TWO HANDS Cast: Heath Ledger, Rose Byrne, Bryan Brown, David Field, Susie Porter, Tom Long, Tony Forrow, Mariel McClorey, Evan Sheaves, Steven Vidler Director: Gregor Jordan Screenplay: Gregor Jordan Reviewed by Luke Buckmaster
On the Buckmaster scale of 0 stars (bomb), to 5 stars (a masterpiece): 4 stars
The mid-to-late 90's obsession with urban crime fables has resulted in some sensational efforts, most of which aspire to the success - artistically and commercially - of a Quentin Tarantino movie. I never expected that the Australian film industry, famous for its quirky and simple-minded films, would enter the realm of these violent and often darkly humorous pieces of in-your-face entertainment. The film in question is 'Two Hands,' an engaging and often intense picture that is fresh, lively and different to the norm. Debut writer/director Gregor Jordan finds a pulsating energy in his production elements - ranging from the cast's diverse appeal to the film's bright cinematography, it's clear that this one is out to impress. Impress it does, and in large abundance. 'Two Hands' is a breath of fresh air for the Australian film industry; a fun adrenaline rush that will probably linger in your memory for some time.
Rising Aussie star Heath Ledger plays Jimmy, who works in Kings Cross, Sydney, as a street promoter for a strip club. Hoping to improve his salary and his work, Jimmy accepts a job from neighborhood goon Pando (Bryan Brown). He is given $10,000 in an envelope and an address to deliver it to, but, as the plot unfolds, the job goes drastically wrong, and Jimmy is being chased all over town by Pando and his goons. Still, he makes sure that he has enough time to pursue love-interest Kate (Rose Byrne), a friendly art student who enjoys taking photos. Also involved in the story are two homeless kids, played by Mariel McClorey and Evan Sheaves, who have small but integral parts, and serve as tools in which to question audience morality.
It seems inevitable that titles like 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' will be mentioned in a review of this film, for their obvious familiarities in genre filmmaking. 'Two Hands,' like these films and many more, is distinctive in its own way. For starters, the film has an obvious Australian touch to it - the dialogue is laid back and relaxed, the settings are not glamorous or appealing. The screenplay doesn't delve into stories and debates like 'Pulp Fiction', and its editing doesn't produce the clockwork pacing that made 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' fast and furious. There is something different here, a kind of new texture to the genre. 'Two Hands' doesn't constantly try to win audiences over, it simply follows its narrative to the end without glancing back to notice whether we were still watching.
Chances are, you will be. 'Two Hands' is a bold drama wrapped around a comedic lesson of morals, wrapped around a simple, even slightly messy thriller. Gregor Jordan captivates his audience time and time again, reaching a good mixture of amusing gags and fast action. What he doesn't create is a film that is engaging as a whole, but rather one that has plenty of memorable and amusing scenes and subplots. It's bound to be a crowd pleasing movie, and contains enough jags and recurring plot elements to keep the viewers who don't find the central plot interesting still amused.
Heath Ledger struts his stuff so confidently as the title character that there is absolutely no doubt that we will be seeing him again in the future (in fact, in his next film, he plays Mel Gibson's son). I'm not sure whether he channeled that energy into a good performance, though it's certainly an entertaining one. Bryan Brown also fares very well as the married, and quite amusing tough guy Pando. Others are slightly less impressive, like Rose Byrne, who is solid but her part is considerably underdeveloped, probably as a result of the film's ninety-two minute running time. Come to think of it, that's an odd choice for a running time in a film of this nature - the story unfolds fairly slowly (although its never boring), and even then, there's some unnecessary bits like its narration by Jimmy's dead brother. 'Pulp Fiction,' which I've refused to mention too much in this review, was almost double its length. Perhaps 'Two Hands' could have benefited from a little more meat.
But there's still so much here to like. Jordan's direction is multi-layered with impressive production elements; the cinematography, the music, the camera shots and the editing all give the film a truly cinematic feel. The jokes - I wished there was more of them - are funny and memorable. 'Two Hands' is a likeable film that isn't original enough to become a cult classic, but a damn good time at the movies. Sometimes you don't get everything, but sometimes, you just enjoy what you've got.
Read more of my reviews at In Film Australia http://infilmau.iah.net
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