Savage

Directed by Sam Kelly

99 mins

New Zealand crime drama following a gangster named Danny (Jake Ryan, Wolf Creek) from boyhood through to becoming a brutal enforcer. From debut feature writer-director Sam Kelly.

"What turns a man into a monster? This multi-stranded drama attempts to explain how a normal young boy named Danny became a fearsome biker by the name of Damage, who wears his gang membership as a full-face tattoo. Kicking off in the late 1980s, where an increasingly jaded Damage is propping up the gang’s divisive leader Moses, Sam Kelly’s debut flashes back to the 1960s, when Danny is remanded in custody for thievery, then cruises through the 1970s as Danny finds his outlaw home. This journey of reflection is the spine of the film, which comes to a head when internal gang tensions boil over and Danny/Damage is embroiled in a murder plot. But is he really the killer they think he is?" (London Film Festival)