A Review of ‘Model Behaviour’: Investigations into fashion industry murders unravel in marginally jarring fashion
A detective duo tries to solve baffling murders of fashion agents and models while endangering themselves in the process.
‘Model Behaviour’: Investigations into fashion industry murders unravel in marginally jarring fashion
Cast: Nathan Hill, Stacey McMahon, Michael Fenemore, Samira Amira, Thomas Kay, John McCullough, Damian Hill, Laree Fahy, Jennifer Apap, Kahli Williams, Lisa Williams, Clem Maloney, Kim Ross, Tony Markulin, Ruben Francis, Carolyn Rey, Scarlet Vas, Carolina Del Rio, Amna Irshad, Midori Takahashi, Stewart Marshall, Adam Browner, Bruce Watson
Critic’s Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
Director: Nathan Hill
Duration: 1 hour, 24 minutes
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Language: English
Release: 2013
What’s it about?
A detective duo tries to solve baffling murders of fashion agents and models while endangering themselves in the process.
Review:
If you are in the mood for a gripping thriller with a labyrinthine plot and an unexpected denouement, then Model Behaviour might offer some amount of fulfilment. But though this film is a fairly worthy entrant to the genre and the premise is interestingly set up, the pay-off doesn’t entirely do it justice. Still, the main characters, of a perplexed police detective and an ice-cold femme fatale, themselves meet the price of admission. The investigation of serial murders interwoven with dicey relations add to the appeal of the narrative, with enough of underlying mystery to keep the audience guessing.
Veteran cop Jordan Rhodes (Nathan Hill) finds himself on the wrong side of the interrogation table after a beleaguering week. He recounts his attempts to crack a case involving morbid murders, mainly within Melbourne’s fashion industry. Rhodes and his detective partner Carla Murphy (Samira Amira) arrive at a gruesome crime scene where famous fashion agent Jay Belchek has been killed and his body mutilated. On questioning some of his female protégés, like the newcomer Quinn (Laree Fahy), they deduce that Belchek was generally liked and respected - except by the model Alexis Clarke who makes her hatred of the man quite clear. On the orders of Police Captain Whitten (John McCullough), the investigating duo also quiz Belchek’s opportunist associate Eric Dupre (Tony Markulin), who has published photos of the corpus delicti in the fashion magazine Glare.
Though the needle of suspicion turns towards the outspoken and defiant Alexis, the cops are unable to garner adequately incriminating evidence. This, despite methodical and thorough examination by forensic expert Roy Lambasto (Damian Hill). Meanwhile, the wily Alexis puts the moves on Rhodes, luring him into having sex with her. When he awakens, the lady is gone and so is his service revolver. Soon another young model turns up dead in a similarly gory manner, but Alexis has a sturdy alibi. In a desperate attempt to deconstruct the psychology of the murderer, Whitten has Rhodes and Murphy consult a criminologist (Ruben Francis). He is convinced the person in question is a woman fitting the profile of Alexis. Soon, more blood is shed and Rhodes finds his own credibility dangerously jeopardised while trying to track down the killer.
Movie aficionados are likely to detect a fair amount of inspiration from Basic Instinct (1992), especially going by McMahon’s portrayal of the luring and taunting chief suspect and Hill’s turn as the befuddled cop. There are a couple of chases and brawls which are not particularly well staged, but the often sharp dialogue (loaded with irony and banter) makes up to some extent. However, the film’s concluding phrase is a rip-off from the 1988 James Wood-starrer Cop. This flick also includes a “sub-plot” of Rhodes visiting his depressed daughter, which goes nowhere apart from attempting to add substance to the character.
In the course of its story unfolding, Model Behaviour tries to make a statement about ethical codes that cops are expected to live by and how sometimes the temptation to break such is overwhelming. However, this seems improbable in Rhode’s case, given that he is a seasoned policeman and Alexis’ abrupt wooing isn’t adequate enough to play him. Also, one imagines that peripheral characters like Eric Dupre and Quinn could have been fleshed out some more in order to bolster the mystery. Still, it is clear that director-co-writer and star Nathan Hill has put quite some thought into releasing this ambitious project. The film’s title too is a fitting play on words, though whether this a “model” and deserving viewing experience, is up to the viewer.
