SBS crime thriller is Fargo-esque with a First Nations perspective
Reckless ★★★★
fargo Coming to Freo in this sarcastic Australian thriller; it serves as a darkly comic reminder that it wasn’t the crime that led to the collapse, but an increasingly risky attempt to cover it up. A daylight noir told from the First Nations perspective on both sides of the camera, Reckless keeps you confused and on edge; You laugh, then you feel sad, as the heroes dig a deeper hole for themselves.
Reckless stars Hunter Page-Lochard as Charlie and Clarence Ryan as Roddy.Credit:
A rare family function together is too much for local siblings June (Tasma Walton) and Charlie (Hunter Page-Lochard). Their moodiness is clearly visible as he drives them home one evening after a family member’s wedding. He is a successful lawyer and drunkenly uses the word “responsibilities” as a weapon to make a comparison to his situation as the owner of a record store. “Too arrogant,” he retaliates, but he can’t enjoy the dig because they then hit a pedestrian on a quiet suburban street, blowing him up.
“He’s probably out of breath,” June insists; It’s one of the first indications that the show isn’t afraid of sarcastic humor or characters with questionable morals. Outlined by the menacing red glow of the brake lights, Charlie and June go back and forth over what to do. She wants to call the police, but he wants to cover it up. Using the law as a frightening tool of persuasion, June outlines where they’re headed: prison for Charlie the driver; A professional disgrace and bankruptcy for him as a drunk car owner.
Reckless stars Tasma Walton as June and Hunter Page-Lochard as Charlie. Credit:
The two carry the body back inside, eventually learning that the elderly victim’s name is George and that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Cue a justification from June: “We gifted him a quick death.” A certain gallows humor is always present, but this is paired with a ridiculous sequel as the pair try to stay one step ahead of trouble.
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June’s most powerful line to Charlie, a single father separated from his young daughter’s mother, is that contacting the authorities means “you’re going to be another black dad who’s not in prison.” Race is never far from the surface, but it’s as much a rallying cry as it is about how June and Charlie view the Indigenous community and wider Western Australia – unsurprisingly, very differently. They are, first and foremost, liars who bounce from one encounter to the next.
Their legacy brings with it important notes, like Charlie calling June the “white sheep” of the family. Reckless Adapted by authors Kodie Bedford (Mysterious Road) and Stuart Page (Full Control) from Scottish drama Guiltand is reminiscent of the original series with its strong sense of place and the realization that threats can lurk for criminals at every turn. Charlie soon falls in love with George’s British niece, Sharne (Jessica De Gouw). Sharne (Jessica De Gouw) is the first to suspect the cause of death, but the nosy neighbors soon give way to more malevolent types.
