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Starring Heath Ledger, Bryan Brown and Rose Byrne. Rated MA.
Jimmy, a young chap, none too bright, surviving in Sydney's colourful but seedy Kings Cross, currently employed as a tout outside one of that area's many strip joints, has a plan, an ambitious plan to better himself and move up in the world. At least in the world he knows.
He makes himself known to Pando (Brown), the king cockey of the Cross' underworld, who hands him a simple job to do as a test for future employment. All he has to do is deliver $10,000 to a little old lady in Bondi.
Borrowing a henchman's newly-renovated car for the trip, he sets off to the beachfront suburb on one of Sydney's hottest days. The little old lady appears to be out when he arrives, so rather than bring the package back to the gangster, he decides to wait a while down on the beach.
The combination of heat, scantily-clad beach babes and the inviting water proved too much. Jimmy clandestinely buries the loot in the sand under his shirt and shoes and heads east for a quick dip.
By the time he comes back the loot has gone west.
Telling Pando about his missing money is a tricky prospect. In order to clear his debt to the gangster, Jimmy sets about robbing a bank with the help of his sister-in-law and her charming friends, a partnership that leads to a successful, if somewhat bizarre hoist.
Parallel to the seedy side of Jimmy's life is his romantic involvement with (Byrne). A sweet but awkward, relationship that blossoms as the movie progresses.
Another parallel theme is the tangled web of coincidence, from the street urchins who pinch the packet of loot from its sandy repository to the $100 note that just keeps turning up like the proverbial bent penny.
Two Hands is another movie to add to the ever-growing list of successful and critically-acclaimed homegrown celluloid. I had the distinct good fortune to see this movie in the company of Gregor Jordan, its director. He stayed around to answer questions for about 40 minutes after the screening, which gave a different and very personal insight into the movie and Australian movie making in general.
Two Hands has a distinct Pulp Fiction feel with a more subtle comparison (in my mind at least) to The Crow. But at the end of the day Two Hands is as Aussie as they come and much the better movie for it. In the words of the director, "I was worried that the yanks wouldn't get the humour, but in the end I said stuff them and made the movie I wanted -- warts and all."
The entire cast is spot-on, a legacy of the personal and almost complete involvement of Jordan in every aspect of his baby.
Two Hands knocked Southpark off the number one spot at the box office in its first weekend, and for all the right reasons. A must see.