Heaven's Burning (1997) User Reviews

Another good Australian effort.

[andy-1036 · 6/10 · 16 February 2005]

I first saw this movie in a late night slot on a satellite movie channel. The movie has a more than interesting cast of quirky and disturbing characters that appear throughout is length, in some respects quite similar to a Coen brothers film. The two central characters meet in the most unusual of circumstances and have more than one reason to hide themselves from their respective pursuers. The film portrays a different side to Australia, especially with the mixture of cultures presented. There are enough action scenes within film to keep the pace up and is accompanied with a good soundtrack. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend it.

Bonnie & Clyde - Aussie style

[lizswinden · 7/10 · 8 September 2001]

Admittedly I'm a dedicated Crowe fan and have almost all his old movies but when I first got Heaven's Burning I found it a bit odd and would have said - well all great actors have to put in time on mediocre movies before they get to the top stuff. However after watching it again today for about the sixth or seventh time, I have to say that it really is very watchable. Even those awful sideburns. But thanks for not inflicting them on us again Russell. Yes its a road movie crossed with Bonnie & Clyde,Aussie version, but the tender little love story, the fast pace, the violent bits and the collection of grotesque characters met on the way make for an interesting ride.

Stick it out till the end

[awagner · 7/10 · 15 November 1999]

Well, I watched this again after seeing Russell Crowe in The Insider.

THE reason to watch this movie, in my mind, is the last five minutes. If you've read the title, I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say that it's the sort of poetically cataclysmic ending you'd expect from the best of film noir...bringing to mind a vague connection with Kiss Me Deadly...and the only way to end any good road movie. That said, the rest of the movie is pure B...true to the noir roots...and whether or not the mistranslations and boom mike shadows were intentional is somewhat irrelevant. You may laugh, you may not, but at worst it's a quirky, passably interesting vehicle to the "good" part.

As for Crowe, well, fans may enjoy, but no one's really given enough time or lines to shine in this movie. Or establish believable relationships for that matter. They're grim characters on a silent march to their doom, leaving a path of carnage and (I must insist quite relevant) dead bystanders in their wake.

A film less ordinary

[Razors80 · 15 April 2002]

It takes a while to figure out where this movie's headed, but you'll probably be hooked by the time it gets there. Mix "A Life Less Ordinary" with "Reservoir Dogs" and throw in a dash of "Mad Max" and you'll come pretty close. It starts out looking like a drama, quickly turns into a crime thriller and frequently delivers elements of black comedy - with a nice little love story running through the middle of it all. The funny walk-ons (especially Colin Hay and his accordian) make the movie, and once you realise that you shouldn't take it seriously it's highly enjoyable. Wierd but worth watching.

Ill-fated lovers in tidy little noir film

[david-546 · 6/10 · 11 November 2000]

I picked this up at the local video store recently as I am always looking for something that might not have been first run but still might turn out to be interesting. I wasn't disappointed with this noirish little flick that featured a rather sweet love story between Russell Crowe (Colin) and Youki Koudoh (Midori)as the lovers on the lam from just about everyone - the cops, the Afghan gangsters and Youki's husband Kenji Isomorua (Yokio).

The film is essentially a road movie as the two ill-fated lovers come together after Midori leaves her husband and Colin becomes a driver for the Afghan gangsters in a robbery that goes awry resulting in Midori been taken as a hostage. What follows is chase across the Australian Outback as the naive Midori falls for the quiet Colin and they try to elude their chasers to reach their paradise on the beach.

There is some lapses of logic as the chasers find the ill-fated lovers as well as some jarring violence but this tidy little Australian film is a worthy addition to the noir genre. Worth seeing.

Greek tragedy with an average rating that belies its value

[cyguration · 7/10 · 11 August 2021]

I never would have picked this film to watch at random because I was somewhat burned by a previous Russell Crowe flick, No Way Back. However, I'm glad I finally took the time to watch this film because despite its average IMDB rating, this film is FAR superior in every way to the nonsensical low-budget action flick, No Way Back.

In fact, I'm not even really sure WHY Heaven's Burning is rated as low as it is, but it certainly belies the film's value as an art piece. You can tell it was lovingly crafted by the film crew thanks to a lot of on-set locations, superb cinematography, and actual character progression for both major and minor characters.

Yeah, you can basically see the outcome coming a mile away, but it's about the journey and how you get there that matters.

In this case, the journey is one part road flick, one part action film, and one part revenge tale. I like the unexpected twists the film takes as well, it's not all by the books, and I think this is what makes it standout among some of its other romantic-thriller peers.

