Two Hands (1999 film)

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Two Hands
Australian DVD Cover
Directed by	Gregor Jordan
Produced by	Marian Macgowan
Written by	Gregor Jordan
Starring	Heath Ledger, Bryan Brown, Rose Byrne, David Field
Language	English
IMDb profile

Two Hands is a 1999 Australian crime film, written and directed by Gregor Jordan. The film stars Heath Ledger as Jimmy, a young man in debt to Pando, a local gangster, played by Bryan Brown and also stars Mairel McClorey, Evan Sheaves, Susie Porter, and Rose Byrne. It won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film in 1999.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Two Hands is set in locations around Sydney, starting in the red light district of Kings Cross. Jimmy, while working at a strip club, is approached by local mob boss Pando who says he has work for him. Pando gives Jimmy $10,000 to deliver to a woman in Bondi, and when she appears not to be home, he goes for a swim on the beach. Unfortunately the $10,000 is stolen by street kids while he is swimming, leaving him heavily indebted to the understandably furious Pando and his gang.

The car Jimmy was using on the job - belonging to Pando's associate Acko - is stolen by a young man and taken to a car dealer. The dealer happens to be a friend of Acko's, who, displeased at the news of his car being stolen, suspects Jimmy's involvement.

Jimmy comes up with a plan to pay off the debt by robbing a bank the next day in Bankstown, New South Wales along with two others. The night before he arranges to meet new friend and love interest Alex at a pub. Unfortunately the meeting's arrangements are heard by Les, a friend jealous of Alex's attraction to Jimmy and keen to get in with Pando's gang. After informing the gang of the couple's whereabouts, Jimmy is forced to flee the pub with Alex, attempting to escape on the Sydney Monorail, however the escape proves unsuccessful and Jimmy is taken to a remote location where the gang plan to kill him. Through the indirect intervention of Jimmy's dead brother (who acts as a guardian angel figure throughout the film), Jimmy is able to escape alive, and make his way back home to prepare for the bank robbery.

The robbery is not without its problems, but is on the whole successful, and Jimmy gets the money he needs, escaping in a stolen car with his accomplice. Ironically, the stolen auto's radio station bumper sticker is spotted by the station's competition team, and Jimmy wins a $10,000 prize. Not needing the money, and most likely angered at the irony of the situation, he rams the station's Jeep off the road.

Jimmy returns to Pando's office to pay off his debt, but thinking he has a gun the gang once again attempt to kill him. Luckily he is able to give them the money before he is killed, and is now offered more work by Pando for his impressive performance escaping the gang on their first attempt to kill him. Jimmy leaves in disgust after pulling a gun on Pando, and the movie ends with Jimmy and Alex buying tickets at an airport to a location 'up north', away from the pressures of life in Sydney.