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Cast: John Boxer, Brad Diebert, Gerard Kennedy, Lex Marinos, Brett Murphy, Paul J. Murphy, Andy Minh Trieu, Rod Zuanic
Let out of jail after five years, Julian is rewarded by his crime syndicate for keeping quiet. He is put in charge of a gentlemen's pleasure house (the Hobby Farm) and trusted with the proceeds from illegal gambling, drugs and sex slavery. But the women he meets -and the secrets he carries- proves deadly. When faced with the horrific treatment of one of the enslaved girls, newly brought to the farm, Julian must overcome the demons of his own past and turn against the only life he has ever known, to save the girls, and himself.
"Chained aka The Hobby Farm" is a unique little Indie film in that it's quite different once you start watching it than you might have expected. The story centers on Julian who is fresh out of prison for taking the rap and not ratting out his "family." By not doing so he is welcomed with open arms and given the job at the hobby farm, a place where they bring in kidnapped women for prostitution. Not only is Julian haunted by his not so good childhood but he also has a major problem with the way the women are being treated and when a new woman, Tatiana is brought in he quickly takes a liking to her which further fuels his anger. It's then and there Julian must decide on doing what is right and safe the girls while freeing himself or turn a blind eye to everything around him. What makes this little Australian film so different is the drama and characters, those mixed with plenty of action and you have a sleeper hit on your hands. You really feel every emotion of Julian's, hi anger and heart break and even his confusion on what to do. This "human" aspect of the film is just one of the reason it separates itself from other films like it. Sure the film could of been a bit better and it does have it's faults but everything else is too well done to really notice. The acting for the most part was pretty good and the production values were also above average taking into consideration that this must of had a very small budget.
My hat goes off to first time Director, Brad Diebert and his cast and crew for making an entertainment yet original film. The film is a crime thriller at heart with drama and action tossed in and it manages to mix all elements together very well, if you like the genre or are just looking for something different to watch then I recommending picking this one up.
Released by MTI Home Video
*** 1/2 Out Of *****