For instance, there's a brooding cruelty that bubbles beneath the surface of Heaven's Burning. Lots of unexpected deaths and turnabouts usually not found in these kind of films, but it certainly adds to the overarching theme about costs and consequences.

Some characters are willing to pay the price, while others... not so much. Even still, I don't regret having watched this. Comparisons to Romeo & Juliet are apt, as are Bonnie & Clyde.

I would say there's a little more irony and existentialism that scours the tale of Heaven's Burning as opposed to the other two aforementioned titles, but it's well worth watching if you're in the mood for a film that really does a fantastic job of capturing some of the more lesser-seen vistas of Australia's exotic locations, while also doing a fine job of keeping the excitement and thrills coming throughout this budding action-oriented romance film.

Slick albeit low budget

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 29 August 2019]

HEAVEN'S BURNING is a slick albeit low budget Australian thriller about a heist gone wrong and two oddball characters who find themselves pursued cross-country by various villains, from psycho exes to Afghani torturers. It's a film made by Russell Crowe on the cusp of his Hollywood stardom; I think his next film turned out to be L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, and we all know where he went from there. He gives a solid, edgy performance as the hardman lead, and his relationship with the Japanese girl is well judged. The rest is a mix of genres and a Tarantino-esque vibe, but it's all a little too familiar and a little underwhelming to be that effective.

Yes, you're supposed to laugh.

[awagner · 7/10 · 26 June 1999]

You need to go into this movie with an idea of its intentions and I think you'll have a good time. It's not intended to be serious action, romance, or whatever. I started laughing when the hair clippers came out and didn't stop smiling till the end. I read an interview with the director where he says they went through the screenplay and took out all the references that would normally clue you in to whether a scene is to be action, romance, etc., and thus the audience laughs and immediately feels they shouldn't have. I think more accurately, some of them can't figure out whether they're laughing with the director or AT the director. Have faith that you're laughing with him. And personally, I think the straightness with which the scenes are played doesn't destroy the satire, but makes it all the more biting and self-referential. I didn't notice the booms, but I did see a ramp that helps make a motorcycle accident a little more dramatic, and I think it was all intentional. It's just too perfectly bad. The movie is almost as self-destructive as the main characters. So go into it expecting some sort of post-modern experiment, laugh at the absurdness of it all, and you can't help but enjoy this...whatever it is.

Somewhat forgotten

[BandSAboutMovies · 3/10 · 23 February 2020]

Heaven's Burning was Russell Crowe's last Australian film until 2014's The Water Diviner. He plays a getaway driver who goes on a deadly road trip with a runaway Japanese bride (Youki Kudoh, Rush Hour 3) pursued by both hired killers, her jilted husband and the police.

Robert Mammone, who played Blanka in Street Fighter and opposed "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in The Condemned, is in this. So is Colin Hay, who was the lead singer of Men at Work, whose 1980's songs were a major Australian export and convinced many an American kid - like me - to try vegemite.

A 1990's road movie with a downer ending that I've never heard about? Ah, movies are filled with so much magic. Throw in a Japanese star and someone who went on to much bigger things and you have a genuine item of interest.

A great road movie..

[Illusia · 7/10 · 21 August 2001]

Something people need to understand is that this is a genre-specific movie. Having said that, let me tell you what I thought.

Being a huge Russell Crowe fan, I own just about everything he's been in. Some I love, some I like, and some just sit on the shelf and collect dust. I'm not one of those people that love him no matter what he does. Some of the things he's been in need help. Maybe it's him, maybe it's not. The rest of the cast can suck in any movie and no matter how great the star is, the movie simply lacks...

Heaven's Burning caught my attention right around the time I saw 'The Crossing' on cable. I liked that one, but I didn't get to see the whole thing, so I'm holding my thoughts on that til I see the whole thing. I started poking around to see what else he had been in and I realized that I had seen most of them, and often asked "Who was that guy?" So, I went down to my local major chain video store, and looked for Heaven's Burning. Not available on video or dvd, I had them special order it for me along with L.A. Confidential.

When it came in, I had plenty of time to watch it, so I didn't get around to it right away. I had just been in a car accident, and had lots of time on my hands. I couldn't sleep one night, so I figured that I would have a "Crowe fest". I watched Mystery, Alaska , L.A. Confidential and my newest addition. I really liked the movie overall.

