Two Hands

I was especially impressed by the pacing of this innovative Aussie film. There seemed to be room left for a healthy icing of humour, spatulated carefully over what is really a very dark tale.

The laughs are mostly wry ones, born of wit and irony. European tales about the grittier side of inner city life are usually far too dank: American ones far too hurried and busy.

But Two Hands somehow remains laconic. It spirals about like a crow on the wind and leaves us with firm images of our own back yards; our own Sydney; the Sydney Olympic venue visitors will never catch.

Heath Ledger plays Jimmy, a former street kid turned doorman at one of the Cross's strip joints. He gets a chance to deliver $10,000 to a local woman who's coughing fit will hack its way indelibly into your mind. It's awful.

The $10,000 belongs to the local heavy Paddo (Bryan Brown) who decides that he's just going to have to have Jimmy murdered, just for business reasons. Jimmy's got to come up with the money quickly and with the help of his sister in law Dee (Susie Porter from Welcome To Woop Woop) a robbery is arranged with a couple of no hopers.

Two Hands has been written and directed by Australian Gregor Jordan who's first short film Swinger won the Jury Prize at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. This, his first feature is a classy effort indeed, showing a proper regard for our very worthy film traditions.

And a consideration of the films Bryan Brown has starred in provides a pretty good representation of the best of the Aussie films of recent years. A Town Like Alice, Breaker Morant, The Shiralee (on televison), Newsfront, and The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith, not to forget the superb Dead Heart which he also produced is a pretty impressive list.

Two Hands occupies new territory for Australian Cinema - urban, funny crime thrillers haven't exactly been thick on the ground. In 1985 The Empty Beach, also starring Bryan Brown as the detectivie Cliff Hardy, is the only one hat comes to mind.

Heath Ledger also excels in Two Hands and he looks to be headed for a worthy career with his success as a young heart throb in the recent American mainstream film 10 Things I Hate About You also under his belt.

But if I was heading for the movies I'd much rather see Two Hands than a vapid formula piece from the States like 10 things. Two Hands has energy, pace and surprises, and you don't see that all too often at the cinema.