Ray Lawrence's LANTANA is an intelligent, well-written, well-acted film that is much more than just another cop thriller--it's more like YOU CAN COUNT ON ME with its realistic, complex relationships and believable characters. The film opens with a slow pan over a dead body, eerily reminiscent of BLUE VELVET. Anthony LaPaglia .. Read more
| Starring | Geoffrey Rush, Anthony La Paglia, Barbara Hershey, Rachael Blake |
|---|---|
| Director | Ray Lawrence |
| Genres | Drama, Romance |
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Ray Lawrence's LANTANA is an intelligent, well-written, well-acted film that is much more than just another cop thriller--it's more like YOU CAN COUNT ON ME with its realistic, complex relationships and believable characters. The film opens with a slow pan over a dead body, eerily reminiscent of BLUE VELVET. Anthony LaPaglia stars as Leon, a Sydney police detective who is cheating on his wife, Sonja (Kerry Armstrong), with a married woman from their dance class (Rachael Blake), even though he still loves his wife. There's something missing from his life, but he's not sure what. His relationship with his son is strained, and even his partner, Claudia (Leah Purcell), knows something is wrong. But as his affair heats up and a murder mystery that seems to involve all of the people in his life begins to consume his attentions, he is forced to reexamine his future both as a family man and a cop.
LANTANA won seven Australian Film Institute Awards, including best picture, best director for Lawrence, best actor for LaPaglia, best actress for Armstrong, best supporting awards for both Blake and Colosimo, and best adapted screenplay by Andrew Bovell, who based the script on his play SPEAKING IN TONGUES. As the murder investigation gets more complicated and the tangled web leads to even more lying, cheating, and deception, the acting intensifies, and the sharp dialogue allows the characters to blossom as beautifully as the lantana bush referred to in the title.
| Starring | Geoffrey Rush, Anthony La Paglia, Barbara Hershey, Rachael Blake, Vince Colosimo |
|---|---|
| Director | Ray Lawrence |
| Studio | WL |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 55 mins LOVEFiLM Instant: 1 hr 55 mins |
| Certificate |  DVD LOVEFiLM Instant |
| Genres | Drama, Romance |
| Language | DVD: English LOVEFiLM Instant: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | Production year: 2001 To Watch Online: LOVEFiLM Instant: 08 Apr 2009 To Rent: DVD: not available |
| Watch now | Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant. Subscribe. |
An intense exploration of prickly relationships rather than a whodunnit, this well-crafted and -acted movie provides both suspense and insight.
- 45
- 3
Film-making at its best......
A woman lies dead in the middle of woodland....the relationships of all those involved in finding out how and why she got there are examined. Everything about ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
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Different and fascinating
A slow burner to start with but gradually gets it's hooks into you. The acting is great and the characters very human and convincing. I really enjoyed it.
- 2
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Worth a watch. More than a cop chase-up thriller.
Love. Betrayal. Trust. Marriage. Neglect. Crime. Salsa.
Fantastic cast and very well acted. Beautiful soundtrack.
Altogether a fine film.<... read more »
- 1
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Sound script and believable characters
An excellent film that does not shy away from painting its characters as real people, warts and all, not the cardboard cutouts seen in so many Hollywood movies... read more »
Stewart (Gabriel Byrne) has been looking forward to his annual fishing expedition with his mates ever since he returned from the last one. Jindabyne is a no-nothing town, work in his garage is wearing, and his marriage to Claire (Laura Linney) has seen better days. But out in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales he can breathe again. The air is fresh. The modern world may as well not exist; here it's all about four men and the fish they can cook over an open flame. When Stewart finds the... Read more
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