Australia

Aroview: Aussie golden boy Baz Luhrmann's larger-than-life epic sees an English aristocrat and cattle driver attempt to save an inherited outback ranch from the clutches of corruption, while the sweltering chaos of post-colonialism rages in the background.

Teetering on the edge of hubris, this is Luhrmann's bold attempt to create an Australian GONE WITH THE WIND, and while it never lives up to his typical hype machine, it's far from an outright embarrassment. Though beginning shakily with some ill-judged slapstick (ala MOULIN ROUGE), it finds its feet as it sobers up, and the sturdy middle section has flourishes as effective as anything the director has ever done. The patchy tone is matched by the wavering accents of both leads, but they exude the requisite star quality and its hard to imagine others more suited to their roles, while in support are a veritable who's-who of iconic Australian talent.

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