Two detectives are assigned to solve a series of grisly murders of children.<BR>&nbsp;

Two detectives are assigned to solve a series of grisly murders of children.

The Melbourne Homicide Squad is investigating the activities of Mr Creep, a serial killer who targets children. Detective Jane JJ Wilson (Belinda McClory), who, when she entered the force at the age of 18, was an idealist who believed detection amounted to the good guys against the bad guys, is finding the investigation emotionally deeply distressing. She has another cause for distress: the fear that her partner, Robbie Walsh, John Brumpton, is corrupt... It`s something of a miracle that Redball, Jon Hewitt`s second feature, was made at all. Produced without government funding, it was filmed on digital video on a rock-bottom budget and the final cost, now that it`s been transferred to 35mm, is well under $300,000. If this is amazing in itself, so`s the content of the film: it`s a brazenly provocative assault on our police forces, and what the filmmakers see as endemic corruption on almost every level. Scene after scene shows police abusing their power - as two CIB men do when they force a couple of teenagers to have sex with them - or neglecting their responsibilities - ignoring a dead body in the river because it`s just too much trouble. It`s a profoundly unsettling film, and the cheap, grainy look fits it perfectly. The ensemble performances are excellent. Redball is a thought-provoking document for our troubled times.Margaret`s Comments:Although Redball has at its centre two very effective performances from Belinda McClory and John Brumpton it ultimately fails to deliver as a story of police corruption. It`s a theme that`s been done to death in films and on television and Redball offers nothing much that`s new. Instead it reworks cliches and seems to relish its own viciousness. The running gag of the dead body in the water - the `floater` - that no-one seems willing to deal with ultimately runs out of steam and even cinematic credibility. Some of the performances around the McClory and Brumpton are not convincing. It`s been shot like a rock clip, it`s trying too hard to look hip and smart and hard-hitting and all it does is highlight the weakness of its substance. I`ll sit through relentless nastiness if I feel it`s a worthwhile journey. Redball for me wasn`t.