john-1952

I must start by saying I am not the slightest bit interested in motorcycles, so do not let the fact this concerns a bike put you off. That this movie can be, to a large part, about a motorbike yet non-bike people like myself barely notice it, is just one of the things that makes this a remarkable movie. Anthony Hopkins proves again he can tackle almost any role. Everyone know the immortal Dr Lecter yet you can watch Hopkins playing the amiable Burt Munro without thoughts of The Lambs ever crossing your mind. As others have pointed out, this movie has no fancy FX, no computer generated anything, no fights, no shootouts and yet in many ways it is an action movie. It is also a road movie, a travelogue, even a love story. It is a movie that will have the guys reaching for a hankie as much as the girls, and have the girls cheering on the motorbike as much as the guys. Don't miss this one.

The single most obvious problem with this film is that you have to go so far down the credits before actually finding an Aussie. The four leads, the old lady, Bubba, even the boxing promoter are all foreign actors. I can vaguely picture a big dumb Yank as played by Mr Borgnine doing some work as a canecutter, but John Mills just doesn't look the part. I have watched him in so many movies and this is probably the first I have ever thought him miscast.

If you are from Sydney there is some great footage of Luna Park in its former glory, the old ferries, Central Station and so on. I believe the play is a mix of humour and drama but there is very little humour in this film. Anne Baxter is probably the best of the four leads, playing a rather desperate sweetheart. Vincent Ball's character is a little too smarmy and one is left wondering why anyone would find him appealing.

It would be very interesting to see a remake with Australian actors in it, although it's doubtful whether the era could be captured as well again. Watch the movie for the locations but don't expect too much from the performances.

A basically good plot is damaged by casting Stacey Keach, who to this Aussie is just totally unbelievable as a long distance truck driver, who happens to bump into yet another American in Jamie Leigh Curtis standing on the roadside in the middle of nowhere. Why is i every time she appears it is in the middle of nowhere? Not at a truck stop or roadhouse. Not even at an intersection. Who hitches a ride and then gets out in the middle of a desert? Throw in the ubiquitous dingo in the back seat and make every actual Australian in the movie seem like a half-wit and you end up with something that rather makes me cringe. Maybe non-Australian viewers can find the concept plausible but it's one movie I can happily avoid watching again.