Released: March 26th, 2004
Starring: Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts, Geoffrey Rush
Writer/Director: John Michael McDonagh/Gregor Jordan
Description: You can kill a man but not a legend.
[Review may contain spoilers. Please watch movie before reading, unless you don't care. Most of these films have already been released for a while, so they should be readily available.]
***
It is always interesting to watch a biopic based on a historical figure that I never heard of before. You begin to understand how people outside of America feel when they watch a Revolutionary War film or a Civil War feature. All movies surrounding a historical figure during the 18th and 19th century have the same issue, the man may be a hero in one country and a terrorist in another. The prime example for America is how the Founding Fathers, especially George Washington, are viewed in the States as compared to England.
"Ned Kelly" tells the story of a man born to an immigrant Irish family in Australia. His father, like many Irish in Australia at the time, was shipped to the faraway island to serve a jail sentence, and therefore his family is labeled criminals from that point forward. After Ned is arrested for stealing a horse, and serves three years, he is released and tries to live a normal life. But after a police officer, who wanted Ned's sister as a lover, fabricated events that occurred at the Kelly house, and blames Ned. Thus, setting off the vigilante motives of the Kelly Gang.
There are moments in this movie that are very sleepy. While the action is great, the love story is completely impractical and apparently, completely fabricated for the American audience. And it makes up the majority of uninteresting moments. Not to say Naomi Watts and Heath Ledger had no chemistry, as they very much did, it's was more that there really no reason for Ned to have a lover while on his mission. It felt as added on in the movie as it was in the script.
The odd part of the film, and something I never considered until after the film, was that the action was very U.S. western-esque. This shouldn't surprise anyone since the story takes place around the same time as most westerns. I wonder if the old west we grew up with as Americans was common everywhere, or that's just what all directors want to shoot when there are horses and pistols involved. Either way, the action is well shot, and the ending is quite compelling.
The film's performances are actually better than the story that was told. Heath Ledger was amazing as usual, but I guess it's still to soon for me. I still get sad each time I watch his films, only because of the wasted talent. It's unfair that he cannot make movies, yet Katherine Heigl continues to work. But the standout performance was from Orlando Bloom, who showed for the first time that he could portray an actual character, and not someone from a fantasy world.
"Ned Kelly" is a movie that would probably play better for me if I were an Aussie, just like "The Patriot" wouldn't play the same outside of America. There's nothing inherently wrong with the film, but it didn't reel me in like an emotional movie should. It felt like just another western, except the character had Australian accents.
Rating: 6/10 -- Fans of Ledger and Bloom should see this film, as it is definitely one of their better performances, respectfully. The story of the film is not any different than anything John Wayne made, but I'm sure if Ned Kelly was an American folk-hero, I'd feel differently.
"Ned Kelly" tells the story of a man born to an immigrant Irish family in Australia. His father, like many Irish in Australia at the time, was shipped to the faraway island to serve a jail sentence, and therefore his family is labeled criminals from that point forward. After Ned is arrested for stealing a horse, and serves three years, he is released and tries to live a normal life. But after a police officer, who wanted Ned's sister as a lover, fabricated events that occurred at the Kelly house, and blames Ned. Thus, setting off the vigilante motives of the Kelly Gang.
There are moments in this movie that are very sleepy. While the action is great, the love story is completely impractical and apparently, completely fabricated for the American audience. And it makes up the majority of uninteresting moments. Not to say Naomi Watts and Heath Ledger had no chemistry, as they very much did, it's was more that there really no reason for Ned to have a lover while on his mission. It felt as added on in the movie as it was in the script.
The odd part of the film, and something I never considered until after the film, was that the action was very U.S. western-esque. This shouldn't surprise anyone since the story takes place around the same time as most westerns. I wonder if the old west we grew up with as Americans was common everywhere, or that's just what all directors want to shoot when there are horses and pistols involved. Either way, the action is well shot, and the ending is quite compelling.
The film's performances are actually better than the story that was told. Heath Ledger was amazing as usual, but I guess it's still to soon for me. I still get sad each time I watch his films, only because of the wasted talent. It's unfair that he cannot make movies, yet Katherine Heigl continues to work. But the standout performance was from Orlando Bloom, who showed for the first time that he could portray an actual character, and not someone from a fantasy world.
"Ned Kelly" is a movie that would probably play better for me if I were an Aussie, just like "The Patriot" wouldn't play the same outside of America. There's nothing inherently wrong with the film, but it didn't reel me in like an emotional movie should. It felt like just another western, except the character had Australian accents.
Rating: 6/10 -- Fans of Ledger and Bloom should see this film, as it is definitely one of their better performances, respectfully. The story of the film is not any different than anything John Wayne made, but I'm sure if Ned Kelly was an American folk-hero, I'd feel differently.
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