Australia

• Title:  Australia
• Director:  Baz Luhrmann
• Date:  2008
• Studio:  20th Century Fox
• Genre:  Romance, Historical, Drama
• Cast:  Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Brandon Walters
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"That strange woman, she fire Mr. Fletcher....  He can't hurt Momma no more. ...  From that day on, we call her, 'Mrs. Boss'.  -- Nullah, narrating

"We can't let them win." -- Lady Ashley

"We won't." -- Drover

"Sarah, I'm as good as Black [Aboriginal Australian] to that lot up there.  Now I don't mix with dingos or duchesses.  They keep out of my way and I keep out of theirs.  That's the way it is." -- Drover

"Just because it is, doesn't mean it should be." -- Lady Sarah Ashley

"But that's the way it is."  -- Drover

Australia is a grand sweeping epic.  It has elements of an American Western, strangely enough (the first act involves a cattle drive) but the second act is where the film really shines.  Australia is beautifully filmed and the land itself  is often the star of the picture.  The cast look fantastic too, especially Hugh Jackman (at his sexy best as the rough Outback drover, Drover) and Nicole Kidman (who looks incredible, whether she's wearing traditional English clothes, or something more suited to Australia's climate).  David Wenham, as Mr. Fletcher, is playing a real s.o.b. -- and relishing it.  And newcomer, Brandon Walters, is incredible as Nullah - the half Aboriginal / half white child, who narrates much of the story.

Australia begins with a brief introduction narrated by Nullah, who's spear fishing with his Grandfather, "King George", the magician.  A man (who we'll later discover is Maitland Ashley) is killed.  Then the film transitions to England, and Lady Ashley.  A pampered young aristocrat (played by Kidman), she's annoyed her husband has yet to sell 'that ranch in Australia'.  Convinced her husband is fooling around in more ways than one, she boards a plane and heads for Australia.  Just prior to landing, she receives a telegram that she's to meet Drover (Hugh Jackman) who will take her to Faraway Downs, their ranch.

But all is not well in Darwin when she arrives.  It's a rough town, war is on the horizon, and a cattle baron named King Carney has bought up all the land in Northern Australia, except the Ashleys' Faraway Downs.  Yet the price he offers her is far below what it's worth.  Lady Ashley meets with Drover, who takes her to the ranch.  When they finally arrive, she finds her husband's been murdered.  She also discovers her husband's most trusted cattle-hand, Fletcher, has been beating the native women and children who live on the ranch, stealing cows and driving them across the river to Carney's land, and that he's also responsible for her husband's death; most of which she can't prove to the law.  To her credit, Lady Ashley fires Fletcher.  She then gets Drover to agree to drive 1500 head of cattle to Darwin to sell to the Army.  Needing at least seven people for the cattle drive, they assemble a motley crew and head off.

The drive is an adventure, and Australia itself shines in untamed glory. Fletcher uses under-hand tactics against the drive, such as spooking the cattle with fire towards a cliff.  But despite the challenges, Drover and Sarah make it to Darwin.  There, Carney has just gotten the Army representative to sign a contract, as Sarah and Drover arrive with the cattle.  However, the contract isn't valid until the cows are loaded onto a ship, and Sarah and Drover manage to get them on the ship first.  Sarah wins her contract.

Sarah invites Drover to the ball to celebrate, but he refuses, stating he isn't one of  the upper crust of  people.  Sarah nearly sells Faraway Downs, but Drover arrives at the ball, cleaned up and in a suit.  The two dance together and decide to make a go of it, taking the half-Arboriginal/half-white child, Nullah, into their unofficial  custody.

Nullah narrates much of the story, and Sarah comes to love the child, especially as she can't have children of her own.  Drover also loves the child, as his first wife was Black (or Arboriginal) but she died of untreated TB.  Drover, Nullah, and Sarah are happy for a time, enjoying the "wet" season, and Sarah even understands that Drover will be off droving during "the dry" season.  Soon however, the trio's happiness is shattered.

Fletcher kills King Carney, making it look like an accident.  Nullah wishes to go walkabout with his grandfather.  Drover, understanding the custom, wants him to go, but Sarah disagrees, thinking the child's too young.  When Nullah disappears, Drover thinks he's gone with his grandfather anyway, but Sarah thinks something is wrong.  Nullah and his grandfather are arrested by the local police at Fletcher's insistance -- Nullah to be sent to the Mission School for assimilation, and King George to be tried for the deaths of Maitland and King Carney.

Sarah goes off to Darwin to try to get Nullah back.  Drover is off working in the Outback and has no idea what's going on.  The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, then Darwin, hitting the mission island first, then the small army town itself.  Sarah's right in the middle of things.  Drover arrives too, but he's too late.  He's told Sarah died in the communications tent.  Drover is completely bereft.  However, a young priest finds him and asks for help getting to the mission island to recover any children they can.  Drover, not knowing that Nullah was sent to the island, and having nothing to lose, agrees to help the priest, as does Drover's close friend and brother-in-law Muggery.

They get to the island and rescue Nullah and some of the other children.  Muggery is killed by Japanese soldier as they make their escape in a boat.  Meanwhile, Sarah is helping with the evacuation of Darwin, unaware that she's been reported dead or even that Drover is in town.

Drover's ship sails through the fog and smoke back to Darwin.  The children land.  Sarah hears the children's singing, refuses to get on the convoy truck and runs to find the ship pulling in.  She's reunited with Nullah and Drover.

As a last act of mischief  Fletcher fires a rifle at Nullah.  He hits the child, but Nullah's grandfather kills him with a thrown spear.  Nullah recovers and he, Sarah, and Drover return to Faraway Downs.  Later, Sarah allows him to go walkabout with his grandfather.

This is an excellent movie.  It's beautifully filmed, both the wild scenery and the people.  The story is a bit typical romantic plot, but the child Nullah, lifts the story out of  romantic drama cliche'.  The cast is excellent. I highly recommend seeing it!

Recommendation:  See it!

Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars

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