Red Dog (2011) Movie Script
1
I got some money
in my pocket
I got the car keys in my hand
I got myself a couple
of tickets...
Hey.
Come on, babe,
you know there ain't no time
To mess around, round, round
Evie, Evie
Evie, let your hair hang down
Evie, Evie
Evie, let your hair hang down
Evie, Evie
Evie, let your hair hang down
Evie, Evie
Let your hair hang...
Hello!
Bring him in.
Bring him in.
Through here. Just get him in.
Alright, uh...
- OK, sit down.
- OK, OK.
Hold his head! You have
to keep his bloody head still!
Hey, hey! Hey, hey, you!
We've gotta get a clean...
Uh, no... Yeah, no worries.
What is his beef, huh?
It doesn't matter.
I can't do it anyway.
I can't shoot a mate.
What can I get you, mate?
Uh, just a beer, thanks.
So, what's wrong with the dog?
Oh, baited strychnine.
Why would anyone
want to poison a dog?
Maybe someone set it out
for the roos or the dingoes
or someone just doesn't
like dogs, you know?
There are people, sick people.
Sorry.
Are you his master?
No, no. He has no master.
Well, not now.
That's not just any dog
in there, you know?
- No?
- Oh, no, no.
No, no, he's a famous dog.
He's probably the most
famous dog in all Australia.
Red Dog.
Yeah, the one that warned
those people about that fire.
No, no, no.
The one that saved that child...
No, no, not him. Wrong dog.
- Didn't he...
- No, no, no, no.
Look, mate, you're looking
at it all the wrong way.
It's, uh...
it's not what he did.
It's who he was.
'Is', I mean.
Red Dog?
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Vet's coming.
- Yeah? When?
- Soon.
How's the poor thing doing?
Oh, I'm sorry, mate.
Jack Collins, publican.
Thomas Baker, trucker.
Yeah, yeah.
It was me that brought Red Dog
to Dampier, me and Maureen...
near on 10 years ago now,
back in the mean old days
when men were men
and dogs were... dogs,
rougher, hotter,
brighter, redder...
Why would anybody
build a town out here?
Why would anyone live
in a town built out here?
Iron ore. Money.
Yeah, I know that.
- What's that?
- What's what?
On the road.
It's a dog.
I can see that.
What's it doing out here?
Hello, boy!
Hey? Hello.
Hello. Aren't you
a pretty boy, hey?
Hello.
Are you lost?
Do you need water?
Cheeky bastard.
Struth!
Is that the dog?
Well, it's certainly
not me! Eugh!
Ohh! Oh, Lord,
what did that thing eat?
Stop the car!
I can't breathe! Ohh!
Eugh!
Oh...
Oh, this is like... Wow.
Ohh!
WESTERN AUSTRALIA 1971
Ohh!
Hey, Maureen, Maureen.
Come and have a look at this.
Oh, that poor little bugger.
Oh!
Oh, g'day, Rick.
He's out the back, mate.
- Righto. Thanks.
- Hey, Rick.
That's the vet.
Here you go, Vanno.
- Hey.
- Vanno, this is Tommy boy.
I've just been telling him
about Red Dog.
Vanno here's one of his first
mates from back in the days.
Yes, 'the days'.
Wild days?
Very wild, very lonely.
A dog of a certain type
can do well in a lonely town.
I know.
I come from a small little
village in Italy, Abruzzi.
Here we go.
Ohh!
Yes, yes, you all bloat,
but my little village
was beautiful.
In spring, flowers
are like Turkish carpet
and the wine would
make you see the Virgin.
Why did you leave?
Same as all these
fools, money!
We all follow the money.
They come from everywhere.
From all the countries,
they come
for the money,
for the work.
From Poland, New Zealand,
Ireland, Greece,
Latvia, America.
Even Melbourne.
Living together,
eating together
and crapping together.
Money crackpot
They may look normal,
but not normal.
Sun has burned out
their brains.
See, I know sun
in Italy, in Abruzzi,
but I not know the sun
until I come here.
Very dangerous, this sun.
I knew a man, Goran.
Remember Goran?
The Sun, it kill him.
And also Sam. Remember Sam-Man?
He work in the sun
for five hours without no hat.
Fool!
Afterward he spoke
Chinese for two days.
Before the sun, he know
not a word of Chinese!
Yes, it was crazy place when
Red Dog arrive in Dampier.
Men are no better
than wild animals.
They drink much and they...
How do you say? 'Imbulge'.
And their hair, it goes funny.
All day, all night
You know,
I've been working hard
All day, all night
Gather around, y'all
it's about time you learnt
About the new dance craze
that's sweeping the world...
If that thing could flap...
...it might just fly away.
You two... be needing
an ed-u-cation.
A what?
Arggh!
Ohh!
Though not all imbulge.
Some were quiet, educated,
with dark, mysterious past.
Some that
never, ever laugh.
In Abruzzi, no-one would
fight over moustache.
What do they fight over?
Women!
Abruzzi has the most
beautiful women in Italy.
Slender, with a wonderful
breast, like a nut.
Nuts?
Yes! Big, beautiful nut!
To come from a place
with such beautiful women
to a place with no women...
I don't think you can
understand such pain.
In Abruzzi,
the sky is very blue,
THE "SKI" PATROL
like, uh...
...like the sky of Abruzzi.
If he mentions that
stupid town one more time
I'll stick him like a pig.
I will help.
For national unity.
In Abruzzi, the sea...
Arggh.
Oi! Oi!
Barry Wright
to main office, please.
Barry Wright.
We took a vote,
and the shop steward agrees.
If you don't stop
talking about 'Bruzki'...
Abruzzi!
...the Ski Patrol have
permission to slit your throat.
Sorry.
Everyone's homesick.
Not you?
Need a home to be
homesick, mate.
You alone too, Mr. Doggie?
But you are happy, no?
You have a gift, Mr. Doggie.
I do not.
Have you ever heard of Abruzzi?
Abruzzi has the best
fishing in Italy...
Oh, baby, don't you know
that I love you so?
Bom, bom, bom, bom
- Baby, don't you know
- Bom, bom, bom, bom
- That I love you so?
- Bom, bom...
What can I say?
He was an excellent listener.
He did not judge.
A polite doggie,
a very loyal doggie.
Or so I thought.
Bom, bom, bom, bom
Baby, can't you see...
- That you were meant for me?
- Bom, bom...
Betrayal!
Hey!
- What are you doing?
- Nothing.
- Are you talking to my dog?
- Your dog?
- How is he your dog?
- I talk to him first.
That doesn't make him
your dog, mate.
That just makes you weird.
If I am weird
then you are more weird.
- Not likely.
- I feed him steak!
Well, what do you think
I'm feeding him? Broccoli?
Dog robber.
Alright, then.
Why don't we let him decide?
Good.
Let him decide!
Whose doggie are you?
Give us a kiss.
Good boy! How you going?
Oh, you're a good boy, Red Dog.
You little Red Dog, aren't ya?
Aren't ya a good boy?
He was like that...
a dog for everyone.
Come here, boy!
Come here, boy.
Here, Red. Here.
Good boy! Come here.
Yes, for everyone,
but no-one in particular.
All those in favour
of Red Dog joining the TWU
under the job heading
con... consu...
- Consulari.
- Whatever.
All those in favour, say "Aye."
Aye.
Yes, a union doggie,
a doggie for all.
That is, until he met
his true master.
- Johnny!
- Yeah, Johnny!
- Johnny boy!
- Johnny Boy!
Now listen
Oh, we're stepping out
I'm gonna turn around
Gonna turn around once
and we'll do the Eagle Rock
Whoa, mamma
Oh, your rocking swell
Hmm, yeah, you do it so well
Well, we do it so well
when we do the Eagle Rock
Mamma, oh!