It wasn't quite like anything I had seen him in before. It really is a great movie. Not one of AFI's top 100 of all time, but great in a fun quality. I don't want to give away too much, so I won't delve into it too deeply. It does start out sort of slow, but once you get into the whole bank robbery plot it gets going. If you like Rusty, or if you like road movies, you will enjoy this one. If you don't, let me know. =)

It's Australian, so it's different

[Beggar · 5/10 · 11 August 1998]

Aw man, Russell Crowe should stop going to the beach. Seems whatever film he's in and heading to the coast, something bad happens. I don't know if this was meant to be an action picture (if that's the case, it doesn't quite get there), but strangely enough sandwiched in between the violence there's a sweet love story happening.

Another great little Aussie film

[justin1-1 · 8/10 · 13 May 2005]

I love movies that take me totally by surprise. Turned on the TV, saw a Russel Crowe movie I'd never heard of was starting in a minute and decided I'd give it a whirl. For the next 100 minutes, I don't remember breathing. What could be described as a formulaic detective, on the lam movie was packed with the little things that make movies worth watching.

It has a stellar leading cast who evolve in totally unpredictable ways over a very short period. Throw in your typical colorful Aussie characters, tribal Afghan crazies, and Japanese you'd never see act that way in Japan and let the bullets fly.

Maybe I also really enjoyed it because in a cast of misfits and crazies, the one who turned out to be the craziest (who starts off the sanest) is driving around the countryside on my motorcycle, a beautiful black Triumph Thunderbird (although it could have been a bonnie, but I don't think so).

But I really enjoyed the subtle things that separate good movies from bad. There are thematic (and landscape) shifts, accurate and slightly ugly social commentary, a little philosophizing, Afghan woman with hijaab as computer hacker, and tasty Aussie back-country scenes (the corner country bar, B&S dance), and some father/son dynamics to go with typical on the lam love developing.

So see this movie, I bet you'll find things you like about it too.

sort of interesting, shocking, confusing, and sad

[Yonhap S · 6/10 · 20 September 1999]

I just saw this on HBO last night. After Collins (Russell Crowe) rescued Midori (Youki Kudoh) from a couple of Afghan robbers, I have this feeling of impending doom for one or both characters. Well, that's what happened alright and in the process it killed 3 families. There are some scenes I don't get and I felt they were inserted even if inconsequential like one innocent bystander in a robbery is killed and we see her head blown off; a dog is killed accidentally by a couple of detectives; and Collin's dad talking about karma which then led to him talking about Japan's superpower status. Yet, none of those had any real bearing to the plot. The relationship between Collins and Midori is the heart of the story. Also part of the story is Midori's attempts to leave a part of her life. Symbolically we see this when she goes in ways we usually don't think of Japanese like dying her hair blond and wearing very short pants.

Similarly, Yukio, Midori's jilted husband, also sheds his identity. Anyway, this movie left me even more convinced that Russell Crowe would make a good X-man Wolverine. Just look at his sideburns.

The verdict: 3 of 5 stars.

Irredeemably terrible

[paoneill-1 · 1/10 · 19 January 2012]

This is the worst movie I have ever seen. The story is ludicrous, the violence pointless and gratuitous. Worst of all, everyone involved, from the cast to the crew and probably the caterers, seems to have realised this and can't be bothered making the slightest attempt to redeem it.

The acting is lazy, the photography is woeful, the direction is seemingly non-existent, probably telephoned from poolside at the Manly Pacific.

Your time will be better spent watching 'Daddy-O'(1958), a zero-budget beater that at least features some enthusiasm.

First of all, I'd like to say that this is a very unique, but also

[Katsuhito · 4 January 2004]

First of all, I'd like to say that this is a very unique, but also important film that is making a social commentary on the oppression that (specifically, but not exclusively,)many Japanese women suffer at the hands of their domineering and quite often abusive husbands. Because of their ancient cultural structure and social and familial pressures, these women are forced into marriages that are probably not always fulfilling, and this incredible Australian? director has tackled the telling of this poor woman's predicament, which alot of Asian women may be able to relate to, without being able to speak up about it for themselves. At the same time, this director, by bringing Russell Crowe, and a plot that revolves around a bank robbery gone awry, with plenty of action and gore, is probably going to attract viewers who otherwise wouldn't really care about the problems Japanese women face. He is therefore challenging those people to take a look at this human rights issue, and bringing it to light, which is good for everybody. The inter-racial romance is an added entertaining element, but if that's all that viewers see, then they're missing the point. Let's face it,inter-racial relationships between Japanese women and foreign men have been going on since the early days of exploration by Europeans. The director of this film, along with everybody involved must be commended for taking a gamble on a topic that obviously can be touchy, and at the same time misunderstood by the typical, shallow public. To top it off, he also manages to make an homage to the classical composer Richard Wagner, first with the guy in a wheelchair, played by the ex-Men at Work singer (forgot-his-name),who should get an Oscar for his Heroic performance, and then again with the music from Tristan and Isolde at the very end! A really Cool Flic!

