THE SURFER
****
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan.
Starring Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Nicholas Cassim.
Thriller, Australia, Thriller, 99 minutes, Certificate 15.
Released in cinemas in the UK by Vertigo Releasing
Reviewed as part of Glasgow Film Festival 2025
The days of Nicolas Cage churning out uninspiring DTV movies of all stripes seem even further behind us with the release of THE SURFER. Irish director Lorcan Finnegan, armed with a script from fellow countryman Thomas Mann, strengthens Cage’s position as a next level character actor with this sun-baked slice of madness that will have you reconsidering any trips to the Southern equator in the future.
Events start out in a dreamy fashion that captures the seemingly idyllic beach and surrounding properties in vivid greens and blues. This is where Cage’s titular character grew up as a child before relocating to California. Now desperate to buy a nearby house, not only to impress his increasingly estranged son, but in an attempt to seemingly return to a simpler time when all troubles could be washed away by the waves crashing overhead while paddling out to sea on a surfboard. As soon as he sets foot on the beach however he is chased away in emasculating fashion by a terrifying group of thugs naming themselves The Bay Boys. Their mysteriously serene red robed leader Scally, played by Julian McMahon, offers friendlier advice to The Surfer to move on. The desperation for his son’s affection, the beach itself and the waves beyond however cause The Surfer to make a foolhardy stand against a sinister force that only leads to madness, driven on by the increasingly hostile actions of not only the gang but the surrounding environment itself.
The likes of Nicolas Roeg’s WALKABOUT and Ted Kotcheff’s outback horror classic WAKE IN FRIGHT are evoked strongly here, although not in a copycat fashion. Fractured time and hallucinatory visions come into play in smart fashion through Finnegan’s stylish direction that, along with Cage’s increasingly deranged performance, pulls the viewer along effortlessly into a personal Hell where nature itself seems to laugh cruelly at The Surfer and the screen becomes warped by regular instances of heat shimmer. Set at Christmas, this could become an alternative festive classic for a more twisted audience.
After already impressive work with the nightmarish VIVARIUM and NOCEBO, this is a serious step-up in Finnegan’s skills as a storyteller. He wrings the absolute most out of his limited locations in inventive fashion. The fact that the film largely takes place in a car park does not really register with the viewer until later reflection. Finnegan manages to turn such an everyday spot of convenience into a psychological, and physical, battleground with such style and verve that the audience cannot help but be swept along becoming more and more overwhelmed visually and aurally like Cage does himself at the hands of his tormentors and a country that itself does not seem to want him.
Much more than your usual one man against all movie, THE SURFER subverts its genre expectations in a maddening fashion, but in a good way. Against the frazzled Cage, McMahon relishes the chance to play a villain using his own accent that is a million miles away from the smooth talking surgeon role from NIP/TUCK that made his name years ago. The role that he plays in how and why he has such sway over a band of men who would give any of the gangs in the MAD MAX films a run for their money in terms of sheer villainy, provides a strong narrative that provides a solid backbone for the increasing insanity that Cage brings along to the screen in ever inventive fashion. Fans of the much missed Australian crime drama MR INBETWEEN will feel well served by the number of familiar faces popping up here also.
Effortlessly bridging the gap between Ozploitation and the loftier edges of Australian cinema, THE SURFER is a real treat not only for cult film aficionados but audiences who may not be overly familiar with the aforementioned styles of filmmaking. Many fans of the lead actor will also be delighted with yet another performance in which there are instant classic moments of “Cage rage” with the line “Eat the rat!” no doubt being marked out as one particular example. By turns dreamy, nightmarish, funny and tense, THE SURFER already stands out tall in its own deranged landscape as one of the strongest thrillers of the year so far.
Iain MacLeod