Highly Overrated But Still Good

Absolutely Fantastic

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Before seeing this film I had high expectations, since I hadn't heard a single bad thing about this film. I was slightly disappointed, but it was still very good. There are moments in this film, however, that are completely unnecessary. There weren't many stand out performances besides Bryan Browns which was absolutely amazing. Rose Byrne's performance was so, so bad. How she managed to get a career after this I do not know. In fact here character was just annoying and entirely unnecessary. Almost every scene with her could have been cut out, or her character could have been removed and it wouldn't make a difference. It would probably make the film better. That said there are some truly hilarious scenes in this film. My personal favourites are the bank robbery scene, the scene in the car afterwards, and the scene where the Bryan Brown's gang have Heath Ledger at gunpoint.

The story is Far Out on a limb, as far as believability goes. But this is not the film to nitpick over that, because this story is all about style. It's as free and easy and light-hearted as awful crime ever gets, and it's as black and nasty and gruesome as comedy ever gets. Heath Ledger and Rose Byrne have such glowing youthful beauty, and enough screen weight to match Brian Brown and a solid supporting cast. This is one of those films where you forget to feel guilt ridden over laughing out loud at the misery of others. I congratulate the writers and director for such a deft balancing act. Many Americans might not like this because it's not their style of humour. If you are American and "get" British humour, or love Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, or Hot Fuzz, then you may well like this one too.

"Shot before Ledger hit fame, It's far from commercially-tame, "Shotties are good" In the Aussie-style 'hood', Bogan-humour without being lame."Read more limerick reviews or post your own at TheLimerickReview website!About Us:Welcome all to The Limerick Review, For feedback on films; both old and new, We sort classic from crime, In a quick five-line rhyme, Just browse or leave your point-of-view.If there is a film you want reviewed let us know. You can also submit your own limerick reviews and we'll do our best to put them online.

I just rented this at the local discount video store and am glad I did. It's a pitch-black comedy, thriller and romance all at once.Jimmy (Heath Ledger) is a sweet-natured, dim-witted amateur boxer and aspiring thug who screws up -- big-time -- his first assignment from the local crime boss in the sleazy section of Sydney, then spends the rest of the film trying to put things right.This is a small, satisfying film that even manages to be a character study of sorts, and, at the end, we see a kind of rough justice exacted by a street kid who may end up being the next local mob kingpin (or, should I say, queenpin, because I had the impression that this was actually a tomboy-like girl, in an excellent performance).If you like seeing a slender, bare-chested, baby-faced, curly-headed Heath Ledger -- and, hell, who doesn't? -- you will like this film.P.S. To me, a less-obvious-than-the-others-cited, but still apt, comparison would be to "The Good Girl," an even blacker comedy with Ledger's recent Brokeback Mountain co-star, a very young Jake Gyllenhaal.P.P.S. Others have listed several other good films from Oz. To that, let me add "The Sum of Us," starring a young, adorable and then-unknown Russell Crowe (Ledger is a younger Crowe, or Crowe is an older Ledger, however you want to look at it.).