This epic, romantic, action film is set in Australia pre-World War II. English aristocrat Kate (Nicole Kidman) travels to Australia to convince her estranged husband to sell their cattle ranch, come home, and live a proper married life. What she finds is far more than she has bargained for. She meets a rough-and-tumble ranch hand named Drover (Hugh Jackman), who reluctantly agrees to help her save what is left of the ranch. Together the two of them go on to conquer an unforgiving Outback, 1500 head of cattle, interracial prejudice, love lost, thieving cattlemen, and Japanese bombings.
Sounds like a lot…. Huh? Well it is…. 164 minutes of it!
Director (Baz Luhrmann), known for such movies as Moulin Rouge!, Romeo & Juliet, and Strictly Ballroom, is an Australia native himself. He uses all of his knowledge about the Outback culture to culminate an all-star cast of Aussie greats making this film both believable and beautiful all at the same time.
I was instantly drawn to Nullah (Brandon Walters) whose narration made this film a coming-of-age story about a young aboriginal boy, his need to connect with the land, and his desire to be free.
Jackman and Kidman were reminiscent of Bogart and Hepburn in African Queen; they played very believably off each other. He is the rough, no non-sense, “can a girl really do it” guy, she is an “I have to pack the kitchen sink to go run up some cows” kinda girl.
This visually stunning, classic entertainment makes this film something you can watch with the family. [DVD]
Fun facts:
IMDB Trivia:
- Over 1500 wild horses were used for this movie
- Filming took nine months, plus some re-shoots in late 2008.
- Heath Ledger was originally cast, but backed out to do The Dark Knight (2008)
Adventure/Drama/War/Western
Rated PG-13
Director: Baz Luhrmann