by Mark Deming
synopsis
Action and comedy are served in equal portions in this Australian crime thriller. Jimmy (Heath Ledger) is a 19-year-old living in Sydney who is somehow asked to run an errand for local underworld kingpin Pando (Bryan Brown). Before Jimmy knows what's happened, he owes Pando $10,000, and finds the gangster's muscle men are out for his blood. Jimmy attempts to stage a bank robbery to recover the loot, with disastrous results; when he has a spare moment, he tries to win the heart of Alex (Rose Byrne), a pretty girl from the country. This slam-bang entertainment was an uncharacteristic entry in the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, where it received its U.S. premiere.
characteristics
- Unlikely Criminals
- Crime Gone Awry
- Bank Robbery
- Underworld
- Criminal
- Australia
