The Bet [M]

Will, a young stockbroker, makes a bet with his wealthy banker friend Angus: who can make the most money in 90 days? For Will, the bet offers him not just the opportunity to win $100,000, but also the chance to prove that he is every bit as capable and good as the ivy leaguers. But soon Will’s egocentric desperation to prove his worth turns the bet into an obsession and somehow everyone within Will’s circle of friends is involved. 

In true underfunded and underappreciated Australian cinema style, this movie was only shown in selected cinemas when it was released. That’s very telling of the view on Aussie movies in this day and age isn’t it? It turns back on you really because Australian movies are characterised by their modest budget and their depictions of Aussie culture, which is now something that even Australians don’t want to see. One journalist once famously compared Australian movies to a visit to the dentist! I cannot begin to explain how a) unpatriotic and unsupportive that is and b) how infuriatingly influential it is at the same time. Because national and international appreciation of Australian cinema peaked in the 70s and 80s and then came tumbling back to earth with more speed and gravity force than a led balloon, quite a few Aussie films (those made on potentially nothing and not harbouring a “star-studded” cast) are only released at home in selected cinemas and it falls to the few supportive patrons to generate the film’s income and appreciation by word of mouth. Yes the cinema may be a floundering recreational pastime because ticket prices continue to escalate, but more than three quarters of Australia’s population goes more than once a year! Why then would you not release home grown gems like The Bet within the mainstream cinemas in Australia? I’m sure there’s a heap of people outside the walls of my bedroom that don’t even know this movie is in existence and this is where the whole sadness comes into play. 

Will, a young stockbroker, makes a bet with his wealthy banker friend Angus: who can make the most money in 90 days? For Will, the bet offers him not just the opportunity to win $100,000, but also the chance to prove that he is every bit as capable and good as the ivy leaguers. But soon Will’s egocentric desperation to prove his worth turns the bet into an obsession and somehow everyone within Will’s circle of friends is involved. 

This is a great movie. It’s simple, modest, the power is in the writing and performances, and the story is real. This is the kind of real-life horror that happens to people quite possibly on an annual basis. The story itself is a mixture of popular genre traits such as the Western gunslinger or the cavalier period duel except that swords and guns are replaced with money and egos. Alongside the fight-to-the-finish story, we have this great underlying battle of morality and the fragility/corruption of the rational mind. What this movie does is engagingly depict the complexity of being human by highlighting the confrontations that happen on a daily basis between the id, the ego, and the superego. And because we can all relate to this movie on practically every level, this is where its power lies. 

Amidst being a brilliant and engaging film in terms of story, The Bet doesn’t shy away from Australian cinema’s most defining trait: projecting Australian culture. In this case, the movie is set in the sophisticated and career-driven metropolis in the heart of Sydney where society’s fuel is money. There is a deliberate lack of colour used that creates this driven atmosphere so immeasurably well: even in the homes of lovers away from work there is use of minimal colour that goes hand in hand with a harsher and colder lighting, which not only creates atmosphere but is also very telling about who these people are. It’s simple tricks like this that now set Aussie movies apart from others. Whilst on the surface they might seem modest and lacking in a visual wow-factor, they make up for this with brilliant stories that grip you. There is no need for bells and whistles and computer wizards when you’ve got a strong story and a strong cast to carry it off. 

Matthew Newton, who stars as Will, deserves a mention at this point. It’s so horrible what has happened to him and his career because he is a real talent. Here he delivers a performance that I think everyone on some level can relate to. He’s charming, slightly egocentric, ballsy, and then he’s so sincere and vulnerable as well. I think there’s a fair bit of complexity to his character and Matt did the role really well. 

Starring Aden Young, Sibylla Budd, Tim Richards, Rick Cosnett, Anthony Harkin, Alyssa McClelland, Peta Sergeant, Paul Gleeson, and Roy Billing, The Bet is a great movie filled with determination, risks, egos, drama, obsession, suspense, and romance. It’s a true underappreciated Aussie classic and deserves some recognition.