Yeah, you're rocking fine
Why don't you give me a sign?
Hmm, just give me a sign
and we'll do the Eagle Rock
Hey, hey, hey
Good old Eagle Rock's
here to stay
I'm just crazy
'bout the way we move
Doing the Eagle Rock...
Good morning.
Bloody Americans.
Hey!
- Did you see that?
- Red Dog.
- He almost got run over.
- Nah, he was hitchhiking, mate.
That was hitchhiking?
Once you pick him up,
he remembers
and thinks it's his right
to demand a ride any time.
Pushy bloke,
no doubt about it.
What? He only does that
to people that he knows?
Of course not.
Just the ones he likes.
You can
climb a mountain
You can swim a sea
You can jump into the fire
But you'll never be free...
You can shake me up
Or I can break you down
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh...
Hey, what do you think
you're doing?!
Go on, get off my bike.
Go on, go on. Get!
The world
is a funny place, no?
Sometimes you pick your dog.
Sometimes your dog picks you.
Our love is alive
And so we begin
Foolishly laying
our hearts on the table
Stumblin' in
Our love is a flame
Burning within...
No dogs on the bus.
Stumblin' in
Wherever you go
Whatever you do
You know these reckless
thoughts of mine
Are following you
I've fallen for you
Whatever you do
'Cause, baby,
you've shown me so many things
That I never knew
Whatever it takes
Baby, I'll do it for you...
All the sad faces in the world
won't work,
so you can just stop.
Foolishly laying
our hearts on the table
Stumblin' in
Our love is a flame
Burning within
Now and then
firelight will catch us
Stumblin' in...
- Ready?
- OK, five.
In for five.
Ready? Quiet!
Go!
Eat, eat,
eat, eat, eat, eat, eat!
9.2 seconds! A new world record!
No!
Oh-ho-ho!
What's next? What's next?
- Something harder!
- Give him the meat tray!
A chicken!
Why wouldn't he eat a chicken?
Alive chicken!
Enough!
I won't let Red Dog eat alive
chicken for your sick amusement.
What's it to you, huh?
It's not your dog.
No chicken, mate.
- Says who?
- I do.
Ooh!
Fight, fight, fight,
fight, fight, fight!
OK, OK!
No chicken, no chicken.
Red Dog, come!
Huh?
Come on, boy.
We ride together now.
And from that day on
Red Dog had a master...
the only master
he would ever have.
Hey, but enough said
about that.
Hey, quiet! Quiet! Shh!
Turn the jukebox off.
Uh... to tell you the truth,
I should put him down.
But he's a strong old dog
and God knows
he deserves a last fight
so I've given him some
anticonvulsants,
he's resting easier.
We wait. Hopefully, he'll
make it through the night.
Come on, Red Dog.
Poor Red.
What are we gonna
do with you, huh?
- A shame, that is.
- Yeah.
There's a lot
of history there, you know,
with Nancy, John, Red Dog.
Down!
Bad dog!
You'll never get him
out of there, Miss.
No-one sit there
when Red sit there.
Ohh!
Well, aren't you
a charmer, huh?
Stop that!
Bad dog!
Hang on, Miss. Hang on!
Ever since he became
a union member
he thinks he's got rights.
I'm not moving, so you'll
just have to put up with me.
Stop that! Now, be
a gentleman and move over!
- Now!
- Ooh.
- Hello.
- Hello.
You're sharing a seat
with my dog.
Yes, I am.
Wow.
So, what will you be
doing at Hamersley, Nancy?
A secretary.
Quite a change from Perth.
An adventure, to be sure.
That's a good way
to look at it, an adventure.
- Is alright yet?
- Don't wanna be too late.
Give it another minute or two
to air out, boys.
Wouldn't want anyone
to get sick from the fumes.
So, Nancy, there's a new movie
playing at the open-air.
Would you like
to come and see it?
What's it about?
Uh, I can't remember.
Alright, then.
- Still 'rip'.
- 'Ripe'?
Yes, the rip is very ripe.
Oh, yeah?
Hi, John.
Uh, I need to borrow the wagon
so I can take the new girl
to the movies.
What makes you think
that she'd be interested
in a skinny
little Yank like you
when she's got us
proper blokes around?
I bathe.
Also, do you think
you could watch Red?
I think he's a touch...
J-E-A-L-O-U-S.
J-E-what?
- Jealous.
- Oh! Huh?
Pfft! No troubles.
We'll have
a right party, we will.
- Won't we, Red?
- Thanks, Peet. See ya, Red.
Get ready to get wild.
Jeepers, creepers
Where'd you get
those peepers?
Jeepers, creepers
Where'd you get those eyes?
This one's a beauty.
It's called
the fisherman's rib.
Lovely, don't you think?
You play your cards right
and I can make you
a sweater with four legs.
Love is me
Got to put my cheaters on
Jeepers, creepers...
Where do you think
you're going?
Ohh...
Yo!
We're going to the pub.
I can't...
I'm watching Red Dog
for Johnny boy.
What is in his mouth?
Hey! Give me that.
Bring back my bloody yarn!
Red! Red!
Hello, kitty.
Whoa.
Hey, hey. Go on, take off.
Red Cat was
an horrendous animal, no?
He was... how do you say?
A destroyer of many pooches.
Hey, what are you
doing to my cat?
Nothing. I...
What's going on?
Oh, this cat tried to attack me.
It must smell Red Dog on me.
Visitors have to park
on the road. It's a rule.
Sorry, Mr. Cribbage.
Rules are rules, Miss Grey.
With all the riffraff
the company's hiring
it's only rules that
separate us from the animals.
Goodnight, Mr. Cribbage.
He's the caretaker of the park.
I'm trying not to get
on his bad side.
Does he have a good side?
- There you are.
- Thank you.
Turn your bloody
lights off, ya nongs!
Shh!
Oh, geez!
Ohh!
Oi! I can't see!
What the hell is that?
Hide, it's my dog.
Ohh!
You, dog, be needing an ed-u-cation.
Hey, can I show you something?
Careful.
So a few years back,
this old dude, Jumbo Smelt,
was swimming right out there
and he got attacked
by a great white.
Bit him in the leg
and pulled him under.
- Did he die?
- No, no.
The shark spat him out,
didn't like the way he tasted.
Not a surprise
if you knew Jumbo.
It took 73 stitches to get
his leg sewed back together.
That's awful.
Hey, no-one swims
out there anymore.
Most days you can still see the
shark swimming back and forth.
He's been spotted so often
the boys have given him a name.
- Mmm?
- Lord Nelson.
I don't
see anything.
Maybe we should
go out a bit deeper.
- What's that?
- What?!
- Nothing.
- It's not funny!
Maybe he's asleep.
Sharks don't sleep.
They have to keep moving,
just like you,
Mister Never Lived More Than
Two Years in the Same Place.
- Are you calling me a shark?
- Maybe.
Nah, you got me wrong.
Moving is part
of my romantic nature.
Hmm.
You're just scared.
Scared? Of what?
Of finding something worth
staying in one place for.
I left
the keys in the car
I left the door ajar
I didn't want to be alone
These are the days
and the nights
At these sweet
humbling heights
And I know
it used to be home...
Well, whisk me away
I'll be yours for a day
In heavenly fields
we can roam...
Whoa, oh, oh
You're my clean white love
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
What are ya doing to me?
What are you doing
to my head?
Whoa, oh, oh
You're my clean white love
Whoa, oh, oh
You're too clean white love
I give my heart
on the morning...
Really?
Everybody's
looking for a fix, hey
Sell me a sign
I'll cut the telephone line
Just to keep
expectations alive...
Hello, Red. Hello! Come on. Up.
The feeling is blind
Though I climbed up
You're looking divine
Sell me it straight...
Red Dog! Red!
