An innocent man becomes one of the most wanted criminals the world has ever known. Though recognized for heroism as a lad, Ned Kelly can not escape the stigma of being the eldest of a brood sired by a known criminal. In days when an arrest equaled guilt and a conviction, his unfair imprisonment for horse thievery puts him steadfast, in the eyes of Victorian police, on the wrong side of things for life. With a sister unable to dissuade the unwanted advances of Constable Fitzpatrick, Ned, his brother Dan, and friends Joe Byrne and Steve Hart soon find themselves labeled "an outlaw gang" by the less-than-honorable constable. It's a designation they're apt to live up to after Ned's mother is unfairly arrested and sentenced to three years hard labor. In retaliation, the Kelly Gang strikes out against the oppressive Victorian government, with ultimately tragic results and passage into Australian folklore. I guess I was attracted to this film both because of the sound of the story and the leading actor, so I gave it a chance, from director Gregor Jordan (Buffalo Soldiers). Basically Ned Kelly (Heath Ledger) is set up by the police, especially Superintendent Francis Hare (Geoffrey Rush), he is forced to go on the run forming a gang and go against them to clear his own and his family's names. That's really all I can say about the story, as I wasn't paying the fullest attention to be honest. Also starring Orlando Bloom as Joseph Byrne, Naomi Watts as Julia Cook, Laurence Kinlan as Dan Kelly, Philip Barantini as Steve Hart, Joel Edgerton as Aaron Sherritt, Kiri Paramore as Constable Fitzpatrick, Kerry Condon as Kate Kelly, Emily Browning as Grace Kelly and Rachel Griffiths as Susan Scott. Ledger makes a pretty good performance, for what it's worth, and the film does have its eye-catching moments, particularly with a gun battle towards the end, but I can't say I enjoyed it as I didn't look at it all. Okay! Before this movie I knew nothing of Ned Kelley, famous Irish-Australian outlaw of the 1870s. I secured the DVD from my public library because of Heath Ledger who met an untimely and early death not too many weeks ago.<br/><br/>Heath Ledger is Ned Kelly, only 16 at the beginning of the story in 1871. Born in Australia of Irish immigrants, Ned was a fine boy and even won a silver and green ribbon as an honor for saving the life of another boy from drowning. But he and his family were hassled by the British 'coppers' in the province, especially one who was after his sister Kate's affections, but she had no interest in him. So Ned, the big brother, often found himself as his sister's protector.<br/><br/>This angered the British copper who, as revenge, claimed Ned shot and wounded him. It wasn't true, but failing to find Ned the police imprisoned his widowed mother. This angered Ned to no end, and vowed to take things in his own hands. This somewhat parallels what happened to get Jesse James into robbing trains.<br/><br/>Orlando Bloom is Joseph Byrne, Ned's good friend. Naomi Watts is a married woman who lives near, and she and Ned have an attraction. Irish actress Kerry Condon is Ned's sister, Kate Kelly.<br/><br/>New Kelley and his gang became legendary, and most of the Irish communities in Australia looked at them as heros of sorts. But Ned had no idea where it would end, and had to deal not only with Australian authorities but also with the Kingdom.<br/><br/>Geoffrey Rush is Superintendent Francis Hare, who is taken from a mission in S. Africa and sent to Australia to capture or kill Ned Kelley. So, much of the last 1/3 of the movie is to see if Ned can withstand the more powerful troops.<br/><br/>I don't consider this a great movie, but it is a good one and Ledger is superb as Ned Kelley. <br/><br/>SPOILERS. Ned had a plan to get to the troops. They pulled up rail and planned to kill or injure most of the troops coming by train. But a traitor went off and warned them. They stopped to repair the tracks, and arrived intact. In a fierce fight many of Ned's friends and family were killed, but Ned survived, badly wounded. He was imprisoned, tried, and hung in 1880 at the ripe young age of 25. A boggy mix of fact, fiction, and changeable wigs and beards worn by Heath Ledger in the title role, manages to shrink the grandness of the myth without clarifying our understanding of the man.
Arihjed replied
296 weeks ago