Ned Kelly (2003) Movie Information:

Ned Kelly (2003) Directed by: Gregor Jordan Ned Kelly (2003) Written by: John M. McDonagh Ned Kelly (2003) Cast: Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Naomi Watts, Rachel Griffiths, Laurence Kinlan, Joel Edgerton, Kiri Paramore, Russell Dykstra, Peter Phelps

Ned Kelly (2003) U.S. Distributor: Focus Features Ned Kelly (2003) U.K. Distributor: UIP

Our Rating: User Rating:  Log in to rate this movie

Ned Kelly (2003) Synopsis:

In the latter part of the 19th century, Australia is still largely untamed. The former penal colony's first-generation Irish immigrant population lives in poverty. Having already experienced police brutality and the death of his father, bushranger Ned Kelly is wrongfully imprisoned on the trumped-up charge of stealing a horse. Emerging a few years later, in 1874, Ned is hardened but vows to stay straight. Rejoining his widowed mother and younger siblings, he makes money for his family as a champion bare-knuckle boxer. He also toils as a farmhand on the estate of an English landowner--with whose beautiful wife Ned shares a mutual attraction. But the British colonial system and its Victorian English enforcers remain prejudiced against Australia's working people, and the struggling Kelly family is no exception. When, in 1878, a bullying police officer is rebuffed by Ned's younger sister Kate and targets the family for harassment, Ned and his mother are unjustly charged with attempted murder. Ned is determined to avenge his family's name and strike back against his people's oppressors. While hiding in the bush, he forms a loyal Gang that includes his best friend Joe Byrne. When a chance encounter with the police culminates in three officers killed, the Kelly Gang is forced to go on the run. They blaze a trail through the Outback, robbing banks to fund themselves and giving police the runaround. The Kelly Gang's reputation as invincible outlaws grows, as does nationwide support from their immigrant countrymen. To the masses, Ned is a hero. To lawmen, he is the most wanted man in Australia. When the authorities bring in the formidable Superintendent Francis Hare to capture and/or kill the outlaws, Ned strategizes a risky showdown at the Glenrowan Inn. It is this event which will seal his fate--and his legend.

Ned Kelly (2003) Movie Review:

This film is based on "Our Sunshine" by Robert Drew, a novel based on the life of Australian bushranger and icon, Ned Kelly. It tells of his life as a bushranger in north-west Victoria, where he lived all his life. He, his brother Dan, and two other men, Steve Hart and Joe Byrne, formed a gang. These four robbed a bank and hijacked an entire town for 3 days. They killed three policemen who were hunting them. They then took over a pub in Glenrowan, where they basically held a party, waiting for a train full of police to derail at a part of the track that they tore up. However a school teacher warned the train, so the gang and all the others in the pub ended up in a shootout with scores of policemen.

Do true stories make great movies? In the case of Ned Kelly the answer is a resounding yes. Ned Kelly stars Heath Ledger as the legendary Australian criminal Ned Kelly.

The movie opens, with what seems to be a running symbolism of water, with Ned Kelly saving a young boy from drowning. This firmly sets out the stall of the movie to try and show us that Ned Kelly was not just a criminal. This the movie achieves in spades, showing a human and doomed, almost from the outset, character. Kelly’s story is a sad one, and is to be commended at the way they have depicted this in the movie, such as the scene at the start where he is beaten by the Police for allegedly stealing a horse, and attacking the policeman who badly overreacted at the situation by trying to shoot him.

Ned Kelly is the son of an Irish immigrant, and the movie sharply shows how badly the Irish were treated, being symbolic today with the continual immigration throughout the world and the treatment that is dealt to today’s.

This is Gregor Jordan’s follow up movie to Buffalo Soldiers, but due to the problems that movie had with its political tone, this will probably be seen by many audiences first. That’s not to say this movie isn’t political, with it’s damning indictment of a corrupt police system. Jordan handles well the doomed nature of Kelly and his gang, and how at every turn the establishment was out to stop him.

The template that the movie follows is very much Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with the standoff at the end of the movie. Considering this is a true story it’s not a criticism as thestand off at the end of the movie is a really powerful and emotionally involving scene. You are truly disgusted at the brutality of the police, indiscriminately shooting innocent civilians. This movie follows in the tradition of the best westerns, being quite Peckinpah in it’s depiction of the action.

Heath Ledger gives his strongest performance to date, he is more of a movie star than a great actor with his presence and charisma, he imbues Kelly with a great sense of strength, warmth and humanity. His voiceover is to be commended as well. I’m not a fan of voiceovers as they are generally clumsy, conveying plot that doesn’t need to be explained, but here it is used to great effect to convey tone and feeling.

The cinematography is wonderful as well. We’ve all seen Australia on TV, not like this we haven’t. Radiant, bleached views of scrubland, wildlife and bizarre looking trees all help to show us somewhat bleak looking, poisoned land.

Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush provide supporting roles. Bloom making more of his as Kelly’s gangmate, he certainly mastered the Irish accent. Rush’s role however is painfully thin, and I would have preferred to have had this developed more. Naomi Watt’s character provides Kelly’s fictional love interest, and this is probably the least essential part of the movie, feeling like it was inserted at Hollywood’s bequest. She does master her English accent well, which rather is bizarre considering she is Australian!

The other members of the Kelly Gang are mere cyphers as far as their characters go, but their final scene in the movie is painfully sad. Rachel Cook has a light, silly, frivolous cameo in the movie that serves as the movie’s only light relief, with the rest of the movie delivered in a serious manner.

There were two movies this movie reminded me of, Gladiator and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and it can certainly stand its own against these.

Our Rating: User Rating:  Log in to rate this movie

Ned Kelly (2003) review written by: Gary Gray