Keep on breaking
the rules, ohh
Whoa, oh, oh
You're my clean white love
Whoa, oh, oh
You're too clean white love
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
What are ya doing to me?
What are you doing
to my head?
Whoa, oh, oh
You're my clean white love
Whoa, oh, oh,
you're too clean...
Yep, Red was a real
matchmaker, alright.
Red Dog is reason
I met my most bella wife.
Do you remember? It was
the day Red Dog was shot.
- Red Dog was shot?
- Oh, yes.
After his first
great tight with Red Cat.
- Why would anyone shoot him?
- Because he won.
No, he did not win
his first fight with Red Cat,
but Red Dog was not
a normal poochie.
He was smart, very, very smart,
and brave.
Get out! Get! You dirty,
filthy, whoring hound!
- Johnny boy!
- Yeah?
Phone.
Hello.
He's over here!
Hey, buddy. Hey.
Oh, what have they done to you?
Ohh. What do you think?
I can stop the bleeding, but
we have to get him to a vet.
That's four hours.
Three and a half, mate,
the way I drive.
Don't you dare die on me,
you damn dog.
Don't you dare die.
You're OK.
So, who do you think did it?
Evil cribbages.
They live on pig shouts
and they hate the doggies.
What makes you think
he has a rifle?
- I know.
- How do you know that?
After Jumbo Smelt
was eaten in the leg
all the men with gun...
...went out to kill the sharky.
I'm glad they didn't kill it.
Why?
You never know when
you might need a shark.
What in God's red earth
would you need a shark for?
Say you woke up
one fine morning
and didn't find it so fine.
Being eaten by a shark is
rather a memorable way to go.
You would not talk this way
if you laugh once in a while.
I laugh.
- Never.
- He's right, mate.
I've never even
heard you chuckle.
Maybe you haven't noticed,
but Dampier's no three-ring
bloody circus, is it?
In my home village of Abruzzi
there was always
laughter, always.
I don't even think
there is an Abruzzi.
You probably come from some
piss-ugly town in Albania
and are trying to pass.
Vannoski!
That is not funny.
Yuri Vannoski.
Dimitri Vannoski.
Knitter.
- What did you call me?
- I called you a knitter!
What kind of a man
knits a sweater?
Shut up! Give Red Dog
some peace, for Godsakes!
It'S OK. It'll be OK.
Well, he got lucky.
The bullets missed the bone.
I saved them for you.
Well, look at that.
- How long will he need to stay?
- Just a couple of hours.
It's my shout, boys.
You alright?
Red's gonna need
to come back in two weeks.
- That's a long bloody drive.
- Yeah.
I could try and take
the stitches out for you.
No.
I will take him.
It would be an honour.
2 WEEKS LATER
Idiota, idiota, idiota!
3 WEEKS LATER
His nose, it is, uh, very dry.
I cannot sleep.
4 WEEKS LATER
Yes, a worm.
A big white worm.
5 WEEKS LATER
I am sorry they give you
enema last time.
This time I promise
to ask her out.
OK, OK, OK.
I ask her out
and give you big meat, huh?
No. After.
I can't see any glass.
I wonder, you know, sometime,
I and you together maybe...
Are you asking me out?
I do.
Arggh!
Well?
Yes, I, Vincenzio
Alberto Girolomo,
ask you, bella Rosa, out.
A round of drinks on me
for my bella Rosa, my bello
child Giovanni and Red Dog.
He saved my life once. True.
Yeah? How did he do that?
Everyone that ends up
in this part of the country
has something
they're running away from.
Hang on.
Lack of money, broken heart,
violent acts, loss of hope.
We all have a story
we left behind.
10 years ago, my wife and girl
were killed in an auto accident
when I was driving.
Oh, Jesus,I... I'm sorry.
What Vanno said was true.
I... I hadn't laughed in years.
Then one fine morning I woke up
and I didn't find it so fine.
Oh, g'day, Jumbo.
Couldn't stand a drink
for me poor nerves and
me throbbing scar, could you?
No worries, Jumbo.
Throbbing something
horrible all night.
And what do I hear this morning?
Me old nemesis, Lord Nelson,
is back off Hansen's Cove,
swimming back and forth,
carefree as a kiss.
Huh.
I feel like
Captain bloody Hook.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Hey, mate, can you grab
us a cold one out of the esky?
Oh, g'day, mate.
Get it!
Where are you,
you lazy-arse fish?
- Hey, get out of it, you mongrel!
- That's my steak!
Drop that steak!
- Jocko!
- Get out!
Shark!
- Faster!
- Get in, Jocko!
Ah!
Do you want to die?
Get rid of the steak!
Get in!
You alright?
Wasn't for Red Dog and
that prime hunk of red meat,
you'd be looking
at fish bait.
Hello?
Oh, uh. Wait.
Wait a second. Uh...
A gentleman.
Four sisters.
Ah. Well...
Oh, yeah, sorry. Sorry.
Yeah.
So, whatever happened
to them?
- Who?
- Nancy and John.
Uno, dos,
one, two, tres, cuatro.
Up, up, Up, Up.
Yeah!
Not that song!
Hey.
Excuse me, guys.
Oh, here we go,
here we go, here we go.
Speech!
Speech! Speech! Speech!
- Speech!
- No. No, no, no, no, no.
What do you think I'm standing
up here for, the weather?
- How's the weather?
- Hot!
Now, most of you blokes
have no idea
what we're celebrating
here tonight.
You heard there was
free beer and food
and you came swarming out of
the night like locusts.
He's not a bad bloke
for a seppo.
But I'm here to tell you
there's something deeper
going on here tonight.
We're celebrating
a unique moment in my life.
- Sedentariness.
- Did he say he was on drugs?
Nah, I think he's joining
the priesthood.
Now, I've been in Dampier
two years and one day.
That is one day longer
than I've ever been
in any single place
my whole life.
- Why, you ask? Why? Why?
- Why?
Why in this glorious
armpit of the North-West?
One reason.
One incredibly
beautiful reason.
I am hopelessly in love
with Nancy Grey,
and I am not afraid to tell
the world about it, or her.
Uh... Huh.
Nancy Jane Grey...
...will you marry me?
John Grant...
...I Will!
Now, go home!
- Lovely party.
- Mmm.
I think we should
go to my place.
Or we could just go
into my bed.
Which two of your mates
are passed out in.
Red Dog, you stay.
You hear me?
I'll be back in the morning.
Go back to sleep,
beautiful.
I'll see you tonight, OK?
Hello?
Oh, hello, Nancy.
It's Jocko.
Hello, Jocko.
How's your head?
What head?
Some joker's replaced it
with a swollen pumpkin.
- Have you seen John?
- Why?
Well, he never
showed up for work.
He left my place early
to go back to his house.
He probably went
back to sleep, is all.
I'll... it's nearly lunch.
I'll pop over
and take a peek.
- Call me when you find him.
- It will do.
- See that?
- What?
Turn around.
Slow down.
Here!
Oh!
No. Oh!
With all the sadness
and the...
...arrangements for the funeral,
everyone forgot about Red Dog.
Wasn't till
three days had passed
that anyone noticed that...
...he was still waiting
outside John's house.
Nancy made an effort
to claim him, but...
...he was a one-master dog.
So he waited.
In the heat and the cold,
day and night.
For three weeks, he sat
in front of John's house
and barely moved,
his eyes
always on the road.
Then one day,
Red Dog made a decision.
If John wasn't gonna come home,
then he, Red Dog,
would go out in the world
and find John.
Walked in the transport...
and looked into the face...
of every man there.
He was asking
a single question.
"Have you seen John?"
"Have you seen John?"
"Have you seen John?"
"Have you seen John?"
He looked everywhere
at Hamersley. Every department.
And when he couldn't
find him there,
he went to the saltworks.
And then the mall.
And then the pub.
