From its opening moments of frenetic imagery, it's hard to predict in which genre Cactus wishes to sit - crime drama, morality play or road movie? It turns out to be mostly the latter, as the mysterious kidnapper John Kelly (Travis McMahon) anesthetises his target, professional racketeer Eli (David Lyons), and bundles him into his beloved Ford. Kelly is headed deep into the dusty Australian outback to deliver his heavily bound cargo to an equally mysterious captor that he knows only as "Sir". From here, a large portion of the drama takes place inside the vehicle as the two men learn more about each other's motives and actions.

What follows is an exploration of the boundaries of sacrifice, of power and the consequences of making your own destiny and the lack of control one has over it. Cactus is essentially a two hander, with a couple of supporting players intersecting throughout: Bryan Brown drops by as a typically mordant policeman, while the talented Shane Jacobson (Kenny) is sadly wasted in a thankless role as a laconic truckie.

With her first film, writer/director Jasmine Yuen-Carrucan on the plus side captures a surprisingly vulnerable, though overly machismo-laden, male voice, which is well served by McMahon and Lyons. But Cactus is a truly stifling journey played out at a glacial pace (strongly at odds with its promising beginnings) which would seem a far better fit for the stage. What's more, it feels as though we're promised more action around the corner (which never eventuates), in what looks like a ploy to make the audience continue to invest in this seemingly futile road trip. Ultimately, the denouement doesn't quite satisfy either - rather like an undependable Ford that fails to fire on all cylinders.