The Castle(1997)

4/5

A man’s home is his castle. That is what Daryl believes in. He lives with his wife, two sons, four grey hounds in his house which is right next to the airport in Melbourne. He has a daughter who has married a kick boxer (Eric Bana in one of his early cameos) and a son who is in prison on charge of robbing a gas station. Daryl’s is a blissful existence. He loves his wife, compliments her cooking, and has fun with dogs and sons. The sons love their parents. However, their life is turned upside down when one day an eviction notice is served by the neighboring airport which needs the land for expansion. The movie is about Daryl’s fight against the airport company. The acting by the largely unknown (to me) Australian cast is superb. Daryl is a total knockout and he will have you laughing with him throughout the runtime. The script is very witty and filled with great lines and quotable quotes. The characters are truly memorable. At a length of 80 minutes, this is breeze of a movie. It starts slowly and then grows on you. You will be sad when it ends.  Superb entertainer.