The prolific Australian exploitation film era of the 1970s through the 1980s, often referred to as “Ozsploitation,” produced a startling streak of stone-cold classics, including Mad Max (1979), Thirst (1979), Road Games (1981), Next of Kin (1982), and so many more. One of these days I hope to feature a few of those lesser known films in this series, but for today our featured title is a Lost and Found gem called Fair Game (1986). Directed by Mario Andreacchio from a screenplay by Rob George, Fair Game is a refreshingly simple, yet brutally effective revenge thriller set in the desolate wilds of the Outback. A very game Cassandra Delaney stars as a woman named Jessica who runs a wildlife sanctuary and finds herself the target of a menacing trio of misogynistic kangaroo hunters. Eventually, they push Jessica to her limits, and she retaliates with extreme prejudice.
Following the usual beats of the rape-revenge movie, Fair Game differs slightly because no actual rape occurs—or does it? Director Andreacchio leaves it just ambiguous enough to leave open the possibility. Yet even without that, the men still violate Jessica repeatedly, especially in the film’s most notorious scene. After a series of escalations between the men and Jessica, they overpower her, strap her to the front grill of their truck, rip her clothes to shreds, and speed off with the helpless Jessica as a human hood ornament. While it’s likely a stuntwoman was used for some of the long shots, every shot looks like Delaney. She was most definitely strapped to the truck and performed this highly dangerous stunt. As the maniacal goons drive recklessly for what feels like an eternity, Jessica is helpless and exposed as her top blows off and she braces against the hood for dear life.
This degradation is Jessica’s turning point. After she passes out and they dump her back at her house—exactly what happened while she was unconscious is never revealed—she methodically begins to arm herself and plot revenge. The final act is a battle royale between Jessica and the vile creeps that will remind astute viewers of the stellar 2017 rape-revenge shocker, Revenge—which I praised earlier this year. Whether or not director Coralie Fargeat was intentionally influenced by Fair Game is irrelevant, but it’s certainly hard to miss similarities between the two. Both are set in dry desert climates and feature one woman degraded and abused by three men before she exacts bloody revenge.
Just as Revenge works so well thanks largely to an impressively committed lead performance by Matilda Lutz, Fair Game succeeds in large part because of Cassandra Delaney’s absolutely fearless performance. She’s a revelation here, with her glorious mane of hair (reminiscent of Linda Hamilton in the first Terminator) and her determined resolve in the face of danger (also reminiscent of Hamilton). It blows my mind that Delaney actually performed the insanely dangerous truck stunt, which adds a whole other level of intensity to the film. When Jessica begins to hunt the hunters, Delaney delivers a total action star effort. She’s a dynamo! Fun fact: Cassandra Delaney married singer John Denver in 1988 (they divorced in 1993). The nasty hunters are perfectly portrayed by a trio of Aussie actors I don’t know, but they certainly did a fine job playing such horrific men.
Fair Game has never really been widely known beyond cult film circles, and that’s understandable given its genre and Australian pedigree. Yet it deserves to be found and to be mentioned in the same breath as other Ozsploitation classics. Featuring a simple yet effective premise and a ferocious lead performance, Fair Game is a nail-biting thrill ride that’s sure to quicken your pulse and make you more than a little obsessed with Cassandra Delaney. I speak from experience there.
In case you need more than just my word on it, here’s another big fan of Fair Game to sing its praises: Quentin Tarantino.
Fair Game is currently streaming for free on Tubi.
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