Fink

It’s probably easiest to file this particular Sam
Worthington oddity under Neighbours
Nights if such a show were ever to be
made, following the uneven path of Baywatch
into late-night drama. Mixing humour, gangster thriller and some
schoolboy-ish action drama, Tim Boyle’s effort might pass on the small
screen for a workable one-off but as a film it falls short of its
contemporaries by a mile.

Without tracing the needlessly complex plot, Fink!
sees a pair of hitmen sent on a mission to “off” a few bad debtors by hood
boss Terence Fink, (obviously modeled on Mr Stamp) who himself is being
robbed by some small-time crooks and a rather butch trigger-happy rival. Add to
that a cheating wife, undercover cops and a scam to defraud the banks and
there’s plenty of plot to fill the brief running time.

However, most of the time that plot doesn’t add up,
instead resorting to a string of mistaken identity cop-outs to plug a
few gaps while the often uneven tone means it’s never clear whether Fink and
his goons are sadistically nasty or spoofy Bond-villains.

Obviously the big draw here is Worthington
himself, hence the timely DVD release. While it’s fair that he acquits
himself with some dignity it’s also true that at times he’s upstaged by
fellow hitman Steve Bastoni and there’s little here to suggest an A-list
star was in the waiting; more like he’s dishing out a favour to a friend on
the way to brighter lights.

However that doesn’t mean it’s not watchable
and certainly fans of Aussie soaps might enjoy spotting some actors on their
way out of, or into the now staple pairing of Neighbours and Home and Away,
while the central ensemble do their best
to keep things zippy, light and ultimately fairly enjoyable.

If you’re
looking for something you don’t have to fink about much, Fink! might be just the thing to get down under with.