Film Review: “Fair Game” (1986)

Fair Game is an Old-School Adrenaline Ride

by Joseph Perry

Ozploitation revenge classic Fair Game delivers thrills and chills as a trio of dastardly kangaroo hunters cross the path of a young woman who runs an animal sanctuary. Nail-biting stunts and edge-of-the-seat action sequences highlight this strongly recommended slice of sordid cinema.

Jessica (Cassandra Delaney) just wants to peacefully run an animal sanctuary in Australia’s Outback. With her significant other away for a few days, she is doing so herself and on her way into town to pick up some supplies, she becomes the target of some dangerous road games courtesy of the aforementioned kangaroo hunters — Sunny (Peter Ford), Ringo (David Sandford), and Sparks (Gary Who) — who happen to go to the same shop that she does. When one of them takes an underskirt shot of her, she dumps a bag of flour on his head.

Matters escalate greatly from there, and local law enforcement officer Frank (Don Barker) doesn’t feel like getting involved. Jessica is no shrinking violet, so she and the trio of villains engage in an ever-more-dangerous game of one-upmanship that includes the men using her as a near-naked hood ornament on their ‘roo-hunting truck (which will remind many viewers of vehicles in the original Mad Max, another Ozploitation classic). Yes, things get nasty but for concerned potential viewers, the film stops short of rape.

Delaney is terrific as the strong-willed Jessica, and was a trooper for doing everything that was asked of her, from that previously mentioned truck ride to other physical demands to believable acting that grounds the proceedings. Ringo and Sparks are portrayed as cartoonish henchmen, with Sunny the brains in their outfit. Ford, Sandford, and Who portray these boorish characters in just-this-side-of-scenery-chewing style.

Speaking of cartoons, some of the traps laid in Fair Game will remind viewers of some of Wile E. Coyote’s Acme products, sometimes having that same lack of success. The final showdown alone has some credulity-stretching sequences, but by then viewers will be invested so much in Jessica’s revenge seeking that such issues will get a pass.

Director Mario Andreacchio keeps things rolling at a rapid clip, and many of the stunts are jaw-dropping. For those seeking an old-school adrenaline ride, Fair Game delivers the goods.

Dark Star Pictures presents Fair Game theatrically starting today (July 8th) before a digital release July 12th and on Blu-ray on August 30th.

Fair Game
Directed by: Mario Andreacchio
Written by: Rob George
Produced by: Southern Films International
Genre: Thriller
Starring: Cassandra Delaney, Peter Ford, David Sandford, Garry Who
Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes
Rated: NR
Release Date: July 1986