Great Movies
The new Australian crime drama, “Troppo,” now streaming on Amazon FreeVee (formerly IMDb TV) is based on the bestselling book Crimson Lake, written by Australian crime writer Candice Fox. The name change to “Troppo” refers to the Aussie slang “gone troppo” for someone who goes mad in the heat.
It's an appropriate title as the story is set in Far North Queensland, a harsh, sticky, tropical landscape dotted with signs that warn you of the big crocodiles in the area.
The iconic large critters get their starring moment straight up in the first episode when a man gets himself (intentionally?) eaten by a crocodile in front of a bunch of tourists. But the story moves far beyond the shocking first death, as a more mysterious disappearance of a Korean man leads to the unlikely pairing of a seasoned detective (played by American actor Thomas Jane) and an ex-con with a dark past, played brilliantly by Australian actress Nicole Chamoun.
They team up to solve the crime much to the objections of the local police, and townspeople who reject the outliers, as the demons of their past come back to haunt them.
Australian film journalist Katherine Tulich spoke with Thomas Jane and Nicole Chamoun about their experiences shooting the series in Queensland, as well as author Candice Fox who describes what is unique in Aussie crime stories.
Katherine Tulich is an Australian-born entertainment journalist now living in Los Angeles, where she covers music, movies and television. She is a contributor to the Los Angeles Times.
