User Reviews

Crush brings a war hammer to the table when it comes to the idea of 'hitting every single part of the youth demographic'. It's a thriller featuring tae kwon do championships, house sitting in a Panic Room mansion, a sexy mystery girl and a brand new rockin' song on the soundtrack in every second scene. The actors are young and glamorous and so is the Perth scenery. The trouble is that all of this rollicking-in-theory content is at the service of a story and film-making which continually nudge at the borders of dumbness, and which ultimately make a leap right into its crazy heart.

Julian (Chris Egan) can no longer compete in his beloved tae kwon do on his USA home turf after a minor underage drinking scandal, so now he has to slum it in Australia while studying architecture. With his next big tourney approaching, Julian figures he'll get a bit of R&R in while carrying out his new temp job of housesitting the mansion of a rich family who are about to holiday in Paris. The dad has installed a Sliver-like system of security cameras throughout the house, and warns Julian that his niece might drop over while the family's away to use the mansion's swimming pool.

Before you can say "Fatal Attraction", Anna (Emma Lung) materialises by the swimming pool in a red bikini. She is well sultry, and about five minutes later Julian is already having understandable fantasies of her licking his face. This immediately creates a ton of problems – he's already got a girlfriend (Brooke Harmon), plus Anna apparently has keys to the otherwise secure house, plus Julian is supposed to be taking it easy before the big fight.

Development in these thrillers about obsession needs to be craftily ratcheted up by degrees in order to keep things believable. Crush is very shaky in this respect, moving alternately in extreme leaps or underwhelming shuffles. Anna's behaviour as she hangs around the house is pretty inscrutable. One scene begins with the decent threat of the lights suddenly going out. It ends with Julian 'rescuing' his girlfriend from a slightly regurgitating toilet.

Julian frequently has flashbacks to scenes which occurred just five seconds earlier, another omen of bad film-making. He is seen with his university friends in authentically Australian campus computer labs, but his two mates are scripted and acted far more like American college frat boys than Australians, even though they occasionally say "mate". Combined with Julian's nationality being American, this feels like further slight desperation to play to the international market, which I wouldn't mind if this film was better.

Unfortunately, at the moment of potential maximum intrigue concerning Anna's origins, a revelation occurs whose proportions are so ludicrous that any viewer remotely cynical at this point (which I believe will be the majority of viewers) will topple completely offside. I then experienced the film's conclusion as dumb and embarrassing.

Chris Egan does okay as Julian, and Emma Lung wrings a few good moments out of an impossible, ridiculously scripted part as Anna. The film's glamour, high production values and unpaid-off hints of intrigue actually make it pretty easy to watch, even through some overbearing faults and naffness, but the finale is irredeemable. I think the real reason Crush invites derision is that it goes all out to be a rousing cross-market genre piece, yet for all its heavy-handedness, doesn't pull it off, and ends up prompting jokey cynicism instead.

Crush had enough going for it that it could have been a decent and original femme fatale film with its supernatural spin. Unfortunately, despite the rave reviews, it's a very limp flick.

Julian (played by Heath Ledger/Ryan Phillippe wanna-be Christopher Egan) has a lot going for him; a scholarship studying architecture, a loving girlfriend, and a blossoming martial arts hobby. When he agrees to house sit an upscale home in suburban Australia, he meets Anna (Emma Lung) and decides to put it all on the line by bedding her down. Of course it is no surprise that when Julian tries to have his cake and eat it too, Anna isn't too keen on the idea wanting him all to herself.

Sound familiar? Well it is. Where it had the potential to be frightening it fails comically. Part of its problem is that Egan's acting is so shallow the audience doesn't give two hoots for the guy and his self imposed peril. In fact, I found myself cheering for the villain, actually sympathizing with her that she would desire such a twit.

Spare yourself some grief and rent Fatal Attraction. Even if you have already seen it, a second or even third viewing will be far more engaging than this fodder.

gets more and more preposterous as it goes along. I expected great things from Emma Lung when I saw her first a few years back in Peaches (with Hugo Weaving). She shows the same promise here, albeit with a poorly underwritten role; the fact that she fills out a bikini quite nicely doesn't hurt, either. In fact, both young leads (Chris Egan plays Julian, her reluctant paramour) do the best they can with the material, but the fault here lies with the story and script. Julian is an American kick-boxing up-and-comer, studying architecture at college in Australia. Strapped for cash, he accepts a short-term job as a solo house-sitter in a luxurious gated home, and then things start getting weird when the owner's niece Anna (Ms. Lung) starts sneaking in at all times of the day, in various states of undress, with an ever-present "come hither" look in her eyes. Alas, at this point all starts going downhill, with things becoming more and more far-fetched every time Julian awakens from another one of his "dreams". If you're a fan of either Mr. Egan or Ms. Lung, watch this one at your own peril. Otherwise, save yourself the time and effort, and throw The Exorcist into your player for the umpteenth time. You've been warned...