And even the harbour.
Most dogs would have
stopped there, in Dampier.
But most dogs
weren't Red Dog.
And this is how
he became famous.
This is how he became
the Pilbara Wanderer,
Dog of the North-West.
You see, mate...
...he went everywhere.
He travelled for years.
Town to town to town.
He was spotted down in Perth
more than once
and as far north as Darwin.
And I have it
on good authority
that he even hitched a ride
on an ore ship
from Port Hedland
to Saganoseki, Japan.
But in the end,
after all the looking
and the travelling...
...the grief...
...I think he finally knew.
It was time.
Time to come home.
Red?
Red?
Red Dog! Red!
Red Dog! Hello!
Red Dog. Red Dog!
You came back!
Did you hear?
I got a promotion.
I'm an executive assistant now.
Which is really
the same as a secretary
except I get paid
a bit more.
They've put me on the list for one
of the new houses at Karratha.
Oh.
And I finally let
that Kurt bloke take me out.
I don't think so.
Bad dental hygiene.
Shh.
Hello.
- Miss Grey.
- Mmm.
Its come to our attention
that you're in serious
violation of park rules.
- And what would they be?
- You know what.
- No dogs allowed!
- It's a silly rule.
We know you have a dog
in there. No point in denying.
Red Dog is not your
average dog, Mr. Cribbage.
He has privileges.
Everybody knows that.
I don't care if he's
the Queen's bloody corgi.
If you don't get rid of him,
we get rid of you.
Aha!
Red, stop that.
Your contract clearly states
that you cannot own a dog.
I don't own Red Dog.
Nobody does.
- Then he's a stray.
- No. He's common.
What the heck's common?
He's accepted and cared for
by the town.
The community.
Now, there's a laugh.
That's no proper town.
And there's no such community.
It's just a bunch
of dirty miners
working, drinking and whoring.
What happens in this park
is what I say.
And I say that dog
is a dangerous stray,
plain and simple.
And the next time I see him,
I'll shoot him for sure.
Listen to me,
you little bug.
You as much as harm a hair
on that dog's head
and you will have me
and the entire Pilbara to answer to!
You've been warned, Miss Grey.
And so have you.
Now, once more.
We can't be beaten
What'll we tell 'em, boys?
We can't be beaten
There comes a time
when every man must fight
When he believes in
justice and right
He'll take so much
till he'll take no more
They'll hear us coming
when they hear the mighty roar
Shoulder to shoulder,
we're gonna stand
We're gonna fight
to the very last man...
Who was it?
Everyone.
Stop that!
Who are all you people?
Well, they would be
the community of Dampier.
But since there is no proper
town and no such community,
I guess they're just a bunch
of dirty, drunken miners.
- Yeah!
- That's right. Dirty, drunken.
I'll call the police, I will.
There's no need, Mr. Cribbage.
Back here.
Get these people
out of my park!
Now, Mr. Cribbage,
you're just the caretaker.
- Hamersley owns the land.
- So what?
I take care of the land.
You got a problem with that?
What do you all want with me?
Oh, we just have
a small delegation
that would like to have
a private word with you.
That's all.
Oh, whoops.
Seems to be my break time.
Call me if you need me.
- We had a little chat.
- Yeah.
- It was very civilised and all.
- You were very persuasive.
It was nothing, really.
All the Cribbages needed
was a bit of ed-u-cation.
Well,
they were so educated
that they ran away and
took their caravan with them.
The only thing
they left behind...
...was their cat.
So as Red Dog
would never be accused
of being a low-down
dirty stray again,
we all had him registered
at the shire as common.
Ohh...
But...
...there was a reckoning
still to be decided.
The Cribbages
were gone, true,
but let us not forget
that a dark, sinister force
still ruled over
the caravan park.
Good versus evil!
Civilisation versus chaos!
Doggie do versus cat poo!
Red Dog and Red Cat are going
at it! Place your bets, gents!
They fight!
They fight!
What?
Spectacular.
Nobody knows how or why.
Perhaps it was
a grudging respect.
Certainly, they were
the scrappiest and the rangiest
their two kinds
have ever cooked up.
Perhaps they saw more than a bit
of themselves in each other.
Who knows?
But know this.
Mates, they became.
- Red Cat and Red Dog.
- Red Cat and Red Dog.
Shh, shh, shh.
There's an iron statue outside
brought up from Perth
by this fine man, Thomas, here.
It's of that old English
explorer William Dampier.
Paid for, as in all things,
by Hamersley Iron...
...to stand at
the entrance of this town.
Dampier sailed into the harbour
in 16-something-or-other,
spent five minutes,
sailed out again.
The only thing
he wrote about the place was,
"Too many flies."
That's it!
"Too many flies"!
Well, I say,
to hell with that!
Why should we have a statue
honouring a poncy Pommy
fly-hating aristocrat?
Or, for that matter,
a fat bloody general,
or, God help us,
a stinkin' politician?
Yeah!
We should have somebody
that understands this place.
Somebody that lives and breathes
this vastness and desolation.
Somebody that's got red dust
stuck up their nose
and in their eyes
and their hair
and up their arse!
Somebody that's like
all of us.
Men...
and women...
who understand
the meaning of independence
and the importance
of a generous heart.
Mates who are loyal
by nature, not design...
...and who know the meaning
of love and loss.
Somebody
that represents our home.
Somebody that represents
the Pilbara in all of us.
And I say that somebody...
...dammit...
...is a dog!
Guess whose shout.
Way out west
Where the rain don't fall
Got a job with the company
digging for ore
Just to make some bread
Living and a-working
on the land
Quit my job
and I left my wife
I headed out west
for a brand-new life
Just to get away
Living and a-working
on the land...
Yeah!
What a change it's been
From working
that nine-to-five
How strange it's been
At last I get the feeling
that I'm really alive
Way out west,
where the rain don't fall
Got a job with a company
drilling for oil
And I'm never gonna leave
Living and a-working
on the land
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Living and a-working
on the land
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...
- Whoo!
- Yeah!
Living and a-working
on the land
Hey!
To Red Dog!
The best damn doggie
in the whole damn country!
- Hey. Hey.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
He's gone.
No, no.
He's gone from the room.
He's not out the back anymore.
We have to find him.
Come on. Let's go.
- Red Dog!
- Red!
Red! Red!
Doggie!
Red Doggie! Red!
Doggie!
Red!
Here, Red!
Here, boy!
Red!
Red!
Where are you, boy?
Red!
Red Dog, come home.
They've found him.
You stay, boy.
You stay here.
You're home now.
ONE YEAR LATER
When people
keep repeating
That you'll never
fall in love
When everybody
keeps retreating
But you can't seem
to get enough
Let my love
open the door...
Oh, my God!
Let my love
open the door...
- Where'd you get him?
- Vanno was giving them away.
- Let my love open the door
- Let my love open the door
- Let my love open the door
- Ooh-ooh
Let my love open the door
When everything
feels all over
Everybody seems unkind...
Ladies and gentlemen, if you
would please take a seat.
Take all worry
out of your mind
Let my love open the door
Let my love
open the door...
Let my love open the door
- To your heart
- Let my love open the door
- Ooh-ooh
- Let my love open the door
Ooh-ooh
I have the only key
to your heart
I can stop you
falling apart
Try today
You'll End this way
Come on and give me
a chance to say
Let my love open the door
It's all I'm living for
Release yourself from misery
There's only one thing
gonna set you free
That's my love
That's my love
- Let my love open the door
- Ooh
Let my love open the door
- When tragedy befalls you
- Ooh-ooh
Don't let it drag you down
- Love can cure your problem
- Ooh-ooh
You're so lucky I'm around
Let my love open the door
To your heart
Red Dog died on November 21st, 1979.
His statue remains on
the road to Dampier.
His story has become an
Australian legend.
