Review of Lantana (2001) by Hannibal O — 07 Jul 2008

After getting over the shock that Anthony LaPaglia is Australian and he still has an Australian accent, I found this to be a solid thriller/drama. The director doesn't rely on twists or cheap thrills.

He simply delivers a tight story with well-written, three-dimensional characters whose lives intertwine in captivating ways. LaPaglia plays a cop on the edge whose life is a mess. Barbara Hershey plays a shrink and Geoffrey Rush plays her husband, a law school dean who ends up being the prime suspect in the story's case.

Everyone delivers good performances and you appreciate the skillful writing of the script as you watch it. The film was a sort of comeback for LaPaglia, who until this film's release was relegated to playing American mafia or cop secondary characters.

The Australian film scene has been putting out some great films over the past 10 years so it was no surprise this was as good as it was.