CORPORATE LINE: Produced by HBO, RED DUST stars Hilary Swank as Sarah Barcant, a human rights lawyer in South Africa. In the small town of Smitsriver, Barcant and her colleague, Alex Mpondo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), attend the trial of police officer Dirk Henricks (Jamie Bartlett), who is seeking to clear his name of atrocities committed when apartheid still poisoned the country. In an added twist, Mpondo was one of Henricks’s victims. Packed full of drama and intrigue, RED DUST contains plenty of surprises.
THE REVIEW: Red Dust is a movie about a topic that shouldn’t be ignored—however it’s not a great movie. Watching Red Dust you know you should be moved and really want to react. The problem with Red Dust is that it doesn’t push far enough or maybe it doesn’t get the performances this kind of movie needed.
FRANKLY: Red Dust didn’t have the monster budget of a Hollywood blockbuster and its not the sort of movie that needed such a budget—however it could have afforded something more. It’s hard to put my finger on what is missing. Chiwetel Ejiofor is very good in his role—the big surprise might be Hilary Swank’s lack of presence in her role. Red Dust has a lesson—but you may not care to learn it.
+ Charlie Craine
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