The Fox (2026) Review

Nick (Jai Courtney) works on his dad’s farm and enjoys his easy going, somewhat mundane lifestyle. Girlfriend Kori (Emily Browning) has other ideas but when she’s blindsided with a proposal over a parm in the pub, she accepts with the knowledge that it won’t alter her behaviour as regards the ongoing affair she’s conducting with her boss Derek (Damon Herriman). When hunting a fox that has been attacking the farm’s chickens, Nick is about to shoot the trapped creature when he discovers that a) the fox can talk, b) the fox has the voice of Olivia Colman, c) the fox knows that Kori has been cheating on Nick and d) there is a way that Nick can win Kori back and ensure she’s faithful.

The Fox’s writer/director Dario Russo was one of the creators of Aussie action/comedy series Danger 5 and his latest outing shares some of that DNA in terms of lampooning macho stereotypes and playing ludicrous situations dead straight. As the closing movie of Celluloid Screams 2026, the introduction to the screening did make an admission that The Fox isn’t really horror in the strictest sense but it does have a supernatural element and it also features the late, great genre icon Sam Neill in his final role. If it’s good for Celluloid Screams, it’s good enough for me to review it on a horror website.

While I’m on the subject of Sam Neill, this is a hilarious, memorable swansong for a superb career. Or should that be magpie squawk rather than swansong, as Mr Neill lends his vocal talents to a talking version of said bird. It’s not just the foxes who are chatty in this part of rural Australia. Colman’s fox cautions Nick as to listening too much to magpies as they’re gossips. Meanwhile, Neill’s magpie is a typical product of that particular country, partial to the wares of the local chicken shop and dealing with Nick in an extremely blunt fashion. In short, he thinks Nick is “a fucking idiot” and tells him as much.

The reason the magpie is wary of the fox’s plan for Nick is that it rests upon him getting Kori to a “magic hole” at a location which apparently has special powers and that even if all of that works out, the consequences won’t be as straightforward as Nick believes they will be. Of course, they aren’t and the initial idyll of Nick and Kori’s rekindled relationship is revealed to have something fundamentally bizarre at its core. Not only that, but there are also some surprises in store across the entire town and not just concerning Kori’s odd behaviour.

The Fox is not only very funny indeed but it’s also weirdly disturbing and makes a number of salient points about relationships, not only examining the dynamics but also critiquing the expectations of each person in the two partnerships featured here: Nick and Kori but also Derek and his materialistic missus Diana, played by Claudia Doumit. Kori’s sudden change in allegiance only complicates matters between the four and the magic hole grows in importance as a misguided, potential salve for everything. The idea that problems can be resolved with such a quick fix is a concept which is developed across the tale and when all of the cards are on the table the guileless Nick realises he’s been entirely unaware there’d ever been any kind of game taking place.

Of course, Colman and Neill are great but the human cast deserves just as much praise, with Courteney managing to elicit sympathy despite his character having no clue what his fiancée needs – and it’s certainly not a regular root. Herriman and Doumit are consistently amusing as the couple constantly on the verge of burning their relationship down but somehow never quite getting to that point despite their confrontations.

The townsfolk are terrific too, including the always amazing Miranda Otto as Liz, serving up advice and beer after beer to Nick, save for the ones she necks herself if the head on it doesn’t look right to her. Kim Gyngell, as the local priest doing his level best to fit into the blokey culture, is particularly enthused about the sanctity of a blessed union to the point where he promises Nick that he will “marry him so hard” and, if you’re a Neighbours fan from back in the day, your Shane Ramsey memories will be sparked by the appearance of Peter O’Brien.

It would be easy for me to say that Sam Neill steals the movie, especially as he’s a magpie, but if you’re looking for the most bonzer performance in this, you can’t look past Emily Browning, going through numerous changes in character as the story progresses and providing a plentiful proportion of the pivotal moments. Whether she’s dancing around the pub or appearing naked and covered in muck on the kitchen countertop, there’s something unnervingly bewitching about her and I suspect that the film, specifically its climax, wouldn’t be the same with someone else in the role.

For anyone who is now checking the listings to see when The Fox is playing because I mentioned Emily Browning being naked; firstly, grow up; secondly, there is quite a bit of nudity in this movie – not just Emily Browning and there’s more than enough shagging to land it on Austin Powers’ list of films to see. The dirty mac brigade might be disappointed because the sexual activity here is played for its ick factor and uncomfortable humour for the most part.

The Fox often runs very close to the line of being too daft for its own good but its particular brand of oddball commentary is consistently engaging and it commits fully to the bit right up to end of the chaotic third act when the (fox) shit really hits the fan. The very last shot may feel like the film is hedging its bets ever so slightly but it’s weighted with the reality that humans take their existences for granted and that any animal would give everything to spend just a day in the shoes of those overprivileged dunces with which they’re forced to co-exist. Russo’s serious observations are couched in the silliest of set pieces and the bulk of it works beautifully. You’ll never look at a magpie in the same way again. By the way, they like artisan crackers. Fresh ones!

Movie Rating:

The Fox trailer