Ned Kelly (2003)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Best movie ever!

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

I LOVED this and i thought Heath ledger was brilliant ! Stop saying you lot hate this it really hurts my feelings because your saying mean stuff about a deceased, talented, beautiful man(Heath Ledger)so just leave the poor man out of this.i have nothing else to say so I'm basically just going to type random words - hello, love, true, pink, heath, ledger, Ned,Kelly, Irish, English, police, coppers, ghost adventures, Zak Bagans, beautiful, bored, tired,yawn,interested, angry,sad, depressed, lonely, crying, broken heart, singing songs, Bagans, beautiful, bored, tired, yawn, interested, angry, sad, depressed, lonely, crying, broken heart, singing songs.Sorry about all this.

Ned Kelly is directed by Gregor Jordan and written by John Michael McDonagh (based on "Our Sunshine" written by Robert Drewe). It stars Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts, Geoffrey Rush and Joel Edgerton. Music is by Klaus Badelt and cinematography by Oliver Stapleton.The Australian Robin Hood? Well not quite, but Ned Kelly's name and exploits live on for ever more. As is often the case with film's of this type, such as Braveheart, it's best to approach them as interpretations of real events and people, than actual historical facts. The core basis of Ned Kelly the man is here, and the picture built around him is handsomely mounted. Also ripe with strong character portrayals by the key actors (fluctuating accents and dodgy beards aside) and shot through with enough lyrical smarts by Jordan, it's a film big on atmosphere and authentic feel.However, obviously hamstrung by budget and running time etc, much of the story feels incomplete. There's also the problem of under using Geoffrey Rush, who although playing a key character in the Kelly legend, is only on the periphery of things. Still, the evident problems can't stop it from being an engaging piece of entertainment. It's consistently beautiful to look at, Badelt's mournful musical score is an absolute cracker and the action is well staged by the passionate Jordan.We are still waiting for the definitive Ned Kelly Gang movie, because although this is made with care of the source stories, it only scratches the surface of this most interesting period of Australian history. 7/10

Having known nothing of the real story behind the famous Australian outlaw, I sat down to watch NED KELLY, ready to be informed and entertained. Well, I was informed, but entertained? Not particularly.The problem with NED KELLY is that the story is slim, the characters frankly unappealing, and there isn't really anyone to root for. Heath Ledger's almost amateurish performance in the leading role makes it hard for the reader to warm to his character, and Orlando Bloom isn't much better. Naomi Watts, as a token love interest, is even worse.There are flashes of drama and some decent moments, not least that climax, but too much of the production is given over to ponderous soap opera instead of hard-hitting drama. In some places, NED KELLY has a TV movie-style atmosphere, playing it safe by staying superficial instead of getting to the nitty gritty of the characters and the situation.

I thought that this film was very well made, Heath Leger was very convincing and his Irish accent was flawless. Orlando Bloom and Naomi Watts were also really good and believable. How true it is to what really happened I have no idea, but it did portray why people sometimes become what they do. Maybe those in authority have always been corrupt and I did find it interesting that over 30,000 signed a petition for Ned Kelly NOT to be hanged, so maybe there was more truth in this film than at first thought? In many ways it reminded me of Cold Mountain which was another good historical film. All in all I would highly recommend this film and I am somewhat baffled why it didn't do better in the cinemas.