Two Hands is not your ordinary gangster movie. It's Australian for a start. How Australian? How about tight shorts, thongs, VB-glugging, Falcon-or-Holden, Kings Cross-as-centre-of-Universe Australian.
But for all its askew sense of national pride in its underworld, Two Hands isn't exactly GoodBlokes. Even if one of its best running gags is that when various murdering hoods come up for discussion, there's always the rejoinder: "Aw yeah, but he's a good bloke."
As that suggests, this is broad in its laconic comedy. It's sweet in its romance and amusingly casual in its violence. But director Jordan's ambitious debut feature also comes with a metaphysical add-on - the hapless wannabe gangster, Jimmy (Ledger), has the spectre of his dead brother trying to warn him from beyond the grave, a device which strains for effect.
Young Jimmy, a strip-club spruiker and ex-street kid, is picked by local crime boss (Bryan Brown) to do some courier work.
Problem is, the young fella loses the10 grand in the sand at Bondi. Pando and his perma-thonged henchman plot revenge. Jimmy must find a way to make amends, which is a bit inconvenient as he's just met the girl of his dreams, Alex, who may offer a way out ....
Add to that a subplot about couple of street kids which, in an odd way, has more emotional punch than the main action, and the result is a bonzer wee romp, a thriller that's something of a valentine to the seedy side of the 'Cross and the rest of Sydney.
It doesn't lack for entertainment value - it's little wonder it was the biggest Australian movie over there last year. But it tries a little hard in places, feeling overburdened by ideas and cut'n'paste influences, and in the end it's not all that memorable. Though the sartorial wonder that is Bryan Brown's K-Mart wardrobe will stay with you for days.
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