Contemporary settings have become de rigueur for the Aussie film industry in recent times. There haven't been many films set in different times and different places, away from the stark, brutal realities of the here and now. So The Tender Hook, set in the 1920's Jazz Age of Sydney, comes as a breath of fresh air. It's a shame, then, that the film is not more compelling as it is unlikely to inspire more films of its ilk. That's not to say that the film is poor, it's just typical. A gangster's moll (Rose Byrne) who falls in love with an average Joe (Matt Le Nevez) who must, in turn, bear the wrath of the jealous mobster (Hugo Weaving) is hardly an original story; Peter Greenaway's The Thief, The Cook, His Wife and Her Lover comes immediately to mind and The Tender Hook is certainly a minnow in that pond.

An occasional CG element drifts into the film now and then, placing the actors into 1920's archival footage; but with the obvious difference in quality of 20's and 00's film stock, this is achieved with such limited success that one wonders why it was done at all. This ain't no Forest Gump!

But regardless, Byrne, Weaving and Le Nevez are likeable performers and, along with Pia Miranda, they keep the film jogging along at a pace sufficient to pique your interest. It's not bad; it's not great; it's merely a pleasant timewaster.

6.5 out of 10.