Paradiso di fuoco

I love movies that take me totally by surprise. Turned on the TV, saw a Russel Crowe movie I'd never heard of was starting in a minute and decided I'd give it a whirl. For the next 100 minutes, I don't remember breathing. What could be described as a formulaic detective, on the lam movie was packed with the little things that make movies worth watching.

It has a stellar leading cast who evolve in totally unpredictable ways over a very short period. Throw in your typical colorful Aussie characters, tribal Afghan crazies, and Japanese you'd never see act that way in Japan and let the bullets fly.

Maybe I also really enjoyed it because in a cast of misfits and crazies, the one who turned out to be the craziest (who starts off the sanest) is driving around the countryside on my motorcycle, a beautiful black Triumph Thunderbird (although it could have been a bonnie, but I don't think so).

But I really enjoyed the subtle things that separate good movies from bad. There are thematic (and landscape) shifts, accurate and slightly ugly social commentary, a little philosophizing, Afghan woman with hijaab as computer hacker, and tasty Aussie back-country scenes (the corner country bar, B&S dance), and some father/son dynamics to go with typical on the lam love developing.

So see this movie, I bet you'll find things you like about it too.

When I was reading other users' comments it occurred to me that the film is a "cruel romance". What Nick Cave did with his "Murder Ballads", but on the screen. I believe, the film has something in common with "Night Cowboy", "Knocking on Heaven's Door", but it has neither the raw prose of life of the former, nor the sentimental appeal of the latter. It's meant to be viewed with a touch of irony, a touch of "stepping aside". It's intentionally overdone here and there, but it doesn't spoil the story, it's the mark of the genre. Personally I welcomed this Australian variety of "cruel romance", it's a rest from sickeningly earnest Hollywood stuff.

Ok, so this isn't your typical shoot them up movie or a romantic comedy or drama in any way. It's a combination of everything, and for me it is quite effective. The story is told very well. There are funny moments, touching moments, and enough action/violence to keep the viewer interested throughout. I didn't expect anything before I saw it so I was pleasantly surprised. Obviously it is no Gladiator, but as a Russell Crowe fan I gotta say once again he does not disappoint.

Well, I watched this again after seeing Russell Crowe in The Insider.

THE reason to watch this movie, in my mind, is the last five minutes. If you've read the title, I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say that it's the sort of poetically cataclysmic ending you'd expect from the best of film noir...bringing to mind a vague connection with Kiss Me Deadly...and the only way to end any good road movie. That said, the rest of the movie is pure B...true to the noir roots...and whether or not the mistranslations and boom mike shadows were intentional is somewhat irrelevant. You may laugh, you may not, but at worst it's a quirky, passably interesting vehicle to the "good" part.

As for Crowe, well, fans may enjoy, but no one's really given enough time or lines to shine in this movie. Or establish believable relationships for that matter. They're grim characters on a silent march to their doom, leaving a path of carnage and (I must insist quite relevant) dead bystanders in their wake.

This is a wild fun Austrailian movie that is well worth the ride The action dominates the movie with a collection of odd broken characters that you so often find in Australian movies. The story sometimes borrows themes from other 'road movies' which are fairly familiar, but the unique characters in the movie make this road movie unique in its own very strange way. Russell Crowe a la sideburns is still very cool, yet he does not dominate each scene as he has done in every movie he has made in the past 5 years. His somewhat understated presence allows his co-star Yidori (?) shine - a wonderful Japanese actress whose ingénue childlike looks contrast sharply with her bizarre change or metamorphosis from the gentle opening scenes. The classical musical romantic score is placed in a wild funny contrast to the plot,sometimes in a very campy way--yet it still works. This is not a great movie or a classic--but it has the zany features of movies like "TRUE ROMANCE', (a cult classic) I would highly recommend this movie for what it it is -- a wild action packed funny bizarre ride with a good run of crazy people--- This movie may be a 10 if you view it the Austrailian way --with a keg of good beer--wish I 'd seen this movie on the big screen but I don't recall this movie in the theater years ago-Enjoy--there are even a few good lines that will make you want to go back to it someday so a DVD purchase would not be wasted....