I got some money
in my pocket
I got the car keys in my hand
I got myself a couple
of tickets...
Hey.
Come on, babe,
you know there ain't no time
To mess around, round, round
Evie, Evie
Evie, let your hair hang down
Evie, Evie
Evie, let your hair hang down
Evie, Evie
Evie, let your hair hang down
Evie, Evie
Let your hair hang...
Hello!
Bring him in.
Bring him in.
Through here. Just get him in.
Alright, uh...
- OK, sit down.
- OK, OK.
Hold his head! You have
to keep his bloody head still!
Hey, hey! Hey, hey, you!
We've gotta get a clean...
Uh, no... Yeah, no worries.
What is his beef, huh?
It doesn't matter.
I can't do it anyway.
I can't shoot a mate.
What can I get you, mate?
Uh, just a beer, thanks.
So, what's wrong with the dog?
Oh, baited strychnine.
Why would anyone
want to poison a dog?
Maybe someone set it out
for the roos or the dingoes
or someone just doesn't
like dogs, you know?
There are people, sick people.
Sorry.
Are you his master?
No, no. He has no master.
Well, not now.
That's not just any dog
in there, you know?
- No?
- Oh, no, no.
No, no, he's a famous dog.
He's probably the most
famous dog in all Australia.
Red Dog.
Yeah, the one that warned
those people about that fire.
No, no, no.
The one that saved that child...
No, no, not him. Wrong dog.
- Didn't he...
- No, no, no, no.
Look, mate, you're looking
at it all the wrong way.
It's, uh...
it's not what he did.
It's who he was.
'Is', I mean.
Red Dog?
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Vet's coming.
- Yeah? When?
- Soon.
How's the poor thing doing?
Oh, I'm sorry, mate.
Jack Collins, publican.
Thomas Baker, trucker.
Yeah, yeah.
It was me that brought Red Dog
to Dampier, me and Maureen...
near on 10 years ago now,
back in the mean old days
when men were men
and dogs were... dogs,
rougher, hotter,
brighter, redder...
Why would anybody
build a town out here?
Why would anyone live
in a town built out here?
Iron ore. Money.
Yeah, I know that.
- What's that?
- What's what?
On the road.
It's a dog.
I can see that.
What's it doing out here?
Hello, boy!
Hey? Hello.
Hello. Aren't you
a pretty boy, hey?
Hello.
Are you lost?
Do you need water?
Cheeky bastard.
Struth!
Is that the dog?
Well, it's certainly
not me! Eugh!
Ohh! Oh, Lord,
what did that thing eat?
Stop the car!
I can't breathe! Ohh!
Eugh!
Oh...
Oh, this is like... Wow.
Ohh!
WESTERN AUSTRALIA 1971
Ohh!
Hey, Maureen, Maureen.
Come and have a look at this.
Oh, that poor little bugger.
Oh!
Oh, g'day, Rick.
He's out the back, mate.
- Righto. Thanks.
- Hey, Rick.
That's the vet.
Here you go, Vanno.
- Hey.
- Vanno, this is Tommy boy.
I've just been telling him
about Red Dog.
Vanno here's one of his first
mates from back in the days.
Yes, 'the days'.
Wild days?
Very wild, very lonely.
A dog of a certain type
can do well in a lonely town.
I know.
I come from a small little
village in Italy, Abruzzi.
Here we go.
Ohh!
Yes, yes, you all bloat,
but my little village
was beautiful.
In spring, flowers
are like Turkish carpet
and the wine would
make you see the Virgin.
Why did you leave?
Same as all these
fools, money!
We all follow the money.
They come from everywhere.
From all the countries,
they come
for the money,
for the work.
From Poland, New Zealand,
Ireland, Greece,
Latvia, America.
Even Melbourne.
Living together,
eating together
and crapping together.
Money crackpot
They may look normal,
but not normal.
Sun has burned out
their brains.
See, I know sun
in Italy, in Abruzzi,
but I not know the sun
until I come here.
Very dangerous, this sun.
I knew a man, Goran.
Remember Goran?
The Sun, it kill him.
And also Sam. Remember Sam-Man?
He work in the sun
for five hours without no hat.
Fool!
Afterward he spoke
Chinese for two days.
Before the sun, he know
not a word of Chinese!
Yes, it was crazy place when
Red Dog arrive in Dampier.
Men are no better
than wild animals.
They drink much and they...
How do you say? 'Imbulge'.
And their hair, it goes funny.
All day, all night
You know,
I've been working hard
All day, all night
Gather around, y'all
it's about time you learnt
About the new dance craze
that's sweeping the world...
If that thing could flap...
...it might just fly away.
You two... be needing
an ed-u-cation.
A what?
Arggh!
Ohh!
Though not all imbulge.
Some were quiet, educated,
with dark, mysterious past.
Some that
never, ever laugh.
In Abruzzi, no-one would
fight over moustache.
What do they fight over?
Women!
Abruzzi has the most
beautiful women in Italy.
Slender, with a wonderful
breast, like a nut.
Nuts?
Yes! Big, beautiful nut!
To come from a place
with such beautiful women
to a place with no women...
I don't think you can
understand such pain.
In Abruzzi,
the sky is very blue,
THE "SKI" PATROL
like, uh...
...like the sky of Abruzzi.
If he mentions that
stupid town one more time
I'll stick him like a pig.
I will help.
For national unity.
In Abruzzi, the sea...
Arggh.
Oi! Oi!
Barry Wright
to main office, please.
Barry Wright.
We took a vote,
and the shop steward agrees.
If you don't stop
talking about 'Bruzki'...
Abruzzi!
...the Ski Patrol have
permission to slit your throat.
Sorry.
Everyone's homesick.
Not you?
Need a home to be
homesick, mate.
You alone too, Mr. Doggie?
But you are happy, no?
You have a gift, Mr. Doggie.
I do not.
Have you ever heard of Abruzzi?
Abruzzi has the best
fishing in Italy...
Oh, baby, don't you know
that I love you so?
Bom, bom, bom, bom
- Baby, don't you know
- Bom, bom, bom, bom
- That I love you so?
- Bom, bom...
What can I say?
He was an excellent listener.
He did not judge.
A polite doggie,
a very loyal doggie.
Or so I thought.
Bom, bom, bom, bom
Baby, can't you see...
- That you were meant for me?
- Bom, bom...
Betrayal!
Hey!
- What are you doing?
- Nothing.
- Are you talking to my dog?
- Your dog?
- How is he your dog?
- I talk to him first.
That doesn't make him
your dog, mate.
That just makes you weird.
If I am weird
then you are more weird.
- Not likely.
- I feed him steak!
Well, what do you think
I'm feeding him? Broccoli?
Dog robber.
Alright, then.
Why don't we let him decide?
Good.
Let him decide!
Whose doggie are you?
Give us a kiss.
Good boy! How you going?
Oh, you're a good boy, Red Dog.
You little Red Dog, aren't ya?
Aren't ya a good boy?
He was like that...
a dog for everyone.
Come here, boy!
Come here, boy.
Here, Red. Here.
Good boy! Come here.
Yes, for everyone,
but no-one in particular.
All those in favour
of Red Dog joining the TWU
under the job heading
con... consu...
- Consulari.
- Whatever.
All those in favour, say "Aye."
Aye.
Yes, a union doggie,
a doggie for all.
That is, until he met
his true master.
- Johnny!
- Yeah, Johnny!
- Johnny boy!
- Johnny Boy!
Now listen
Oh, we're stepping out
I'm gonna turn around
Gonna turn around once
and we'll do the Eagle Rock
Whoa, mamma
Oh, your rocking swell
Hmm, yeah, you do it so well
Well, we do it so well
when we do the Eagle Rock
Mamma, oh!
Yeah, you're rocking fine
Why don't you give me a sign?
