The wry humor and cultural impact of 10 Things I Hate About You continues to be felt today. It’s biting, charmingly cast, and sharply written. The 1999 flick undoubtedly contains a plethora of truly memorable moments, including that iconic bleachers sequence, and launched many of its cast members into the stratosphere. Rightly considered something of a late 90s landmark in the rom-com genre, it is also the film that put prodigious Australian talent Heath Ledger on the map, a young actor who’d recently traveled to Los Angeles from Australia seeking new opportunities in Hollywood. Ledger had accrued parts in a number of well-known TV shows in his native Australia, and his early career was characterized by big moves. Perth, on the west coast, to Sydney, way out on the east. Then came the move to the City of Angels. To say the relocation proved fruitful would be an understatement.
However, 10 Things wasn’t the only 1999 release that served as a captivating showcase for Heath Ledger’s magnetic screen presence and subtle flair for comedic timing. With Ledger, something was always going on beyond the surface. His was an innate ability to convey great emotional depth in multilayered protagonists. Two Hands, directed by the excellent Australian director Gregor Jordan, is a rattlingly funny Sydney-set heist comedy that sees Ledger’s youthful Jimmy embroiled in a dangerous situation involving a crew of brutish local enforcers led by Pando (Bryan Brown). Also in the film is the radiant Rose Byrne – whose career also skyrocketed in the years that followed.
There’s an abundance of memorably amusing scenes, an assortment of iconic locations (including Bondi Beach and King’s Cross), and a pace that won’t let up. Ledger’s Jimmy veers from starry-eyed naïveté to desperation while trying to navigate the pangs of a fresh romance and elude the psychopathic criminals bearing down on him after he loses the money he is charged with delivering. Two Hands is a cult classic – serving as a wonderful showcase for its charismatic star and a great window into late 90s Sydney.
‘Two Hands’ Is a Mob Comedy and Romance Rolled Into One
Two Hands jumps from dramedy to mob film pretty quickly and then ends up a heist flick for a short while. Although it’s not particularly similar to say, Dog Day Afternoon or The Town, the brief, solitary robbery sequence later in the film is fairly intense and ultimately, quite tragicomic. We’re introduced to Ledger’s Jimmy as he’s stationed outside a local joint in King’s Cross, Sydney – a hopping section of the city renowned for its vibrant nightlife. Working as a security guard, the wistful lad is a dreamer and seems to always be caught in half-reverie, thinking up big things for himself in the future.
When Brown’s feared Pando rolls up offering him the opportunity to help with some vague ‘work’ (later revealed to be transporting $10,000 to a woman), Jimmy jumps at it. Because association with a well-known personality in the underworld is something of a thrill for the opportunistic young man. When he’s introduced to Rose Byrne’s wide-eyed Alex, a recent transplant from the country town of Mudgee and the sister of one of his chums, he is quickly bewitched. Byrne, currently starring alongside Seth Rogen in Apple TV’s Platonic – shines as the vivacious Alex, who quite quickly becomes besotted herself. As a result, Jimmy finds himself quickly realigning his priorities to befit the new addition to his life. The dialogue is rife with classic slang (from ‘arvo’ as in afternoon, to ‘fair dinkum’), and there are some sizzling lines thrown about as the heat of the Aussie summer turns up several degrees.
The movie rollicks along at a rapid pace, and its endearing nature can be attributed in large part to Ledger’s ease in filling Jimmy’s shoes. A hyped-up, well-meaning but gullible lad who jumps about like an eager boxer in the ring, he’s a deeply sincere protagonist who falls in with the wrong crowd. To his own fault, Jimmy is willing to give anyone and everyone the benefit of the doubt, including Pando. ‘If you’re in with Pando you’re set’, is a philosophy later quashed, as he’s forced to flee and fight for his life, standing up to the thugs pursuing him.
Watching Jimmy deflate when he finds he’s committed a life-threatening error later on (leaving the $10K on the beach for a swim only for it to be swiped by a pair of troublemaking kids) is as funny as it is wince-inducing. Determined to pay Pando back the lost cash, he makes a snap decision to cook up a heist scheme with a couple of connections including Deirdre (Susie Porter) and the seasoned Wozza (Steve Le Marquand). The dialogue between the trio is often hilarious, as the hard-to-ruffle Wozza begins rattling off potential targets in and around the city. It’s equal parts desperation and put-on bravado, and well, things go south.
There’s a unique flavor to Two Hands, and its forward momentum never stalls. Despite the hot water Jimmy finds himself in, the allure of Byrne’s Alex is too much and the burgeoning romance between the two set against an increasingly dangerous backdrop builds organically, never managing to feel overdone. The movie itself, in all its madcap chaos, ends up being a very palatable smoothie indeed, comprised of a hodgepodge of ingredients.
‘Two Hands’ Is Full of Comedy and Excitement, and Makes For a Strong Heath Ledger Film
Two Hands has a quintessentially Australian quality to it, and it’s a joy for audiences to watch Ledger turn in a performance in such a fun caper. It shows a different side to the one seen in 10 Things I Hate About You, it’s a slightly harder edge that would return in roles later in his too-short career. It’s also grittier and more profane, of course. For film fans – Two Hands need to be sought out for the way it successfully enmeshes crime comedy with a heist thriller and a coming-of-age drama. It’s a must-see for heist film fans in general too. Gregor Jordan’s frenetic camerawork works a treat, ramping up excitement levels appropriately. He and cinematographer Malcolm McCullough capture the energy of Sydney supremely well while the actors do their thing on screen. The banter on-screen is often as hilarious as it is occasionally withering, with Bryan Brown‘s blunt and fairly cold-blooded Pando not wanting to dillydally around when it comes to tying off loose hands.
From barking out orders in his sweltering apartment, to arguing with his cronies about the nature of life, or surging after Jimmy with his associates in tow, Brown is never shy of an absolute hoot. Gregor Jordan would go on to work with Heath Ledger again in the vastly underrated Ned Kelly in 2003, a quasi-western about a notorious Australian bushranger in the 19th century. It served as yet another reminder of Heath Ledger’s talent in front of the camera – his noted ability to completely transform into different characters later becoming something of a trademark. Watching Two Hands now is a bittersweet experience, and makes for a winning twofer from the year 1999 when paired with 10 Things I Hate About You. From Oscar-nominated turns working under Ang Lee, to Oscar-winning roles working under Christopher Nolan (in what was arguably the finest ever performance as the Joker), Ledger was blessed with substantial acting chops from the get-go, and Two Hands remains a funny, offbeat testament to his versatility as a performer.