Cactus

CACTUS (2008) - Feb. 10, 2011
Meh.  A mediocre drama/thriller about a guy transporting a man he abducted across the Australian countryside.  There's a long stretch in which the film keeps us entirely in the dark about what's happening (e.g. why the man has been abducted) -- I would imagine that the intent was to establish a vibe of intriguing mysteriousness, but instead it just comes off as annoyingly vague.  Things don't entirely improve when we finally do find out the situation, as the dynamic between the two men is never all that interesting.  Plus, the film kind of fails as a thriller (there just aren't that many thrills) and the characters aren't good enough to sustain the movie on their own.  It was decently made, I guess, and I was never bored -- but the whole thing felt kind of pointless.  **