Please ignore "Craig" from Canada, this stupid guy is a thief -- the film hasn't been released in the US or Canada, so he's clearly watching a pirated version. Someone should forward his details to the Canadian authorities! Nexus 6 Films?? you there??

I thought the film was good and I'm standing up for it! (no, I have nothing to do with the people that made it, although I live in Perth)

A lot of other people really enjoyed the film - here is some feedback; Andrew L. Urban: This occasionally erotic supernatural thriller has one big thing going for it: it knows its audience, the young male market, and goes after it. Not only does it have a website (natch) the film has a presence on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter as well as YouTube. It's commercial, genre film-making - privately financed - and it features a soundtrack that resonates with its market, with the likes of Silverchair, Papa Roach, Something for Kate and Pacificer among others.

Awareness in its target market is essential, and young star Chris Egan (playing uni student Julian) will help drive curiosity. But it's Emma Lung who delivers the film's most haunting performance as the obsessive Anna, a femme fatale who won't take no for an answer. Lung builds her characterisation with magical subtlety as Anna's escalating obsession reveals itself to us in its final ghastly form. Egan is also tops as he charts Julian's downfall, and Brooke Harman is likable and credible as Julian's girlfriend, Clare, who is a dispensable part of Anna's plot.

Although the film is admirably economical and short, it lacks pace in the first two acts, but is saved by attention to the supporting characters; Julian and Clare's uni friends, as well as by some adroit editing by Jason Ballantine - who cut Wolf Creek and Rogue. Another horror alumni, Jamie Blanks of Urban Legend fame, is here the composer of the score.

Direction, by writer John V. Soto and Jeff Gerritsen, is confident, and the screenplay has enough texture to make it interesting as a story, not merely a series of devices to try and cheat the audience. Also in its favour is a naturalistic tone that many Hollywood films in this genre shy away from; the result is a fresh take and a clear Australian stamp.

Louise Keller: A variation on the Fatal Attraction theme, Crush is a taut and eerie psychological thriller that makes a startling U-turn just when you think you know where it's heading. John Soto's writing and directing debut is effective, delivering an assured and slick film filled with chills, scares and the alluring sense of the unexpected. Central to the film's success are strong performances by Chris Egan and Emma Lung, who create push-pull tension throughout. The film looks good too and Jamie Blanks' creepy music and soundscape is superb.

'It's only for three months,' Chris Egan's Julian is told, when a stint as house-sitter comes up on the eve of his anticipated title fight. There are other things in Julian's life that are also at risk – his relationship with girlfriend Clare (Brooke Harmon), his University studies and his residency status on Australia. All these things start to unravel, when he meets Emma Lung's mysterious Anna, the girl in the red bikini, who appears on Day One at his new home. But what seems like 'the life' – the mansion with sweeping staircase, art on the wall, beer in the fridge, pool, comfy lounge and sophisticated security system – quickly becomes a nightmare, as Anna's provocative banter and a night of passion becomes a claustrophobic web.

Soto creates tension by unexplained doorbells, blackouts, locked doors and dark shadows. Julian's mind isn't the only mind that is being messed with. We are on the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens next. By the time the story takes a sharp turn, we are deeply involved and from then on, we are freefalling, just like Julian. This is an excellent genre film and one that is deserving of a wide audience.

ENJOY!!

Don't be seduced by the user rating. This movie is awful, probably one of the worst I've ever seen.

If you're familiar with Home and Away, you'll probably recognise the main character. You'll also recognise the standard of acting, perhaps even the quality of writing.

Our main character Julian is American for some imperceptible reason, but unfortunately his accent wavers between Australian and some poor attempt at vague American sounding. The writers aren't really imaginative enough to come up with a reason for anything, so apparently he's an American on a Student Visa studying architecture and doing martial arts. This ultimately has nothing to do with the movie and fails to tie you to the character.

The pacing is terrible, frankly if you do happen to make it to the last 15 minutes the payoff isn't really worth it.

If you can put aside the terrible Aussie soap style writing, the crappy plot, the bad acting and the unsatisfying payoff, you might get some nice views of Perth. So that's good I guess.

Note: For those attacking my person, I appreciate that it's much easier to launch personal attacks and speculate about my interests in why this film sucks, so by all means knock yourself out. I'm also pleased to inform you that I am actually Australian (although I spend time in Canada too), which I figured would've been obvious based on my comments.

Well, I am from Perth & IMHO the only honest review on this page is from the much maligned 'Craig in Canada'.

I won't reinvent the wheel; Craig hit the nail on the head. That anyone could describe this cast in such glowing terms, much less the plot & scriptwriting is beyond me.

Within seconds of Egan opening his mouth, I was cringing at his awful accent. And as has been pointed out, that he is supposedly American adds nothing to the plot, so why torture us?

