The Last Wave

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The Last Wave

PG,

1978,

1h 45m,

Mystery & Thriller

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78%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

In Sydney, business lawyer David Burton (Richard Chamberlain) is given the pro bono assignment of defending five Aboriginals accused of the murder of another tribesman. None of Burton's clients are willing to speak about what happened, even in their own defense, and the medical examiner on the case can't figure out how the victim died. However, what's most troubling Burton is the increasingly terrifying apocalyptic visions he's having, leading him to think Australia may soon be destroyed.

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Richard Combs

Sight & Sound

Mar 31, 2020

Unfortunately, Weir's deftness with 'atmosphere' seems to have been developing at the expense of any narrative or thematic sense.

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Michael Atkinson

Village Voice

Nov 27, 2001

Weir's touristy vision is strictly from the outside looking in.

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Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

Jun 23, 2025

2.5/5

Peter Weir's follow-up to his breakout film is a meandering rumination on the clash of Australian colonial and Aboriginal cultures -- equal parts thriller, white guilt parable and murky mysticism.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Feb 26, 2021

8/10

The Last Wave is bold and wonderful strange. It comes packed with rain-soaked foreboding and a then-progressive, muscular attitude to indigineity in 1970s Australia.

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Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Feb 13, 2008

4/5

Its creepiness is undeniable, and it seems far less dated than many late 1970s films.

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Nov 1, 2005

4/5

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Ron M

Aug 8, 2017

Prophetic, beautiful movie -- haunting and stays with you. One of the first films ever made with the participation of native Australian actors.

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Hagrid S

Jun 15, 2017

A reflection on the cultural divide of humanity, The Last Wave is an early work by Peter Weir that's atmospherically effective and thrillingly disturbing.

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Poe S

May 27, 2017

A sometimes overlooked Weir film starring Richard Chamberlain and David Gulpilil. It is suitably mood-driven and dreamlike and the premise is an original one- the concept of law and justice and how it conflicts with Aboriginal dreamtime law.

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Abraham L

Feb 4, 2017

A sometimes overlooked Weir film starring Richard Chamberlain and David Gulpilli. It is suitably mood-driven and dreamlike and the premise is an original one- the concept of law and justice and how it conflicts with dreamtime law

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Harry W

Feb 5, 2013

Peter Weir followed his acclaimed Picnic at Hanging Rock with this eerie and interesting film ehich ranks alongside some of his finest work. Laywer David Burton is plagued by surreall dreams of death and impending doom ,aprt from these dreams he is assinged to a case involving an Aboringinal murder and the mythical dreamtime. Ricahrd Chamberlain is outstanding as the Lawyer who at first is cynical about Aboringinal codes,but becomes drawn deeper into a world of mysterious dreams and visions and the fact that he may belong to a long extinct tribe whop perished many years before . David Gulipil is also excellent as the mysterious Aboriginal Chris Lee who ties to define the murder as a tribal killing despite the fact Sydney has no tribal Aborigines left. Weir packs his films with darker and darker visions leading to the fateful climax of the film where Chamberlain realises his fate. The film doesnt feel dated at all,and its to Weirs credit that he has created a dark surrealist drama which manages to see all too real .

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Peter Weir

Director

Richard Chamberlain

David Burton

Olivia Hamnett

Annie Burton

David Gulpilil

Chris Lee

Frederick Parslow

Rev. Burton

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Synopsis

In Sydney, business lawyer David Burton (Richard Chamberlain) is given the pro bono assignment of defending five Aboriginals accused of the murder of another tribesman. None of Burton's clients are willing to speak about what happened, even in their own defense, and the medical examiner on the case can't figure out how the victim died. However, what's most troubling Burton is the increasingly terrifying apocalyptic visions he's having, leading him to think Australia may soon be destroyed.

Director: Peter Weir
Producer: Hal McElroy
Screenwriter: Peter Weir, Tony Morphett, Petru Popescu
Distributor: World Northal, Criterion Collection
Production Co: McElroy & McElroy, Australian Film Commission, Derek Power, Ayer Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 6, 1978, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 2, 2017
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.85:1)

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