Hmm, just give me a sign
and we'll do the Eagle Rock
Hey, hey, hey
Good old Eagle Rock's
here to stay
I'm just crazy
'bout the way we move
Doing the Eagle Rock...
Good morning.
Bloody Americans.
Hey!
- Did you see that?
- Red Dog.
- He almost got run over.
- Nah, he was hitchhiking, mate.
That was hitchhiking?
Once you pick him up,
he remembers
and thinks it's his right
to demand a ride any time.
Pushy bloke,
no doubt about it.
What? He only does that
to people that he knows?
Of course not.
Just the ones he likes.
You can
climb a mountain
You can swim a sea
You can jump into the fire
But you'll never be free...
You can shake me up
Or I can break you down
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Whoa, oh-oh, oh-oh...
Hey, what do you think
you're doing?!
Go on, get off my bike.
Go on, go on. Get!
The world
is a funny place, no?
Sometimes you pick your dog.
Sometimes your dog picks you.
Our love is alive
And so we begin
Foolishly laying
our hearts on the table
Stumblin' in
Our love is a flame
Burning within...
No dogs on the bus.
Stumblin' in
Wherever you go
Whatever you do
You know these reckless
thoughts of mine
Are following you
I've fallen for you
Whatever you do
'Cause, baby,
you've shown me so many things
That I never knew
Whatever it takes
Baby, I'll do it for you...
All the sad faces in the world
won't work,
so you can just stop.
Foolishly laying
our hearts on the table
Stumblin' in
Our love is a flame
Burning within
Now and then
firelight will catch us
Stumblin' in...
- Ready?
- OK, five.
In for five.
Ready? Quiet!
Go!
Eat, eat,
eat, eat, eat, eat, eat!
9.2 seconds! A new world record!
No!
Oh-ho-ho!
What's next? What's next?
- Something harder!
- Give him the meat tray!
A chicken!
Why wouldn't he eat a chicken?
Alive chicken!
Enough!
I won't let Red Dog eat alive
chicken for your sick amusement.
What's it to you, huh?
It's not your dog.
No chicken, mate.
- Says who?
- I do.
Ooh!
Fight, fight, fight,
fight, fight, fight!
OK, OK!
No chicken, no chicken.
Red Dog, come!
Huh?
Come on, boy.
We ride together now.
And from that day on
Red Dog had a master...
the only master
he would ever have.
Hey, but enough said
about that.
Hey, quiet! Quiet! Shh!
Turn the jukebox off.
Uh... to tell you the truth,
I should put him down.
But he's a strong old dog
and God knows
he deserves a last fight
so I've given him some
anticonvulsants,
he's resting easier.
We wait. Hopefully, he'll
make it through the night.
Come on, Red Dog.
Poor Red.
What are we gonna
do with you, huh?
- A shame, that is.
- Yeah.
There's a lot
of history there, you know,
with Nancy, John, Red Dog.
Down!
Bad dog!
You'll never get him
out of there, Miss.
No-one sit there
when Red sit there.
Ohh!
Well, aren't you
a charmer, huh?
Stop that!
Bad dog!
Hang on, Miss. Hang on!
Ever since he became
a union member
he thinks he's got rights.
I'm not moving, so you'll
just have to put up with me.
Stop that! Now, be
a gentleman and move over!
- Now!
- Ooh.
- Hello.
- Hello.
You're sharing a seat
with my dog.
Yes, I am.
Wow.
So, what will you be
doing at Hamersley, Nancy?
A secretary.
Quite a change from Perth.
An adventure, to be sure.
That's a good way
to look at it, an adventure.
- Is alright yet?
- Don't wanna be too late.
Give it another minute or two
to air out, boys.
Wouldn't want anyone
to get sick from the fumes.
So, Nancy, there's a new movie
playing at the open-air.
Would you like
to come and see it?
What's it about?
Uh, I can't remember.
Alright, then.
- Still 'rip'.
- 'Ripe'?
Yes, the rip is very ripe.
Oh, yeah?
Hi, John.
Uh, I need to borrow the wagon
so I can take the new girl
to the movies.
What makes you think
that she'd be interested
in a skinny
little Yank like you
when she's got us
proper blokes around?
I bathe.
Also, do you think
you could watch Red?
I think he's a touch...
J-E-A-L-O-U-S.
J-E-what?
- Jealous.
- Oh! Huh?
Pfft! No troubles.
We'll have
a right party, we will.
- Won't we, Red?
- Thanks, Peet. See ya, Red.
Get ready to get wild.
Jeepers, creepers
Where'd you get
those peepers?
Jeepers, creepers
Where'd you get those eyes?
This one's a beauty.
It's called
the fisherman's rib.
Lovely, don't you think?
You play your cards right
and I can make you
a sweater with four legs.
Love is me
Got to put my cheaters on
Jeepers, creepers...
Where do you think
you're going?
Ohh...
Yo!
We're going to the pub.
I can't...
I'm watching Red Dog
for Johnny boy.
What is in his mouth?
Hey! Give me that.
Bring back my bloody yarn!
Red! Red!
Hello, kitty.
Whoa.
Hey, hey. Go on, take off.
Red Cat was
an horrendous animal, no?
He was... how do you say?
A destroyer of many pooches.
Hey, what are you
doing to my cat?
Nothing. I...
What's going on?
Oh, this cat tried to attack me.
It must smell Red Dog on me.
Visitors have to park
on the road. It's a rule.
Sorry, Mr. Cribbage.
Rules are rules, Miss Grey.
With all the riffraff
the company's hiring
it's only rules that
separate us from the animals.
Goodnight, Mr. Cribbage.
He's the caretaker of the park.
I'm trying not to get
on his bad side.
Does he have a good side?
- There you are.
- Thank you.
Turn your bloody
lights off, ya nongs!
Shh!
Oh, geez!
Ohh!
Oi! I can't see!
What the hell is that?
Hide, it's my dog.
Ohh!
You, dog, be needing an ed-u-cation.
Hey, can I show you something?
Careful.
So a few years back,
this old dude, Jumbo Smelt,
was swimming right out there
and he got attacked
by a great white.
Bit him in the leg
and pulled him under.
- Did he die?
- No, no.
The shark spat him out,
didn't like the way he tasted.
Not a surprise
if you knew Jumbo.
It took 73 stitches to get
his leg sewed back together.
That's awful.
Hey, no-one swims
out there anymore.
Most days you can still see the
shark swimming back and forth.
He's been spotted so often
the boys have given him a name.
- Mmm?
- Lord Nelson.
I don't
see anything.
Maybe we should
go out a bit deeper.
- What's that?
- What?!
- Nothing.
- It's not funny!
Maybe he's asleep.
Sharks don't sleep.
They have to keep moving,
just like you,
Mister Never Lived More Than
Two Years in the Same Place.
- Are you calling me a shark?
- Maybe.
Nah, you got me wrong.
Moving is part
of my romantic nature.
Hmm.
You're just scared.
Scared? Of what?
Of finding something worth
staying in one place for.
I left
the keys in the car
I left the door ajar
I didn't want to be alone
These are the days
and the nights
At these sweet
humbling heights
And I know
it used to be home...
Well, whisk me away
I'll be yours for a day
In heavenly fields
we can roam...
Whoa, oh, oh
You're my clean white love
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
What are ya doing to me?
What are you doing
to my head?
Whoa, oh, oh
You're my clean white love
Whoa, oh, oh
You're too clean white love
I give my heart
on the morning...
Really?
Everybody's
looking for a fix, hey
Sell me a sign
I'll cut the telephone line
Just to keep
expectations alive...
Hello, Red. Hello! Come on. Up.
The feeling is blind
Though I climbed up
You're looking divine
Sell me it straight...
Red Dog! Red!