Aussie Action

[haildevilman · 7/10 · 5 May 2007]

An early effort with Russel Crowe. That's before he became a scowling thug.

Still his acting is good here.

This was a multi-racial effort. As the robbery gang seemed like Arab types, and with the Japanese connection (along with stretches IN Japanese) it seemed as if the producers were aiming for the international market. Well done if so.

The Japanese husband becoming a one man Yakuza seemed a bit laughable though. And the Arab men attempting to be friendly so they could bump Crowe off was just not believable.

The action scenes make it. And a lot of atmosphere here too.

And Colin Hay (remember Men At Work?) playing an annoying idiot in a wheelchair, constantly playing "Ride Of The Valkeries" on an accordion was a nice comedic touch.

Worth seeing for the operatic ending.

[gandf-15728 · 6/10 · 22 July 2021]

Just rewatched this film, having seen it once before at the time it was released. For my tastes, it's an odd film. There was a particular scene I wanted to see again, for the dialogue, that was as disturbing the second time around, as it was the first. I think it's best to go into this film knowing little about it. Enjoy wondering what the film makers intentions were. I do.

generally lacklustre, but a couple of redeeming performances

[emma-64 · 4/10 · 1 April 2002]

A rather below par road movie, enlivened by Russell Crowe in the lead, and by various other noteworthy characters, such as his father, and a mad ex-KGB torturer! admittedly, Russell plays a rather predictable role, but my wife claims that his god-like physique more than makes up for this! since this is an Australian film, don't expect any great shakes in the cinematography department.

Youki Kudoh is great, but the plot is BAD

[jaakkochan · 7/10 · 7 December 2002]

The beginning of the movie promises more than the actual result. The scenes in the hotel gave me so strong impression, Youki-san did magnificent job with her mysterious looks (especially the part where she looked into the security camera). Kenji Isomura is also good in the beginning, yet his character seems simply p***ed off througout the film, leaving nothing to think of. The music is nice throughout the film.

However, when the plot starts get going, it goes wrong. The bank robbery scene is still somehow interesting, but when Mr. Crowe shoots his fellow robbers under the electric line, the plot starts to repeat itself, forgetting to be convincing. The movie is incredibly violent, and it left me wondering the purpose of the violence in the movie. The Afgan robber boss seems like creation of overactive imagination of the writer, lacking totally creditability.

And the end, it feels like bizarre mix of Takeshi Kitano's Hana-Bi and Bonnie and Clyde. The movie lacks greatly originality. And it seems even silly to me how the movie seem to cast negative ideal against Japan. Japanese culture is seen as a boring country full of workaholics and only worth for escaping. As one character said "Japan has a bad carma because of what it done during WWII".

Come on!

Without Youki Kudoh's great and sensitive acting, I wouldn't bother to review this film. However few nice parts including the beginning are nice. The music is

great too. I stuffed this film to the category of sevens, and I think it's one that this film deserves. Instead of this, I suggest you to watch Thelma and Louise or Takeshi Kitano movie.

Awful Movie

[cwakefie · 1/10 · 15 February 2007]

This movie has to rate as one of the worst ever, especially for Crowe. The plot was ridiculous, the acting wooden at best (yes even Crowe who I rate as one of the best actors around couldn't turn this sorry movie into anything).

It reminded me of one of those seventies UK shows, like the Sweeney, but set in Australia with a Japanese angle and lots of pointless, and mostly bloody, killings. In fact I actually thought it was made in the seventies back when Crowe didn't know any better so I was amazed to find it was made in 97! The film just doesn't work on so many levels it's difficult to pin down any one reason why this is an excruciatingly painful film to sit through. That said it did provide quite a few laughs as the characters came out with outrageous lines that had no context whatsoever in the film. But none of the characters was drawn deep enough for you to actually give a damn about what happened to them.

And I thought the Wild Women of Borneo was the worst film ever made!

Unexplainable Japanese Tragedy ?

