The Tracker (2002 film)

1922, somewhere in Australia. An Aboriginal man is accused of murdering a white woman, and three white men (The Fanatic, The Follower and The Veteran) are on a mission to capture him with the help of an experienced indigenous man (The Tracker).

As they travel through the rugged Australian outback, each suffers under the stern hand of The Fanatic, who will stop at nothing to bring the accused to justice, even if that means sacrificing the others to reach the goal.

Meanwhile, the motives of The Tracker remain elusive, and despite their relentless pursuit the men always seem to be a half-day behind their quarry.

After the death of one of the men, and a surprise mutiny, what endgame awaits for the group, and the enigmatic Tracker to whom they have entrusted their survival.

• David Gulpilil as The Tracker
• Gary Sweet as The Fanatic
• Damon Gameau as The Follower
• Grant Page as The Veteran
• Noel Wilton as The Fugitive^[2]

The film was shot in the semi-arid, rugged Arkaroola Sanctuary, in South Australia's Flinders Ranges. De Heer used an intentionally small film crew, saying that "It's all a much better process ...".^[3] The film is intercut with paintings by Peter Coad which portray brutal actions not shown, while the lyrics of the soundtrack (written by De Heer) form part of the narrative, and are sung by Archie Roach with music composed by Graham Tardif.^[4]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has a score of 88% based on reviews from 33 critics, with an average 7.1/10 rating.^[5] Based of 16 critics on Metacritic, the film have a score of 71 out of a 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[6]

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four calling the film "haunting" and the performances "powerful".^[7] David Stratton described the film as "remarkable".^[8]

Walter Addiego of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote "See the film mainly for the quiet and powerful work of Gulpilil in the title role".^[9] Slant Magazine's Jay Antani was quoted saying "The Tracker is the first significant movie to find its way into American theaters in 2005".^[10]

Awards and nominations

A Soundtrack was released in August 2002. The album is credited to Australian musician Archie Roach. The soundtrack won best soundtrack at the 2002 Film Critics Circle of Australia.^[11]

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2002, the album was nominated for ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album^[12]

Track listing

1. "Wide Open Spaces" (instrumental) - 1:20
2. "Far Away Home" - 3:41
3. "Trouble Coming" - 2:22
4. "Approaching" (instrumental) - 0:29
5. "My People" - 3:49
6. "After the Valley of Sorrow" (instrumental) - 0:29
7. "All Men Choose the Path They Follow" - 5:16
8. "Walk to Destiny" (instrumental) - 1:45
9. "The Chain" - 2:18
10. "A Spear" (instrumental) - 1:05
11. "Contradiction" - 2:02
12. "Life Matters" - 0:44
13. "Friction" (instrumental) - 1:15
14. "Gungalaria" - 3:16
15. "Hanging Tree" (instrumental) - 0:40
16. "My History" - 3:45
17. "Drowning" (instrumental) - 2:02
18. "Hope Always" - 4:27

Release history

• Cinema of Australia
• South Australian Film Corporation
• List of Australian films

• The Tracker at IMDb
• The Tracker at the National Film and Sound Archive
• The Tracker at Vertigo Productions
• The Tracker at Oz Movies