We regret to inform you that Nicolas Cage apparently does not attempt an Australian accent in this saltier than usual outback noir.
How to watch The Surfer in the UK
The Surfer is now screening in UK cinemas.
What is The Surfer about?
a bit like if John Milius directed Straw Dogs. Nicolas Cage is the eponymous Surfer, returning home to Western Australia (specifically the Busselton-Margaret River area, a patch I know well) after many years absent. Alas, his beloved beach is the domain of aggressive surf localists, a bit like those guys in Point Break, who deny the Surfer his raison de vivre.
It all escalates rather quickly and violently, which has drawn some comparisons to grim outback banger Wake in Fright. The Surfer is the latest offering from Irish director Lorcan Finnegan, who also gave us the pretty decent Vivarium and Nocebo.
The cast of The Surfer
Nicolas Cage is, of course, the Surfer; Finn Little is the Kid, his son; Julian McMahon is Scally, the leader of the local surf gang; Nic Cassim is the Bum, an eccentric local/font of wisdom; Miranda Tapsell is the Photographer; Alexander Bertrand is Pitbull; Justin Rosniak is the Cop; Rahel Romahn is the Estate Agent; and Charlotte Maggi is Jenny.
The Surfer trailer
Why we’re excited about The Surfer
It’s a weird, simmering, macho drama that explodes into violence, but with Nic Cage and set, for unfathomable reasons, in the fairly chill Margaret River surfing community? Sure, why not? Seems about as likely as an Amish serial killer, though.
The Surfer vibes like a hybrid between an arthouse drama a la Cage’s previous Joe or Pig, or a direct-to-home B grade actioner like Cage’s previous…well, too many to mention, really. Or perhaps it’s a secret, third thing that combines the best of both? Whatever the case, we simply must know.
