Fair Game (1986)

"Let's go hunting!" - Ringo

A woman plans revenge after being terrorized by poachers.
Starring: Cassandra Delaney, Peter Ford, David Sanford, Garry Who

Link to IMDB

It looks like Ozploitation Appreciation month will be extending into some (or all) of March!
I've been finding lots of gems, because the Aussie film renaissance was huge while still avoiding the mainstream cinema.

Deep in the Australian outback, Jessica lives at her ranch situated on a wildlife sanctuary, and there she keeps a protective watch on the local animals. Driving into town one day, her peace is disturbed when she's harassed by a monstrous truck owned by three hunters. It seems these men have been the cause of the recent poaching on her land, but without any proof the local law can't help her.

A face to face encounter with the men in town shows us that Jessica is determined to stop these jerks, and she's not going to be intimidated by their nasty leering.

Knowing that Jessica is alone on her ranch, the men begin to creep around her place and continually harass her. Like wild dogs, they tear up the sanctuary and needlessly slaughter any animal that they see in their sights.


The men are Sunny, Ringo and Sparks. All three of them are repugnant pigs, but Sunny is also an intelligent man which makes him even more dangerous. Jessica becomes enraged at their poaching, so she sabotages their camp. This only angers the men further, and now Jessica's going to have to use her wits to protect her land and herself.

The entire movie is a tense and ominous game of cat and mouse, as the poachers hunt Jessica and she tries to fight back. After a shocking display of outrageous torture (see picture,) I thought Jessica's spirit would be broken, but no, she cleans herself up and prepares for revenge.
No men come to rescue her and she never seems helpless; this lady will be her own badass heroine!

It would have been easy to make this movie incredibly dark, sleazy and sexually exploitative; but instead it's a celebration of Jessica's bravery and determination to protect her home. That's not to say it isn't intense, because it often is, but it's more of a survival adventure instead of just a grim revenge movie.

Holy shit

The back-and-forth attacks do get a bit repetitive, but it establishes Jessica's progression from a peaceful animal lover into a vengeful fighter, so when it comes time for the adrenaline fueled final showdown we know why and how she's become an unstoppable force.

Be sure not to miss:
- Another great example of a skronky synth score that the Australians seem to love so much.
- Kangaroos can drive?

Internet review:
"It's a classic of genre cinema." - Quentin Tarantino

Should I watch it?
Yes, it's a fun and crazy revenge flick.

Where can I find it?
Links here.

Fair Games gets...