Australia (20th Century Fox)
Best Movie of the Year So Far!
Who knows what the rest of the holiday season will bring us at the movies but for now my pick for Best Picture of the year is Australia. This Baz Luhrmann created and directed epic has it all. Theres a love affair, a battle between cattle barons, the bombing of Darwin Harbor and a lesson in acceptance all tied into one gripping story. Starring in all this are Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, two actors who can spread the chemistry around on screen.
The story starts in 1939 when Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) comes to Australia to check up on her husband. She thinks he has extended his stay in Australia in order to be unfaithful to her, but when she arrives she finds he has been murdered and their cattle ranch named Faraway Downs is in bad shape. The only way to save it is to get a herd of cattle to Darwin Harbor and sell them to the British Army.
She enlists the help of her husbands drover (Jackman) who is reluctant to start such a trek. Plus she has wealthy rancher King Carney (Bryan Brown) doing everything he can to stop her. He wants to get a monopoly with the Army so he cant have her showing up with competitive cattle. He enlists his worker, Neil Fletcher (David Wynham), to do whatever is necessary to stop the drive.
Sarah is also caught up in the plight of a young boy named Nullah (Brandon Walters). He is part Aborigine and part Caucasian and thus belongs in neither world. The authorities want to place him in a mission home, but Nullah wants to stay at Faraway Downs. Sarah is drawn to the boy and wants to protect him.
The cattle drive dominates the first half of the film and the bombing of Darwin Harbor dominates the second. Plus the love story of Sarah and the Drover ties it all together. There is something for everyone in this film and the two hour and fifty five minute running time seems to fly by in an instant.
Kidman is amazing in her role of Sarah, and there is no one else acting today who could have done as perfectly as she does. It seems Luhrmann, who also directed her in Moulin Rouge, created the role with her in mind for it fits her that totally. She brings a freshness to the part as well as a strength that Sarah has to have. And her chemistry with Jackman is pitch perfect.
Jackman is rugged and handsome as the Drover and matches Kidman in the chemistry department. His acting is not as strong as hers but strong enough. Recently named the sexiest man alive by People Magazine, this role proves the title wasnt some fluke.
Waters is the surprise of the film. His portrayal of Nullah is staggering. He narrates the film and is the character who ties it all together. He is the right person for this role and makes an indelible impression. When awards are given out for best supporting actor his name should be front and center.
The film is rated PG-13 for violence and mild profanity.
Australia is a sprawling, engrossing look at the continent about which we know very little. This movie should make the Australian Tourist Board very happy as it would seem millions will now want to visit there. In the meantime it is hoped million of filmgoers will find out just how entertaining this film is. It deserves to be seen and savored maybe more than once. Who cares if it is almost three hours long they are three of the most entertaining hours you will exposed to this year.
I scored Australia a down under 10 out of 10.