[floridamangosteen · 3/10 · 19 November 2020]

This one is actually quite good for about the first hour. But in the end, not only are the bad guys all killed off, the good ones go as well - after getting almost fatally shot, they are in an auto crash which starts the car on fire, so rather than burn to death, Midori shoots Colin and then presumably herself (like a Japanese hari-kiri drama ?!). This one had a bucket load of unexplainables : 1) Colin rescues Midori from being murdered after her abduction but has to kill the brother that was going to execute her. He could have also killed the other brother standing next to them but chose to let him go. Stupid, yes ? Of course he had to realize the surviving brother would tell the father and they would come after Colin. 2) The sister of this criminal family knows how to hack computers, so she says that when Colin and Midori check into a hotel, they will use their real names and can be traced that way. So a bit later, sure enough, the father and surviving brother track down Colin at a little motel in the middle of the desert !! PLEEEASE -give me a break ! 3) The jilted husband of Midori goes "hells angels crazy" chasing her down. He has no way of even knowing who Colin is, but also is able to find him in the middle of the desert ! 4) When the husband goes into the local bar (which is in the middle of the nowhere), he gets info on a paraplegic who rides around on a motorized wheelchair who got a lift from the two heroes who are on the lam. When he finds the poor guy, he kills him -why ? 5) The jilted husband then manages to find where Colin's father lives (how would he know where to find the father or even who Colin's father was if he didn't even know who Colin was ?), and then proceeds to kill the father. Maybe if all the characters had been given crystal balls by a sorcerer at the beginning of the film it would have made some sense !

Wild movie--Try it you'll like it

[Crowelaw51 · 8/10 · 25 May 2005]

This is a wild fun Austrailian movie that is well worth the ride The action dominates the movie with a collection of odd broken characters that you so often find in Australian movies. The story sometimes borrows themes from other 'road movies' which are fairly familiar, but the unique characters in the movie make this road movie unique in its own very strange way. Russell Crowe a la sideburns is still very cool, yet he does not dominate each scene as he has done in every movie he has made in the past 5 years. His somewhat understated presence allows his co-star Yidori (?) shine - a wonderful Japanese actress whose ingénue childlike looks contrast sharply with her bizarre change or metamorphosis from the gentle opening scenes. The classical musical romantic score is placed in a wild funny contrast to the plot,sometimes in a very campy way--yet it still works. This is not a great movie or a classic--but it has the zany features of movies like "TRUE ROMANCE', (a cult classic) I would highly recommend this movie for what it it is -- a wild action packed funny bizarre ride with a good run of crazy people--- This movie may be a 10 if you view it the Austrailian way --with a keg of good beer--wish I 'd seen this movie on the big screen but I don't recall this movie in the theater years ago-Enjoy--there are even a few good lines that will make you want to go back to it someday so a DVD purchase would not be wasted....

Ill-Starred lovers on the run

[Amnes · 7/10 · 6 March 2005]

Interesting movie that suffers from a poor script, basically, although almost everything else is good or very good. The music and cinematography are excellent, location choices are great, the small/incidental roles are fantastic, almost everyone they encounter is great and very well written, cast and played (great cameo from Colin Hay). However the same can't be said for the two leads and their roles.

Has a dry wit and could have almost been a great movie, unfortunately the script, (duh Shakespearean revenge) is stoopid and the lead roles are not quite what they should be. I think it's a Louis Nowra (oz playwright) script, which explains a lot.

Worth seeing anyway, and I'd definitely like to see more of the cinematographer's work.

Movie not successful

[villi_romeo · 1/10 · 21 December 2007]

I watched this movie , and i found it horrible. The only thing that made me continue watching the movie , was the acting of Russel Crowe The actress has a very good potential , but , the way the movie is written ruined it completely The bad guy is a terrible actor. This could be a great movie , if better made , but it was horrible in my opinion. This movie , is one of the worst I've ever seen. I don't recommend it to anyone.IF you are going to watch this movie to see if you have some "good movie time" , you better think twice , only if you're just having a good afternoon with your friends , if you are thinking of watching it alone i don't recommend , you will have no fun at all watching this movie (only if you pretend to make fun of it)

Russell loves the character,I'm Sure!

[sheepdoginoz · 24 November 2003]

I watched this film on free to air TV last night after watching Proof of Life(Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan, 2000).I had never heard of the movie before and spent half of it trying to guess when it was made!

1997 was the year and Russell appears to really enjoy playing with this dark story with some relish.Whilst I am sure he played the character to the best of his ability at the time,I reckon it was with a sly grin that he read the script and realised that this script would not come around again,so now's the time...

No one should take it too serious...It is the sort of movie I would write...lol

Cheers