Hands up! Yes, I confess I never saw Heath Ledger’s breakthrough back in its day. Thanks to the marvel of Blu-Ray, I now got to see the grimy, dark streets of Sydney and Kings Cross in particular, of a decade ago. It seems in vogue at the moment to glorify the criminal past. Writer/director Gregor Jordan film isn’t just a plain guns-n-fucking yarn, thankfully.

We care about the people and their motivations. Crims often aren’t 2D ‘evil-doers’—who would expend that much time and energy on nefarious projects just for the thrill and rush? Yes there are the crazies—Bryan Brown’s head-honcho baddie Pando—but the film helps bring home the complexities around crime and poverty and how hard it is to break with one’s past.

Chief among those we come to care about is Ledger’s Jimmy, who is 19 and works as a bouncer at Pando’s strip joint. He is immediately drawn to country-girl and photographer Alex (Rose Byrne), who one night joins the many gawkers.

In a typically Australian confusion over money (think Bondi Beach and emphysema), Ledger ends up owing money to Pando, who is then out to get him. Two Hands features one of the most entertaining bank-robberies ever. It no doubt dazzled and dazed audiences around the world. But I just sat back and embraced it’s banal, life-affirming glory!

The images are clear, colour-rich and everything is well shot. It’s as if you can feel the humid Sydney summer on your skin and through your hair.

The film is tense, with elements of the supernatural, deep drama as well as a healthy sense of justice. With Australia Day fast approaching, Two Hands is definitely two thumbs up!

Felix Staica