Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Simon_Says_Movies As far as the sports genre is concerned, those featuring surfing are about as niche as you go. Only 12 films have ever grossed more than $1 million at the domestic box office let alone found any measure of breakout success. Those that did find some semblance of an audience, like Soul Surfer and Point Break, had the added aid of family appeal and incorporating a heist element respectively, but for the most part they land with a whisper – not anything like the thundering, mammoth waves these daredevils tackle.But in spite of this subgenre's lack of mainstream appeal there is one thing they – and Australian import Drift – prove, and that is surfing looks damn cool, especially when presented so slickly and in such a high energy fashion. So it's a shame in the case of this period drama (which transports us back to the early years of the sport in the land down under) that the wet and wild sequences trump anything transpiring on dry land and that most of the human drama relies on unnecessary plot turns and the usual formula that accompanies almost all sport based fare.Drift follows two brothers Jimmy (Xavier Samuel) and Andy Kelly (Myles Pollard) and their mother who reside in a small seaside town following a late night escape from their abusive father/husband. Already carrying a passion for surfing, the two grow with the hobby and view their actual jobs as mostly inconveniences. It's one day when their mother's seamstress occupation produces a homemade wetsuit that gives Andy the idea of marrying passion with profession and they endeavour to open their own surf shop with customized gear and boards. But of course, nothing is as easy as it seems as money, gangsters, the allures of the hippy age and rivalries all act as roadblocks to a newfound dream.Things are kicked off even further by the arrival of a duo of righteous surfers played by a tubular Sam Worthington and his plutonic companion Lani, played by Spartacus: Blood and Sand's Lesley-Ann Brandt. So with this rag tag gang assembled they seek to revolutionize how surfers view the gear they use: surf attire made by surfers, not made by "the man" and promoted by models who have never hit the waves a day in their life. The premise, retro feel and fine performers make Drift seem like the right idea of how to approach this sport – using it as a backdrop to a family drama and a struggle for the little guy (with some awesome surf sequences tossed in for good measure).While this is the case some of the time, Drift invests in too many unnecessary plot threads, including one about some thugs who for some reason have an issue with the Kellys, which eventually involves into an all out war as one of their own gets mixed up in the drug trade. With the Kellys already struggling with a mortgage, their start-up business and the trials of growing together, this added kink proves to be nothing more than a distraction (and is furthermore concluded in a laughably stunted fashion). There is also a bizarre storyline involving a completely underdeveloped, inexplicably evil banker trying to steal the Kellys farm, er, house which adds nothing but a cartoonish villain that makes Mr. Potter look chipper.Worthington's character JB is also a bit of a perplexing entity, though the Aussie native's performance is certainly among the most natural he's ever given. His tippy motif is fine enough, never becoming to philosophic and grating, but his ideals seem completely jumbled. One moment he's stating (regarding the Kelly's plan to make their own surf line) that you can't beat the man by becoming the man and at another instance saying that you can't always fight and should sometimes just resign to what is. Additionally scenes of him using his passion for photography and filmmaking to help make these brothers distinct in the industry go nowhere until the very end, deviating from the main story for what become perfunctory attempts to add substance.Then we arrive at the climax, which of course involves a local surf competition, the winnings from which could save the family farm, er, house and get those gangsters off their back. Again, while impressively staged (and not concluded in the most ridiculous way possible) it collectively doesn't get much more clichéd than that, and when you lump in the montages and other corny moments it truly softens the experience.Not content on just examining an interesting moment in history, Drift piles on dramatic excess and contrived turns which are muted to some effect only by universally strong work from the cast and, again, those gripping surf sequences. So while certainly not boring and far from offensively bad, Drift isn't compelling enough to warrant anything other than a rental, and definitely not enough to spur any sort of revolution for the surf drama.

M MALIK are you ready for this because i feel this will become a future cult classic if not a box office hit although it does have potential to get money and get critical reception.i was surprised when i saw this film running in Karachi Pakistan so i decided to catch the film today,believe me i am not into surfing or sports but this is quite possibly the best film i have seen.Plot: set in 1970s 2 brothers living in Australia who deals with a lot of problems with gang members,cops in their way but got big dreams to be kings in surf business.I've seen a different poster here saying this involved Zack Snyder which is totally wrong ,its was just a mistake i guess,there are films like blue crush & chasing mavericks I've seen good reviews about them still looking forward to seeing them drift is no other its similar concept but the approach took by the writers & the team of this film is shown through the second half of the film which lead to the satisfying climax.they shot it so well plus when legendary Panavision camera is with you what more you need.the cast is new but i really liked Myles Pollard & Lesley-Ann Brandt,there are also some scenes missing from the film i think because some IMDb pictures show it clearly,anyway this film is not only for surf fans but it can become anyones favorite,it does not need critical reception at all audience will decide that, a fine story is presented here,makes me want to explore more of this genre,its a treat for Australian cinema loversmy rating is 10/10 Drift 2013 goes in my list of personal favorite movies of the year for me , i totally recommend this film

wc_ling Totally entertaining. We all know modern day culture even the surfer culture so I'll not expound on that. Just the surfing shots in this film make it a 10. Actng is excellent. At the beginning you're told: this is based on actual events, and it isn't hard to see why. We live in a world today where evil abounds... there are some good as well as bad choices in this film. Hopefully the viewers will comprehend the better decisions and if challenged in their life with such... will make the right choices. One can put all aside and just enjoy the surfing; which makes one want to leave the cities and live the life of the GREAT outdoors!

carolethecatlover-678-214093 This is a great slice of Australian life as it was in our parents' day.That is not so far and so long ago. I predict a large sale on DVD by older Australians. It is really well acted by unknowns and Sam Worthington. The scenery, the surf and the story are so true to life. The costumes are spot on. The soundtrack is a real disappointment. It could have been full of Aussie classics from era. The Skyhooks, John Farnham, even early BeeGees, even Rolf Harris, an opportunity missed here. While the story is good it lacks the ability to tug at the heartstrings. More tension in the storyline, or tighter editing would have helped. This makes me think it was written by an amateur. O'Neill wrote the original story, of Oneill surf wear, one supposes. An interesting Australian.