 | |
List Price: $7.98 | | Label: Platinum Disc
Salesrank: 14416
Released: November 7, 2006 |
| Our Price: $5.90 |
| Used Price: $5.78 |
|
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
Kevin Jones arrives at Blackstream prison beaten, bruised, and suffering from brain damage -- a state he wasn't in at his sentencing. Something happened to Kevin during his transfer, and though the prison psychologist tries to help him remember...he can't. But someone at the prison knows Kevin's secrets; and when they meet, a deadly war will be ignited, thrusting the entire prison into a battle of hate and revenge...
Rat Tamer (Full) Reviews:
Save money: order the entire series! 
2009-06-11 - "The Rat Tamer" is the pilot of the ten episodes which comprise the Australian series "Corelli". Why the powers-that-be decided to release only this one episode in Region 1, is beyond me...The episode does NOT stand alone well, as it leaves too many unanswered questions, greatly frustrating the viewer (think sex without the orgasm...). The four star rating is for the series, rather then this DVD alone. You can purchase, like I did, the Region 4 series from an Australian vendor, and watch it on your computer if you do not own a region free DVD player (or use cables to connect your computer to your TV).
Regarding "Corelli": Despite Jackman's top billing, the series actually stars Deborra-Lee Furness (Jackson's future wife) as Louisa Corelli, a divorced mother of two and a newly minted prison psychologist. Her struggle to balance her professional and personal life becomes compounded by her growing relationship with Kevin Jones, a young man serving time for armed robbery (Hugh Jackman). Each episode is a somewhat self enclosed story, with the exception of the most intriguing Corelli/Jones theme. Though rather naive and cliched in its treatment of complex psychological issues, this fourteen year old series remains relevant to the contemporary viewer. However, if you are expecting a lot of screen time for Jackman and plenty of sexual fireworks between Corelli and Jones...well, skip it, or you'll be dissapointed. The series offers a safe and savory ending for the character of Corelli, though perhaps not equally satisfactory to a Jackman fan...
My one and only gripe regarding this series is the odd portrayal of the Australian prison system...I do not know much about the topic, but felt amuzed when female guards were shown taking male prisoners to the showers (isn't it some sort of a human rights violation for both parties?), and that the unarmed staff seemed to freely mingle with the prison population (hostage, anyone?), not to mention the uber tight micro shorts worn as a uniform by many prisoners (an anti-smuggling measure?...).
Anyway, I enjoyed the stories as well as watching the undeniable chemistry between Furness and Jackman. I recommend the series to any Jackman and/or prison drama fan.
Rat Tamer indeed
2008-12-16 - Good early work by Hugh Jackman that just left me wanting to know the rest of the story. This is a pilot for an Australian TV show that can't be bought in the US. Lots of subplots and side stories going on here too, so if you're only interested in Jackman you're going to be skipping forward a lot, like I did.
Save your time, watch something else 
2008-10-22 - I am a HUGE Jackman fan and had high expectations of his first on-screen appearance. Jackman did have pretty good acting but he was not the main character and thus was only in limited scenes. I was not impressed by the performances of the rest of the cast nor did I find the plot particularly engrossing. You will be better off watching an episode of Law & Order.
Watch it for Furness's portrayal 
2008-06-29 - I bought this because I'm a Hugh Jackman fan (who isn't?), and it's marketed as a Hugh Jackman film, but that's just marketing. See it, but see it because of the ensemble, not just Jackman. It was the pilot for an Australian series starring Jackman's future real-life wife, Deborra-Lee Furness. It's clearly "TV," not big screen. But Furness is positively luminescent; her acting is straight and true, she's gorgeous but still "real." One can see why Jackman totally fell for her. I recently saw her in Jindabyne (2006) and she's simply an excellent actress, well worth watching. Jackman is there, but doesn't get to flex his acting muscles the way he does in later stuff. William Zappa, as an emotionally tortured prison guard, is so believable you both ache for him and want to punch him out. Unfortunately their technical advisors didn't bother to research the real way pros hold handguns, but oh well. I suggest renting it.
"Corelli" the series 
2007-10-23 - I ordered "The Rat Tamer" because I was interested in Hugh Jackman's early works. It was so good that I ordered the whole series from Australia. Unfortuneately, it is a Region 4 DVD, but I have a player that is all Region, well worth the purchase. It is a haunting story,
very well done. Although it is a prison drama and very rough at times, I can't help thinking how much worse it would be if done by Hollywood. Nothing is beyond the need to tell a story; the violence, cursing, drugs
are there but not shoved down your throat. Each episode has its own story but through it all there is the interaction between Kevin(Hugh Jackman) and Dr Corelli(Deborrah-Lee Furness). You keep waiting for their next appointment to see what happens. It was worth the effort to find it, I just wish that "Corelli" and "Paperback Hero" were issued in Region 1 format, they would both make great Christmas gifts.
