The Snowtown Murders

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The Snowtown Murders

2012,

2h 0m,

Crime/

Drama/

Mystery & Thriller

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Watchlist

85%

74 Reviews

Tomatometer

66%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

74 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A charismatic but violent predator (Daniel Henshall) takes his girlfriend's teenage son (Lucas Pittaway) under his wing and makes him an accomplice in a murder spree.

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Critics Consensus

It's a bleak and brutal endurance test, but for viewers with the strength and patience to make it to the end, Snowtown will prove an uncommonly powerful viewing experience.

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Jyoti Roy

Bitch Media

Jan 12, 2021

The film is a fascinating psychological study, both on the effects on the audience and the arc of the characters as we are see them (and ourselves) slowly consumed by this bleak, murderous, poverty stricken town in rural Australia.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

Mar 19, 2012

4/5

The grimy social realism and gurgling torture scenes place director Justin Kurzel's startling debut midway between Animal Kingdom and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Mar 15, 2012

Your appreciation of this Australian horror movie will depend on whether you think its artistry justifies its unrelenting ugliness.

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Joe Lipsett

Murder Made Fiction Podcast - Bloody Disgusting

Mar 18, 2025

4.5/5

Director Kurzel and screenwriter Grant adapt the horrifying true story of the Snowtown (aka the "bodies in the barrels") murders. It's an incredibly difficult - but important - watch and features a terrifying performance by Daniel Henshall

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Kat Hughes

THN

Feb 3, 2022

4/5

Stark, gloomy, and fuelled with anguish and despair, Snowtown is an unrelenting film that once watched, will never be forgotten.

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Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

Jan 27, 2022

The great strength of Snowtown, aside from superb acting performances, is the way it shows how domination, fear and control operate on vulnerable people.

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Nov 1, 2018

Couldn't stand this movie it's too brutal

Jul 30, 2018

This is the best Australia film that has been made in the past decade. It devote so much time to the bleak poverty of the edges of Adelaide. The cast is amazing and the material is truly disturbing. Such a powerful film.

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Albus L

Jan 15, 2018

Movie can get slow at times, but that's done on purpose to set the desired atmosphere. Overall the acting is great and the plot hits you like a punch to the gut.

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Hermione S

Oct 7, 2017

Dark and disturbing in equal measure, this is an intelligent and well-acted character study about the roots of fascism within someone who wants an excuse to act on his psychopathy, as well as within those who accept to be led like cattle by the ones who are in power.

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Kylo R

Aug 4, 2017

Gritty true life story of Australians most notorious serial killer, similar to Hounds of Love a tough watch with some good performances and a very similar feel to Shane Meadows

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Rey S

Jul 27, 2017

I love movies about real life crime. This has a good story behind it and some of the parts were intriguing. But at times the movie was hard to follow and jumped around a bit. There were no reasons why some of the people were killed, and there was nothing to show on how the character of John and the mother met. There were some powerful scenes but I gave a 2.5 because I wouldn't watch it again. I'm a bit surprised this has an 86% rating.

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Justin Kurzel

Director

Daniel Henshall

John Bunting

Lucas Pittaway

Jamie

Craig Coyne

Ray

Richard Green

Barry

David Walker

Mark Haydon

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Synopsis

A charismatic but violent predator (Daniel Henshall) takes his girlfriend's teenage son (Lucas Pittaway) under his wing and makes him an accomplice in a murder spree.

Director: Justin Kurzel
Producer: Sarah Shaw, Anna McLeish
Screenwriter: Justin Kurzel, Shaun Grant
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: South Australian Film Corporation, Screen Australia, Warp Films Australia
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.0K
Runtime: 2h 0m

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