation of elements of horror and intense sequences, it descends into something darker. An exploration of isolation, masculinity and rural living, it is once again much deeper than many expect of the cannon and cutting to the dark undercurrents of Australian life.

1. Mad Max (George Miller, 1979)

Now a full-blown dystopian franchise and world of its own, Mad Max is the quintessential Ozpolitation film and simultaneously one of its most accessible. Not only did it blend genres, but it also captured a raw vision of Australia that resonated throughout the world. The original film is a stripped-back revenge flick that follows Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a police officer turned vigilante in a near-future Australia falling into societal collapse.

It is a frenetic two-hour action extravaganza grounded by a realistic portrayal of societal collapse. A road movie meets a dystopian horror; it influenced subsequent action films for years to come. Gritty, intense and visceral, it was once the most profitable feature film made anywhere in the world. It is the best place to start on your road through the Ozploitation genre before moving on to more intense entries on the list and beyond.

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