Hey folks, here's a film we haven't heard much of anything on thus far, but I'll tell you this. It seems to be liked down in Australia, and.... The star of the film, this Heath Ledger, I'd keep my eye on cause he landed the absolutely plum role opposite Mel Gibson as his son in THE PATRIOT... a star making role if I've ever read one. So watch out for this film, as of yet I haven't spotted an American release date on this movie, but from the sound of it, I sure would like a chance to see it! Well, here's Leatherstocking...

Don't know if you have heard about this one, Harry, but it is something which, if it gets to the US, and I hope it does, deserves to get at least a cult following: Two Hands, by Gregor Jordan, whose only other film was a great dark comedy short called Swinger (Not Swingers). Two Hands is the story of Jimmy (Heath Ledger), who is trying to break into the Sydney underworld, get past his job standing nights outside a strip club pulling people in. A good fighter, he gets the notice of Pando (Bryan Brown), the crime boss of King's Cross (the seedy area of Sydney). He is supposed to do a quick easy job for him, but things go horribly wrong. The money gets stolen by a couple of kids and Pando and his cronies are quickly out to kill him, as well as anyone else who happens to be in the way.

I could do more of a plot summary, but I don't think it would serve much purpose. Just some comments on brilliant scenes... Pando doing oragami with his son while taking a phone call about the current status of the Jimmy hunt. The bank robber planing their heist with his toddlers crawling around on the floor (shades of Raising Arizona). The kids walking into the candy store with 10grand cash that they just found.

The film is similar in many ways to Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, but with a more Australian sensibility (here are some Aussie styles in film, seen in things like Babe and Simply Ballroom, which you can recognize here) but I am not sure which is better. They both have great things about them, and I hope that Two Hands makes it over to the US. It has some great performances and deserves to make it.

Call me Leatherstocking...