Holy Smoke!

No, a church isn't burning in "Holy Smoke!" But Harvey Keitel is. He's the cool, macho "exiter" trying to deprogram womanly, unwilling cult member Kate Winslet. <br><br>After the dry, cerebral

Monday, February 14th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

No, a church isn't burning in "Holy Smoke!" But Harvey Keitel is. He's the cool, macho "exiter" trying to deprogram womanly, unwilling cult member Kate Winslet.

After the dry, cerebral "Portrait of a Lady," Sydney-based director Jane Campion comes out swinging. She's back almost in "Sweetie" (her first feature) mode with a driving life force at the center.

Like the heroine in Ms. Campion's award-winning "The Piano," Ruth Barron (Ms. Winslet) gathers the reins of her life. But unlike Holly Hunter's mute character, Ruth can talk, rant and scream.

Sensing there's more to life than her conventional existence, Ruth finds radiant peace with an Indian guru. Alarmed, her family hires slick American cult exit specialist P.J. Waters (Mr. Keitel) with 189 deprogrammed pelts on his belt.

The New Yorker arrives in full Western regalia - pressed jeans, body shirt, boots, jet-black dyed hair and scraggy mustache.

But in Ruth's case, P.J. violates his Rule One: Never work alone. Assistant Carol (majestic Pam Grier) has a death in the family. And so P.J. and Ruth begin their marathon psychosexual duel in a lonely Australian desert hut.

Over three days, he plans to get her attention (with his knowledge of Hindu/Buddhist religion), provoke her (by hanging her sari out of reach on a tree) and break her down with his will. He interrupts their high-minded spiritual discussion for some unfeeling sex with the sister-in-law ("Muriel's Wedding's" Sophie Lee) who brings Ruth Western clothes.

With a feminist director like Ms. Campion working from her own and sister Anna's script, we can guess what happens next.

But it's more complicated than P.J.'s mere obsession with fearless Ruth's naked charms. How the two alter each other, exchange power and surrender is the gist of this humanist tale of the sexes.

Like Angelo Badalamenti's rapturous, pop-Indian score ? everything from Neil Diamond's "Holly Holy" to Shiva Vyas' "Indian Ashram Music" ? Ms. Winslet is vibrantly alive and kicking, Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman" in the flesh. She nearly eats veteran Keitel's tough 1970s macho man turned 1990s tender man for lunch.

Ms. Campion skews the plot with Ruth's cartoonish family of stupidos. She did it, she says, to try to add humor, but, instead, makes it oddly uneven. Unlike the eccentric loons of the Australian comedy "The Castle," the Barrons are decidedly unfunny.

Also, some filmmakers have trouble hitting a period, and Ms. Campion can't resist a coda. "Holy Smoke!" has such strong turns, great score and beautiful cinematography by Dion Beebe, it sure doesn't need a P.S.