Seven Snipers (MA15 , 88 minutes)

It's not easy being a single mother - or a former combat sniper. Being both is even harder, especially when the past won't stay past, as this tight, basic little Australian thriller, mostly shot around Ipswich in Queensland, illustrates.

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Kris Hendricks (Radha Mitchell) was once known as Voodoo Child, an elite combat sniper. But for years she's been back in Australia, living on a small farm in the bush and hoping to make up for lost time with her teenage daughter Anja (Annabel Woolf). She hasn't told the girl too many war stories, although she has been teaching her archery and other weapon skills. But Anja, like many teenagers, has a rebellious streak.

The morning of Anja's 16th birthday, after the girl has headed off with her boyfriend Michael (Lee Tiger Halley), ostensibly to school, Kris receives an unexpected visitor. The man (Ryan Kwanten) introduces himself as Phillips, a real estate agent acting on behalf of foreign investors who are interested in buying her land.

But he's not who he claims to be and Kris's survival instincts kick in. She is able to summon a bunch of old military comrades (rather too quickly, if you're nitpicking) for help. Finding her daughter is trickier: she calls the school to discover Anja hasn't been there in nearly two weeks, and........

© Canberra Times