The frat boy friends are a complete mystery. And as for the supposed 'can't see it coming from a mile off' ending....spare me. Saw it coming from about 10 minutes in.

I'm all for encouraging good local film making. But this is most definitely NOT it! I can't see anyone independent of the production company who made this lemon holding the glowing views that have been expressed here. And the endless references to Nexus by name pretty much confirm that to be the case.

If you're missing your dose of bad Australian soapie in the off-season, then maybe this will take the edge off. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.

CRUSH – TRASH IT ( D ) I knew from the promos that Crush is an average thriller so, sometimes these average thrillers becomes quite entertaining because of Sex, Glamour and fear. Unfortunately, here they had the perfect young cast but they didn't utilize them well and in the end it became a mediocre Mixture of Thriller/Horror and Supernatural. Nasty Dish! The most Annoying & laughable scenes in the movie were the Sex scenes. I don't know what the director was thinking? Just tell me guys who has Sex with clothes On? No one in Real world But here they had! LOL :-D what a Shame! Chris Egan is a young Australian actor and the major reason I saw this movie in first place, as I loved his work in "Letters to Juliet". He is quite inspiring even in this mediocre Trash he kept me going. Emma Lung looks Stunning in Red Swim suit but otherwise she looks old N weird. Brooke Harmon was an average blonde both in talent & beauty. So, Simply Trash this One!

I have been searching for this crush for a long time now... I miss watching this crush it's intense and creepy that's what I like about it I don't care about other people's opinions about this movie I love it I will watch it a million times... Actually, I am trying to watch right now it's impossible to please bring it back to a network 🔥🔥🔥🔥

I just bought it last week and watched it and I loved it! Being a tae kwon do devotee in my younger days I loved the fight scenes and the music was fantastic. I thought Chris Egan and Emma Lung were brilliant. I faintly remember Chris Egan from Home and Away but that was a long time ago and he is a solid actor, he is perfect in this role. He doesn't look too bad either! Emma Lung is absolutely gorgeous and is an absolute standout in this movie. Her progression from seductress to something a lot more is incredible to watch. What a great story with some really neat twists. I am going out to buy some more copies for Christmas presents!

For those of us who HAVE seen this film, I think we all know that the comments from "Craig" are more based on a personal vendetta to condemn this film rather than deconstruct it in an analytical and professional manner.

For a start, you can not go past the brilliant cast employed by Nexus. Whilst Chris may have started his career on Home and Away that is in no way a reason for him "apparently" having NO acting skills whatsoever. Many Home and Away actors have made in big in Hollywood and Chris is one of them (if none of you have seen Kings yet, you're sorely missing out). On top of that, you've got Emma Lung who has been in 48 Shades of Brown, Cooks and Entourage(USA) as well as Jenna Lind, one of Australia's greatest young talents who has this year alone been on Underbelly and 30 Seconds(Foxtel).

To add to this, the filming conducted by the amazing crew in Perth brings a touch of professionalism to the production that you rarely see in other Australian films (i.e Wolf Creek, Prey etc). The colors, camera movement and shot types are impeccably orchestrated right to the very end, similar to the American horror film you would normally encounter at the box office.

Finally, the overall narrative of the film is unlike anything you would have, or will find in Australian cinemas this year. Crush keeps you guessing right to the very end of the film about what is going to happen to our main characters and doesn't desensitize us by trying to scare us every two seconds. This is probably why "Craig from Canada" refers to the film's pacing as "terrible". Frankly, I would much rather watch a horror film which keeps me on the edge of me seat with suspense like the old classics of the 1970s and 80s rather than have my sense constantly bombarded with violence and manipulating scenes.

All in all, this is a brilliant effort by a first time director and production company and not only does it deserve a chance, it deserves a better reception than the one it is receiving from people who are more interested in spreading vicious rumours than actual reviews.

I've been following this film since early '08 (found on IMDb) and i couldn't wait to finally have my copy of Crush on DVD!! First of all it's nothing like Swimfan which was predictable, Crush had me glued to the screen from start to finish-Chris did a good job on his American accent but the real star was Emma Lung as the obsessed Anna who seriously has a future in this industry, can't wait to see more of her in more roles. Nexus six has done a great job at employing who's who of next generation of Australia's actors- Christian Clark, Brooke Harman, Jenna Lind and Kane Manera- well done and i can't wait to see more nexus six films!

Chris Egan is just awful in this film. Emma Lung is a good actress, but her character is horribly underwritten. The twists are just ridiculous, the dialog is cringe-worthy and the supporting characters are pointless.This movie is a steaming pile of ass. A decent soundtrack is the one redeeming feature, but even that can't make up for the fact that this movie is worse than Gonorrhoea.

What happened to Australian cinema? Why is the main character American? How did someone think that this was a good idea? I genuinely enjoyed the room more than this. If you want to watch something better, choose any film at random. It would be hard to pick something worse.