In THE MAGICIAN, Max, a filmmaker, has persuaded Ray Shoesmith, a Melbourne hit-man, to let him shoot a documentary about him. With his video camera ever at the ready, Max follows Ray as he goes about his business.

Ray is played by the film's writer-director, Scott Ryan. Ray has undertaken an assignment to eliminate Tony, (Ben Walker), a low-level drug dealer who has transgressed the laws of the underworld.

While digging his own grave in the Victorian countryside, Ben manages to persuade Ray that he has a stash of money hidden on his father's property. Ray also helps Max retrieve some stolen electrical equipment.

Talk about no budget: Scott Ryan shot THE MAGICIAN for just $3,000, but it would probably not have been seen outside his own circle of friends had it not been for the level of wit and charm he brings to the material.

Most of this stems from Ryan's own performance as the avuncular Ray, an ex-army man with an opinion on just about everything.

Ray likes to talk, he's argumentative, but at the same time he's tolerant and philosophical, and it's his character that makes THE MAGICIAN worth a visit.

I don't understand why a character like Ray would allow himself to be filmed in the first place even though this point is playfully discussed during the film.

Obviously the nether-world of this ruthless criminal won't be everyone's idea of a way to spend an evening in the cinema, but nevertheless this is an extraordinary accomplishment for Ryan and proves, once again, that you don't need to spend millions to get your vision onto cinema screens.