Frank but not Ernest

Settling down to watch the Arthur Upfield telemovie on ABC last weekend, I had expected a fast paced, even racy outback detective story. Oh no, not at all and for a while I thought we'd be stuck in the well worn and extremely dismal 'WW1 vet has trouble with women but hides real affection for lost boy'. I was not sure I could go through too much more of that but this production slips neatly past the cliches while remaining true to the stripped down facts of life at that time.

Robert Menzies gives the sort of performance that takes him way beyond the bleak Rabbit Proof Fence territory his character works in. His stoicism and stolid insistence on his populist talents as a writer are counterbalanced by absolute confidence in his integrity. Moments of conflict and then resolution with his family are highlights but even they are dished out with the same reluctance Upfield seemed to have felt for self glorification. Nevertheless they're there and so we see glimpses of happiness possible on the horizon.

As an avid watcher of crime stories, I often find myself watching violent crime scenes I would consider over the top from any other genre. Responsibility for this fascination is looked at here, as Arthur Upfield's plotting of a 'Boney' story sucks in a sociopath whose subsequent crimes follow the author's pattern. The inclusion of Nicholas Hope of 'Bad Boy Bubby' fame is interesting - his persona curls round his role as the dogged investigator perfectly.

For those of us for whom too much detective telly is not enough, this was a thoughtful exercise.

To see interviews with the writer, producer and director, click here: