Rare Import Flix: Marauders (1986)

Marauders- Australian for Assholes.  Today's Film is, well, Marauders, a 1986 Australian Thriller/Slasher Film.  It is on Netflix as part of the Savage Sinema Collection aka a bunch of Films by Mark Savage.  Yes, that Mark Savage.  No, I don't know who he is either.  In any event, this is one of those Films that has lurked in my Queue for Months and I finally got around to it.  The Film is an odd one, as it tries be both Arty and Exploitation.  That is Austria's thing- not your's.  The Story involves a pair of teenage assholes committing a bunch of crimes.  They run afoul of a young Couple and decide to get back at them for, well, pretty petty reasons.  With everyone being an asshole (save one person), will I care who lives and who dies?  Don't look for any recognizable names or faces here- which could a bonus.  I will note that Savage apparently just made a Film with Bill Oberst Jr (friend of the Site), so I'll have to watch *at least* one more Film of his.  To find out how his dated opus is, read on...

This guy with the silly hair is an asshole, who beats up and berates this Mother.  Joy.

This guy is an asshole who cheats on and beats up his 'girlfriend,' later killing her when he can't find the car keys.

Yeah, that seems like a reasonable response...

This Couple is sneaking off for the Weekend to a Cabin.  He has an idea of what that entails, but she's not exactly as on-board with it.

Yes, three Male Leads- all assholes.  Joy.

The first 2 assholes pursue the Couple after the 3rd one bumps him slightly with the car.  Seems like a logical response.

While this leads to more killing, how can I stay mad at that hair?

They show up at the Cabin, but Asshole #3 is ready.  I'd say that this is an over escalation, but I've seen the rest of the Film so far.

Now here is where things get even more murky- one Victim survives an attack (being dragged alongside a car window) and gets a Mob!

This all leads to a long bit of the Mob trying to kill the Assholes and them targeting them Rambo-style.  The tension and drama is mellowed a bit by all of the Disney shirts (seen above) and silly hair.

The Mob eventually kills Asshole #2, while Asshole #1 kills himself to 'show them.'  That...showed them, I guess.

Oh and Asshole #3 is left behind by the Film's only likeable Character.  The End.

Assholes being assholes.  People going right to forming a killing mob.  Asshole boyfriend.  What is there to like here?  As I've mentioned, there are few likeable people.  We get the people that are immediately-victimized, the few that aren't killed and the lady that forms the Mob.  Not that she isn't somewhat-justified, but it is a pretty big leap from 'they tried to kill me' to 'let's form a Mob and murder them!'  The point: it is hard to muster alot of interest in what happens.  Do I care if the murdering asshole dies?  Not so much.  Do I care if the total asshole is killed by the murdering assholes?  Not really.  Marauders is not a bad Film per se, but it looks cheap (since it was) and it doesn't muster alot of interest from its Viewers with its awful (as human beings) Leads.  On the plus side, they work in a few mildly-interesting Camera Tricks...

Next up, the final Freddy Film that most of you like.  Has Kreuger 'jumped the shark' before using the Power Glove?  Stay tuned...