Heaven's burning

Midori (Yuki Kudoh) is a young Japanese bride, who, despising her new husband, decides to flee him on their wedding night. Faking her own kidnapping, and stranded in Sydney, Midori is then the victim of a real kidnap attempt during a violent bank robbery. Shw ends up on the road with the handsome getaway driver Colin (Russell Crowe), who saves her from execution at the hands of his cohorts, betraying them in the process. Pursued by the police, Midori’s enraged husband and Colin’s murderous gang, Colin and Midori flee towards the outback. En route the pair meet a slew of eccentric characters, attend a B and S ball and have a variety of experiences, which unites them romantically. “Heaven’s burning” is a road movie, and typically of the Australian genre, has the action contained within a deterministically peculiar outback culture. Midori’s ethnicity serves as a conduit on which to channel a range of unoriginal Aussie stereotypes, as well as highlighting racism and cultural intolerance. The film is a mix of genres - romance, crime flick, thriller - and is slavish in its desire to appear offbeat and original. Cast also includes Kenji Isomura, Ray Barrett and Robert Mammone.