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House review of Two Hands (1999)

Goldie Lookin' Chain hit the nail on the head back in 2004 with the track 'Self Suicide' on their wittily named debut album 'Greatest Hits'. In this ditty the explain that if "you wanna get rich, you gotta kill yourself quick", while referencing deceased stars such as Biggie, Michael Hutchence and, of course, Jesus. They basically imply that the easiest way for famous people to become even more famous is to top themselves. Some may view this song as inappropriate but in fairness, they do make a pretty good point. I'm 22 so I wasn't around in the era of Nirvana and Joy Division. Now, without trying to be cynical, I can't imagine either of these bands being considered as highly as the way they are now, or Kurt Cobain and Ian Curtis being treated with almost God-like status had they not decided to tragically cut their lives short at the peak of their fame - Cobain was 27, Curtis 23.

The same could be said of Heath Ledger.

I don't want to start the whole debate of Heath's death. Did he commit suicide? Was it an accident? Was it due to the strain of playing the Joker? Did he secretly detest the fame? all of these questions are irrelevant to me. Let's focus on the films. In the wake of Ledger's passing in January, I decided to go back and check out two of his lesser known films, Candy (2006) and Two Hands (1999).

Two Hands is an Australian film released around the same time as Ledger's universal breakthrough role in 10 Things I Hate About You. Ledger plays Jimmy, a young doorman working in Kings Cross, a run-down area of Sydney rife with strip clubs and sex shops. The local mob boss Pando throws Jimmy an opportunity to earn some dosh by simply delivering a package to a woman in Bondi for him. Jimmy goes to drop the package off, she's not in, so Jimmy rather foolishly decides to go for a swim while waiting for the woman to return. The $10,000 package then gets stolen by some mischieveous imps. Needless to say, Pando isn't best pleased about this. The film then centres on Jimy's plot to rob a bank in Bankstown in order to recoup the money he's lost, while trying to avoid Pando and his henchmen.

I found this film in Sainsbury's for the princely sum of £1.00. I gave it a punt and a very glad that I did. This is a very entertaining film, harrowing in places and extremely funny at times. The bank robbery scene is one of the funniest things you may see all year! The film shows a real mixture of life in coastal Australia. The waves which Jimmy submerges himself in at Bondi look crisp and refreshing, while the mono-rail kidnap scene late at night is downright scary. Ledger is also very good as a vulnerable and honest guy. Watch when he takes photos of Alex (Rose Byrne in a placid film debut) at the beginning. There are wry smiles and gentle glances from Jimmy, but not a shred of perverseness. Later, when Pando's crew have Jimmy ready to kill him you genuinely feel a strong fear of Jimmy. He's a nice guy who just got caught up in a bad situation.

The same could be said of Heath Ledger.

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Film Rating: 3.7/10 (20 votes cast)

Reviewed by tort
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