GABRIEL
Director: Shane Abbess Stars: Andy Whitfield, Dwaine Stevenson, Samantha Noble, Erika Heynatz, Michael Piccinelli, Harry Pavlidis
Reviewed by GREG KING
Film reviewers often admire low budget films brought to the screen by young and driven first time directors relying on an independent, do-it-yourself spirit, especially when the finished product is worth while and has something refreshing to say. But some of these films are awful and amateurish, either the result of a compromise between the director’s vision and ambition and the realities of a lack of financial resources or talent. Unfortunately, the low budget, Australian-made dark fantasy Gabriel falls firmly in the latter category.
According to the brief introduction, archangels are regularly sent to the netherworld of purgatory to do battle with the fallen angels for control of man’s souls. But the forces of evil have proven so powerful that the previous angels have given up the fight and fallen by the wayside. The final hope rests with Gabriel (played by newcomer Andy Whitfield), who does battle with Sammael (Dwaine Stevenson), the leader of the Fallen.
Gabriel is yet another film to explore the continuing clash between the forces of darkness and light, good and evil, for control of man’s soul. However, it lacks the sheer exuberance, energy and visual flair of recent films like the Russian fantasy Night Watch and its lesser sequel Day Watch. Australian director Shane Abbess laboured for some three years to bring his vision to the screen, often working part time jobs to help finance the project.
But this is one of the ugliest films of the year – both in terms of its look and its mood. Many of the scenes look as though they were filmed in derelict warehouses or bondage dungeons, while the muted colours and grimy visuals are sometimes painful to look at. It’s also a horribly derivative and cliched film, with wooden dialogue and stilted action scenes, amny of which take place on rooftops or in pouring rain. Abbess himself was inspired by the big action movies of the ‘80’s, films like Die Hard and its ilk, but his attempt to replicate that vibe falls horribly short here. It’s hard to be drawn into Abbess’s strange, alienating world or feel anything for the bland characters here. One to avoid!