Mr. Reliable
Film Information
Cast:
Colin Friels (Wally Mellish)
Jacqueline McKenzie (Beryl Muddle)
Paul Sonkilla (Police Chief Norm Allen)
Frank Gallacher (Sergeant Ferguson)
Barry Otto (NSW Premier)
Susie Porter (Fay, Beryl’s best friend)
Lisa Hensley (Penny Wilberforce)
Producers:
Jim McElroy
Terry Hayes
Michael Hamlyn
Director:
Nadia Tass
Script:
Terry Hayes
Don Catchlove
Cinematographer:
David Parker
Editor:
Peter Carrodus
Music Supervisor:
Chris Gough, Mana Music
Australian Distributor:
PolyGram (Australia)
Australian Release Date:
January 23, 1997
Budget/Box Office Information
Total Gross income to date – AUD $266,329 ranking this film 261st overall against all other Australian films (source: www.moviemarshal.com/idg-australianfilms.html)
Award Nominations – 1996 AFI Awards
(Source: www.us.imdb.com/title/tt0117101/awards)
Best Achievement in Cinematography – David Parker
Best Achievement in Costume Design – Tess Schofield
Best Film – Jim McElroy, Terry Hayes, Michael Hamlyn
Bibliographic information regarding Mr. Reliable
Information regarding Mr. Reliable is lacking overall, largely (I believe) due to the fact that it was not widely received or very successful in Australia (or anywhere else for that matter). So I will also include sites that make reference to key figures involved within the making of Mr. Reliable, as there are several well-known Australian identities involved with this film.
www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=3&s=Video_files - A synopsis and review of Mr. Reliable by Andrew Urban.
www.cs.usyd.edu.au/~nikki/m_r/current/MrReliable.html - A student review from 1998, the author makes mention of critics raving about Mr Reliable at the time, yet this review (as well as Andrew Urban’s and I think the next reference) are the only Australian reviews that I found in an extensive Web search.
www.geocities.com/colinfriels/Mr.Reliable.htm - Probably the most in-depth article that I found regarding Mr Reliable, but that’s not really saying a great deal.
www.timeout.com/film/73333.html - A synopsis within the Time Out London magazine.
www.us.imdb.com/title/tt0117101/#comment - From ‘Earths Biggest Movie Database’ ™ there is a small summary of the film and one piece of reader feedback. But most intriguing is the links to most of the actors in Mr Reliable, containing credits and filmography.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/6304380143/002-9599455-5710437?v=glance&n=404272 - An American site that contains a catalogue of film reviews for VHS. A short review for Mr. Reliable rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
www.movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=136275 - A small synopsis in the New York Times; also contains reader reviews if you are prepared to become a member of the New York Times (which I was not).
www.movies.msn.com/movies/movie.aspx?m=22865 - Contains the same synopsis as the New York Times.
www.sundancechannel.com/film/?ixFilmID=6519 - A small synopsis for screening on an American cable network.
www.hollywood.com/movies/fulldetail/id/161525 - A short synopsis and lengthy cast/credits detail.
www.coolshopping.com/vhs.php/Mode/product/page/1/browse/167889/AsinSearch/6304380143/name/Mr%2520Reliable%2520%252F%2520Movie - A product review of Mr Reliable for an American Internet shopping channel.
www.cascadefilms.com.au/html/nadia_tass.htm - this site provides a short but succinct biographical account of Nadia Tass, director of Mr. Reliable as well as many other Australian films listed in this page. Cascade films also happen to be Nadia Tass’ own production company.
www.innersense.com.au/productions/writings/greek-australian.html - this site provides information on Greek-Australians involved in the Australian film industry. This includes Nadia Tass and a filmography of hers.
www.afc.gov.au/archive/annrep/ar95_96/commish.html - this site has a brief bio on Liz Mullinar, who provided the casting for Mr. Reliable.
www.electricshadowsbookshop.com.au/rental2005/rental=2005.htm - this site is related to a video store in Canberra. Whilst it doesn’t really say anything about Mr. Reliable other than having it on their rental lists, it is here for interests sake, as it has an unbelievable catalogue of Australian and international films.
www.mook-e.com/bio/friels.htm contains a biography of Colin Friels, the lead male in Mr. Reliable.
Synopsis
Sydney, January 1968 and Wally Mellish (Colin Friels) is a happy man. He’s just been released from jail after a stint for theft, and is determined to make a good go of it on the straight and narrow. He decides to head out to Glenfield, a Sydney suburb 40 miles from the city, where he grew up. He organises himself a dishevelled fibro house and declares to the owner that there won’t be any trouble.
Whilst at the local supermarket to organise groceries for his new residence, Wally runs into Beryl Muddle (Jacqueline McKenzie) and her best friend Fay (Susie Porter). Wally and his family have a reputation around Glenfield that precede them; which shows in Fay’s hesitance to hitch a ride to Wally’s new abode whilst Beryl seems to be attracted to the larrikinism of Wally. Almost straight away Wally and Beryl become an item, and Wally has Beryl and her two year old son Leslie move into his house. Wally seems to have achieved what he set out to do after leaving prison, go on the straight and narrow with a good sheila and tin lid (never mind Leslie isn’t his son) and live happily ever after.
But old habits die hard, and Wally can’t resist pinching something. Even something so small as Jaguar motorcar ornaments from the local wreckers as a housewarming gift for Beryl. Wally is sprung whilst getting away, and a few hours later finds constabulary attention at his front door. These policemen know Wally well, and know that winding him up straight out of prison will draw a reaction that will allow them to throw Wally back in jail. When Wally refuses to come to the door, one of the constables thinks it funny to kick in the house door. Wally doesn’t see the funny side and fires a warning shot at the cops, telling them to piss off. This in turn draws immediate overreaction by the young constables who call for backup response to a ‘siege’ incident in Glenfield.
The police response and presence is immediate, with what seems like all of Sydney’s police force at the scene. This fracas draws the attention of the N.S.W. Police Commissioner Norman Allen (Paul Sonkilla), who decides to take a more humanistic approach to the situation. He fears recent bad publicity against the police service (due to violent clashes with anti-Vietnam War protesters) could get worse if this ‘working class bloke’ and his family are harshly dealt with. So Norm decides to head the task force personally and deal with Wally in an assertive but kind manner, much to the chagrin of Sergeant Ferguson (Frank Gallacher) who thinks it would be more appropriate to shoot first, ask questions later.
What ensues is carnival like atmosphere, people from all around the district have flocked to see their new folk hero in Wally, cooking barbies and drinking beer on a hot January weekend. Will Wally get out alive, and more importantly, as a free man. If you are a fan of Australian humour and camaraderie, Mr Reliable is film to see.
Critical uptake
No matter what the situation, Australians seem to be able to look on the bright side of many sticky situations with humour and larrikinism. The fact that Mr Reliable was based on a true story is no exception.
Colin Friels delivers an excellent performance as working class hero and convicted criminal Wally Mellish. He epitomises the Australian love of idolising our convict past. Many of Australia’s biggest folk heroes have been convicts; such as Ned Kelly, Dan ‘Mad Dog’ Morgan, and Breaker Morant, the court marshalled Australian officer from the Boer War who was executed for treason. The fact that Wally Mellish was a folk hero for only one weekend is irrelevant, as he left a lasting impression on a nation divided by the Vietnam War of the time. In his portrayal of Mellish, Friels was able to embody the typical Australian bloke; ocker accent, humorous in demeanour without actually meaning to be, and determined to make a good go of things no matter what the situation.
Jacqueline McKenzie delivers an equally impressive turn as Beryl Muddle, a headstrong single mother who sets out to pair up with Wally because he’s a good bloke who treats her son well rather than someone who is just going to be the ‘man of the house’. Beryl even marries Wally even though it’s revealed that she only likes him, but doesn’t actually love him. Beryl’s ‘Australianness’ is reflected in her headstrong demeanour, as well as having the same sense of humour as Wally. The fact that she also moved in with Wally at the disapproval of her mother also reflects an Aussie attitude, ‘stuff what anyone thinks, I’m gonna do what I want to do’.
It is fitting with such a good Australian film that people can identify with it. Both of my parents can vividly recall hearing and reading about the extraordinary events as adolescents in the ‘60’s, and both laughed heartily as I watched Mr Reliable with them for the first time in 1998. What possibly made it closer to home for my mother in particular was the fact she had a lot of family in Sydney, and that three of her older brothers were of conscription age. Whilst they were lucky enough not to go, many other locals (in Albury, NSW) were unlucky. So it was fitting to see this true story of a man who became a folk hero by first getting himself out of a siege situation with some police who weren’t very fond of anti-war protesters; and subsequently miss out on alternative punishment (serving Queen and Country in Vietnam) by virtue of not being able to read or write.
Interestingly enough, in each of the snippets, synopses and reviews that I found, there was not one negative word to say about Mr Reliable. Yet the film was not widely received, and I cannot recall it having a cinematic release date in Australia, which means that overall gross profits for the film are quite poor when weighed up against the quality of the film. However, competition within the Australian film genre was always going to be stiff within the same year as The Castle (1997). The Castle was one of Australia’s most successful films and contained many, many Aussie references that would have possibly been overkill in another veritably Aussie comedy. Whilst both films are completely different in plot, the humour is quite the same. Moviegoers in any country don’t respond well to repetition, a classic example was the release of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1995) ahead of To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1996). Priscilla was a hit both nationally and internationally, whilst To Wong Foo was mediocre at best regarding audience acclaim. I believe that if Mr Reliable had been released a few years earlier (or later), it would have made a much bigger impact.
Also conspiring against Mr Reliable was the fact that Australian Cinema was only just beginning to resurrect itself from a lengthy slumber, after the release of Crocodile Dundee II (1988) until Muriel’s Wedding (1995) and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1995). There could have been an extra fear of overkill (as previously mentioned) that the local industry wouldn’t have wanted repeated.
Mr Reliable is a thoroughly enjoyable film that has, most unfortunately, not been subject to a very wide audience. Whilst a lot of ‘Australianness’ within the modern society is beginning to disappear through the generations (due to necessary multiculturalism and globalisation), it is great to see films that can reflect on what it was like to be Australian in another era. Whilst Australia does have a very chequered past and should also reflect on the bad as well as the good, it is refreshing to get a dose of the ‘fair dinkum Aussie larrikin’ every now and then.