Caught Inside

Time to make all those people who say they will never watch Australian films because they are crap to eat their words because Caught Inside is a terrific thriller that could hold its own with thrillers coming out of any country.
Caught Inside follows Sam (Daisy Betts – TV’S Harry’s Law & Sea Patrol) who decides to escape the world for a few days after her boyfriend puts their sex-tape on the Internet. She decides to tag along with her best friend, Alex (Leeanna Walsman – Kissing Point, The Informant) and her partner, Toobs (Simon Lyndon – Loaded, TV’S Spirited) as they go on a surfing charter run by Skipper Joe (Peter Phelps – TV’S Home & Away & Rescue Special Ops).
Sam quickly takes a liking for Rob (Sam Lyndon – TV’S Crownies & Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo) but unfortunately for her it is the psychopathic Bull (Ben Oxenbould – TV’S Slide & At Home With Julia) that has eyes for her. Much to the surprise to his newfound buddy, Archie (Harry Cook – Panic At Rock Island, The Fall) Bull is soon taking everyone on a ride they will not forget.
Thrillers and surf movies both have a bad habit of becoming clichés but luckily director/screenwriter Adam Blaiklock (Domesticated Animals, The Existentialist Cowboy’s Last Stand) has the sense (and talent) to make Caught Inside realistic and fresh. His knowledge of the surf culture helps this film along a lot and he manages some scenes of true suspense without ever dipping into that large bag of clichés.
The thing that makes Caught Inside such a great movie though is the character of Bull. As far as on-screen baddies go Bull is right up there. He is happy to torture, rape and kill along with the best of them but there is just something about the character that makes him a standout. Everybody knows one of those lovable surfers (which Bull starts off as) so when he snaps it comes as a complete surprise.
You will also find yourself leaving the cinema and debating whether you think Bull was guilty of ‘attacking’ Sam or not. Blaiklock has written the script in such a unique way that it is totally up to the audience to make up their own mind. What is guaranteed though is that you will have your heart in your mouth for the entirety of the film after the accusations fly.
Added to Blaiklock’s brilliance is a remarkable acting performance by Ben Oxenbould who is in charge of bringing Bull to life. Forget the comedic performance that Oxenbould made us laugh at in Hey Dad, here he totally becomes the psychotic Bull in such a way that it is scary. Forget Hollywood for a moment, because what you see here is one of the finest acting performances to grace our screens in a long time… Oxenbould deserves to become a star on the back of this performance alone.
Caught Inside is one thriller that shouldn’t be missed, it is proof of what some of us have been saying for a long time, there are good Australian films around, you just need to go and see them. Caught Inside is a stunning film that will stay with you for a long time.
Year: 2010
Director: Adam Blaiklock
Stars: Ben Oxenbould, Daisy Betts, Sam Lyndon, Simon Lyndon, Leeanna Walsman, Harry Cook, Peter Phelps
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 91 mins
Rating: ![]()
Dave Griffiths