Keep on breaking
the rules, ohh
Whoa, oh, oh
You're my clean white love
Whoa, oh, oh
You're too clean white love
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
What are ya doing to me?
What are you doing
to my head?
Whoa, oh, oh
You're my clean white love
Whoa, oh, oh,
you're too clean...
Yep, Red was a real
matchmaker, alright.
Red Dog is reason
I met my most bella wife.
Do you remember? It was
the day Red Dog was shot.
- Red Dog was shot?
- Oh, yes.
After his first
great tight with Red Cat.
- Why would anyone shoot him?
- Because he won.
No, he did not win
his first fight with Red Cat,
but Red Dog was not
a normal poochie.
He was smart, very, very smart,
and brave.
Get out! Get! You dirty,
filthy, whoring hound!
- Johnny boy!
- Yeah?
Phone.
Hello.
He's over here!
Hey, buddy. Hey.
Oh, what have they done to you?
Ohh. What do you think?
I can stop the bleeding, but
we have to get him to a vet.
That's four hours.
Three and a half, mate,
the way I drive.
Don't you dare die on me,
you damn dog.
Don't you dare die.
You're OK.
So, who do you think did it?
Evil cribbages.
They live on pig shouts
and they hate the doggies.
What makes you think
he has a rifle?
- I know.
- How do you know that?
After Jumbo Smelt
was eaten in the leg
all the men with gun...
...went out to kill the sharky.
I'm glad they didn't kill it.
Why?
You never know when
you might need a shark.
What in God's red earth
would you need a shark for?
Say you woke up
one fine morning
and didn't find it so fine.
Being eaten by a shark is
rather a memorable way to go.
You would not talk this way
if you laugh once in a while.
I laugh.
- Never.
- He's right, mate.
I've never even
heard you chuckle.
Maybe you haven't noticed,
but Dampier's no three-ring
bloody circus, is it?
In my home village of Abruzzi
there was always
laughter, always.
I don't even think
there is an Abruzzi.
You probably come from some
piss-ugly town in Albania
and are trying to pass.
Vannoski!
That is not funny.
Yuri Vannoski.
Dimitri Vannoski.
Knitter.
- What did you call me?
- I called you a knitter!
What kind of a man
knits a sweater?
Shut up! Give Red Dog
some peace, for Godsakes!
It'S OK. It'll be OK.
Well, he got lucky.
The bullets missed the bone.
I saved them for you.
Well, look at that.
- How long will he need to stay?
- Just a couple of hours.
It's my shout, boys.
You alright?
Red's gonna need
to come back in two weeks.
- That's a long bloody drive.
- Yeah.
I could try and take
the stitches out for you.
No.
I will take him.
It would be an honour.
2 WEEKS LATER
Idiota, idiota, idiota!
3 WEEKS LATER
His nose, it is, uh, very dry.
I cannot sleep.
4 WEEKS LATER
Yes, a worm.
A big white worm.
5 WEEKS LATER
I am sorry they give you
enema last time.
This time I promise
to ask her out.
OK, OK, OK.
I ask her out
and give you big meat, huh?
No. After.
I can't see any glass.
I wonder, you know, sometime,
I and you together maybe...
Are you asking me out?
I do.
Arggh!
Well?
Yes, I, Vincenzio
Alberto Girolomo,
ask you, bella Rosa, out.
A round of drinks on me
for my bella Rosa, my bello
child Giovanni and Red Dog.
He saved my life once. True.
Yeah? How did he do that?
Everyone that ends up
in this part of the country
has something
they're running away from.
Hang on.
Lack of money, broken heart,
violent acts, loss of hope.
We all have a story
we left behind.
10 years ago, my wife and girl
were killed in an auto accident
when I was driving.
Oh, Jesus,I... I'm sorry.
What Vanno said was true.
I... I hadn't laughed in years.
Then one fine morning I woke up
and I didn't find it so fine.
Oh, g'day, Jumbo.
Couldn't stand a drink
for me poor nerves and
me throbbing scar, could you?
No worries, Jumbo.
Throbbing something
horrible all night.
And what do I hear this morning?
Me old nemesis, Lord Nelson,
is back off Hansen's Cove,
swimming back and forth,
carefree as a kiss.
Huh.
I feel like
Captain bloody Hook.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Hey, mate, can you grab
us a cold one out of the esky?
Oh, g'day, mate.
Get it!
Where are you,
you lazy-arse fish?
- Hey, get out of it, you mongrel!
- That's my steak!
Drop that steak!
- Jocko!
- Get out!
Shark!
- Faster!
- Get in, Jocko!
Ah!
Do you want to die?
Get rid of the steak!
Get in!
You alright?
Wasn't for Red Dog and
that prime hunk of red meat,
you'd be looking
at fish bait.
Hello?
Oh, uh. Wait.
Wait a second. Uh...
A gentleman.
Four sisters.
Ah. Well...
Oh, yeah, sorry. Sorry.
Yeah.
So, whatever happened
to them?
- Who?
- Nancy and John.
Uno, dos,
one, two, tres, cuatro.
Up, up, Up, Up.
Yeah!
Not that song!
Hey.
Excuse me, guys.
Oh, here we go,
here we go, here we go.
Speech!
Speech! Speech! Speech!
- Speech!
- No. No, no, no, no, no.
What do you think I'm standing
up here for, the weather?
- How's the weather?
- Hot!
Now, most of you blokes
have no idea
what we're celebrating
here tonight.
You heard there was
free beer and food
and you came swarming out of
the night like locusts.
He's not a bad bloke
for a seppo.
But I'm here to tell you
there's something deeper
going on here tonight.
We're celebrating
a unique moment in my life.
- Sedentariness.
- Did he say he was on drugs?
Nah, I think he's joining
the priesthood.
Now, I've been in Dampier
two years and one day.
That is one day longer
than I've ever been
in any single place
my whole life.
- Why, you ask? Why? Why?
- Why?
Why in this glorious
armpit of the North-West?
One reason.
One incredibly
beautiful reason.
I am hopelessly in love
with Nancy Grey,
and I am not afraid to tell
the world about it, or her.
Uh... Huh.
Nancy Jane Grey...
...will you marry me?
John Grant...
...I Will!
Now, go home!
- Lovely party.
- Mmm.
I think we should
go to my place.
Or we could just go
into my bed.
Which two of your mates
are passed out in.
Red Dog, you stay.
You hear me?
I'll be back in the morning.
Go back to sleep,
beautiful.
I'll see you tonight, OK?
Hello?
Oh, hello, Nancy.
It's Jocko.
Hello, Jocko.
How's your head?
What head?
Some joker's replaced it
with a swollen pumpkin.
- Have you seen John?
- Why?
Well, he never
showed up for work.
He left my place early
to go back to his house.
He probably went
back to sleep, is all.
I'll... it's nearly lunch.
I'll pop over
and take a peek.
- Call me when you find him.
- It will do.
- See that?
- What?
Turn around.
Slow down.
Here!
Oh!
No. Oh!
With all the sadness
and the...
...arrangements for the funeral,
everyone forgot about Red Dog.
Wasn't till
three days had passed
that anyone noticed that...
...he was still waiting
outside John's house.
Nancy made an effort
to claim him, but...
...he was a one-master dog.
So he waited.
In the heat and the cold,
day and night.
For three weeks, he sat
in front of John's house
and barely moved,
his eyes
always on the road.
Then one day,
Red Dog made a decision.
If John wasn't gonna come home,
then he, Red Dog,
would go out in the world
and find John.
Walked in the transport...
and looked into the face...
of every man there.
He was asking
a single question.
"Have you seen John?"
"Have you seen John?"
"Have you seen John?"
"Have you seen John?"
He looked everywhere
at Hamersley. Every department.
And when he couldn't
find him there,
he went to the saltworks.
And then the mall.
And then the pub.
