Some people will cut though anything to keep a drug deal from going wrong.<BR>&nbsp;

Some people will cut though anything to keep a drug deal from going wrong.

When Chrisie - Blazey Best - arrives at the apartment of former lover Jess - Nicholas Bishop - she`s pretty desperate... her companion is in dire straits with a condom of heroin in his intestines. Jess, a medical student, can, she hopes, help. But it`s too late, the carrier is dead. Chrisie concocts the improbable scheme of driving to the NSW country town of Yeoval where Jess` father is the local vet and doing a post-mortem operation on the dead man to remove the smack. Jess - having been unceremoniously dumped by Chrisie over a year ago - is understandibly reluctant. But he can`t resist. So he and Chrisie set off in her VW convertible with the dead man in the back seat. Unfortunately they`re followed by two henchman of another former lover of Chrisie`s, Dex - Ian Bliss - who`s also a key figure in the drug deal, and by a third car containing maverick cop Draper - Alan Lovell.Powder Burn a first film from writer/director Stephen Prime has an interesting and idiosyncratic premise. But unfortunately although the characters are established, they`re not developed. They all experience pain, tension, frustration and really by the end of the movie they`re either dead or the same as they were at the beginning. The dialogue is functional, the cinematography terrific. Although much of the film does look like a car commercial. But they look good too. Performances are uneven, taking the honours is Blazey Best as Chrisie, I just wish I`d got to know her hardboiled character better. The henchwoman Lily - Olivia Pigeot - could have been fascinating but once again, I never really knew where she was coming from. This is an laudible effort more than it is a rivetting movie...David`s Comments: Quite impressive for a no-budget film shot on location. The first half is the most successful - once the action moves to the outback the tension slackens and there are some unconvincing elements. But Blazey Best is good in the leading role, and the film deserves full marks for achieveing what it has with minimal resources.