And even the harbour.
Most dogs would have
stopped there, in Dampier.
But most dogs
weren't Red Dog.
And this is how
he became famous.
This is how he became
the Pilbara Wanderer,
Dog of the North-West.
You see, mate...
...he went everywhere.
He travelled for years.
Town to town to town.
He was spotted down in Perth
more than once
and as far north as Darwin.
And I have it
on good authority
that he even hitched a ride
on an ore ship
from Port Hedland
to Saganoseki, Japan.
But in the end,
after all the looking
and the travelling...
...the grief...
...I think he finally knew.
It was time.
Time to come home.
Red?
Red?
Red Dog! Red!
Red Dog! Hello!
Red Dog. Red Dog!
You came back!
Did you hear?
I got a promotion.
I'm an executive assistant now.
Which is really
the same as a secretary
except I get paid
a bit more.
They've put me on the list for one
of the new houses at Karratha.
Oh.
And I finally let
that Kurt bloke take me out.
I don't think so.
Bad dental hygiene.
Shh.
Hello.
- Miss Grey.
- Mmm.
Its come to our attention
that you're in serious
violation of park rules.
- And what would they be?
- You know what.
- No dogs allowed!
- It's a silly rule.
We know you have a dog
in there. No point in denying.
Red Dog is not your
average dog, Mr. Cribbage.
He has privileges.
Everybody knows that.
I don't care if he's
the Queen's bloody corgi.
If you don't get rid of him,
we get rid of you.
Aha!
Red, stop that.
Your contract clearly states
that you cannot own a dog.
I don't own Red Dog.
Nobody does.
- Then he's a stray.
- No. He's common.
What the heck's common?
He's accepted and cared for
by the town.
The community.
Now, there's a laugh.
That's no proper town.
And there's no such community.
It's just a bunch
of dirty miners
working, drinking and whoring.
What happens in this park
is what I say.
And I say that dog
is a dangerous stray,
plain and simple.
And the next time I see him,
I'll shoot him for sure.
Listen to me,
you little bug.
You as much as harm a hair
on that dog's head
and you will have me
and the entire Pilbara to answer to!
You've been warned, Miss Grey.
And so have you.
Now, once more.
We can't be beaten
What'll we tell 'em, boys?
We can't be beaten
There comes a time
when every man must fight
When he believes in
justice and right
He'll take so much
till he'll take no more
They'll hear us coming
when they hear the mighty roar
Shoulder to shoulder,
we're gonna stand
We're gonna fight
to the very last man...
Who was it?
Everyone.
Stop that!
Who are all you people?
Well, they would be
the community of Dampier.
But since there is no proper
town and no such community,
I guess they're just a bunch
of dirty, drunken miners.
- Yeah!
- That's right. Dirty, drunken.
I'll call the police, I will.
There's no need, Mr. Cribbage.
Back here.
Get these people
out of my park!
Now, Mr. Cribbage,
you're just the caretaker.
- Hamersley owns the land.
- So what?
I take care of the land.
You got a problem with that?
What do you all want with me?
Oh, we just have
a small delegation
that would like to have
a private word with you.
That's all.
Oh, whoops.
Seems to be my break time.
Call me if you need me.
- We had a little chat.
- Yeah.
- It was very civilised and all.
- You were very persuasive.
It was nothing, really.
All the Cribbages needed
was a bit of ed-u-cation.
Well,
they were so educated
that they ran away and
took their caravan with them.
The only thing
they left behind...
...was their cat.
So as Red Dog
would never be accused
of being a low-down
dirty stray again,
we all had him registered
at the shire as common.
Ohh...
But...
...there was a reckoning
still to be decided.
The Cribbages
were gone, true,
but let us not forget
that a dark, sinister force
still ruled over
the caravan park.
Good versus evil!
Civilisation versus chaos!
Doggie do versus cat poo!
Red Dog and Red Cat are going
at it! Place your bets, gents!
They fight!
They fight!
What?
Spectacular.
Nobody knows how or why.
Perhaps it was
a grudging respect.
Certainly, they were
the scrappiest and the rangiest
their two kinds
have ever cooked up.
Perhaps they saw more than a bit
of themselves in each other.
Who knows?
But know this.
Mates, they became.
- Red Cat and Red Dog.
- Red Cat and Red Dog.
Shh, shh, shh.
There's an iron statue outside
brought up from Perth
by this fine man, Thomas, here.
It's of that old English
explorer William Dampier.
Paid for, as in all things,
by Hamersley Iron...
...to stand at
the entrance of this town.
Dampier sailed into the harbour
in 16-something-or-other,
spent five minutes,
sailed out again.
The only thing
he wrote about the place was,
"Too many flies."
That's it!
"Too many flies"!
Well, I say,
to hell with that!
Why should we have a statue
honouring a poncy Pommy
fly-hating aristocrat?
Or, for that matter,
a fat bloody general,
or, God help us,
a stinkin' politician?
Yeah!
We should have somebody
that understands this place.
Somebody that lives and breathes
this vastness and desolation.
Somebody that's got red dust
stuck up their nose
and in their eyes
and their hair
and up their arse!
Somebody that's like
all of us.
Men...
and women...
who understand
the meaning of independence
and the importance
of a generous heart.
Mates who are loyal
by nature, not design...
...and who know the meaning
of love and loss.
Somebody
that represents our home.
Somebody that represents
the Pilbara in all of us.
And I say that somebody...
...dammit...
...is a dog!
Guess whose shout.
Way out west
Where the rain don't fall
Got a job with the company
digging for ore
Just to make some bread
Living and a-working
on the land
Quit my job
and I left my wife
I headed out west
for a brand-new life
Just to get away
Living and a-working
on the land...
Yeah!
What a change it's been
From working
that nine-to-five
How strange it's been
At last I get the feeling
that I'm really alive
Way out west,
where the rain don't fall
Got a job with a company
drilling for oil
And I'm never gonna leave
Living and a-working
on the land
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Living and a-working
on the land
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...
- Whoo!
- Yeah!
Living and a-working
on the land
Hey!
To Red Dog!
The best damn doggie
in the whole damn country!
- Hey. Hey.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
He's gone.
No, no.
He's gone from the room.
He's not out the back anymore.
We have to find him.
Come on. Let's go.
- Red Dog!
- Red!
Red! Red!
Doggie!
Red Doggie! Red!
Doggie!
Red!
Here, Red!
Here, boy!
Red!
Red!
Where are you, boy?
Red!
Red Dog, come home.
They've found him.
You stay, boy.
You stay here.
You're home now.
ONE YEAR LATER
When people
keep repeating
That you'll never
fall in love
When everybody
keeps retreating
But you can't seem
to get enough
Let my love
open the door...
Oh, my God!
Let my love
open the door...
- Where'd you get him?
- Vanno was giving them away.
- Let my love open the door
- Let my love open the door
- Let my love open the door
- Ooh-ooh
Let my love open the door
When everything
feels all over
Everybody seems unkind...
Ladies and gentlemen, if you
would please take a seat.
Take all worry
out of your mind
Let my love open the door
Let my love
open the door...
Let my love open the door
- To your heart
- Let my love open the door
- Ooh-ooh
- Let my love open the door
Ooh-ooh
I have the only key
to your heart
I can stop you
falling apart
Try today
You'll End this way
Come on and give me
a chance to say
Let my love open the door
It's all I'm living for
Release yourself from misery
There's only one thing
gonna set you free
That's my love
That's my love
- Let my love open the door
- Ooh
Let my love open the door
- When tragedy befalls you
- Ooh-ooh
Don't let it drag you down
- Love can cure your problem
- Ooh-ooh
You're so lucky I'm around
Let my love open the door
To your heart
Red Dog died on November 21st, 1979.
His statue remains on
the road to Dampier.
His story has become an
Australian legend.