Ned Kelly A Great Film

[waynesmale]

For all you out there that must wait for this great Australian tale of a true hero i can only feel sorry for you all, Ned Kelly has just been brought out at the movies here in Australia and its a great film one of the best things ive seen for a while.

Heath Ledger is great in the leading role of a man force into becoming an Outlaw and made to stand up to the law that has insprisoned his mother and friends.

Orlando Bloon Fresh from films like Lord of the Rings and Black Hawk Down this young star shows us his best acting role to date in this film playing Ned Kellys loyal friend and kelly gang member. We also get to see another side of Orlando Bloom in this acting role he is still the cool guy that he was in his other films but with a more funny role to play in this film.

All i can tell you all is see this film whenever it comes to your theature, The stroy is great ( better if you dont know the tale ) The acting it top and whole look of the film is outstanding and the end shot out with the Nelly Gang wearing their classic suits of armour is a great sceen to remember and for those who dont know what im talking about its even the better for you not knowing.

You dont need to be an Aussie to love this story this story speaks for itself.

[Moviefan1234]

When's the North American release date?

[JCLC11]

Originally posted by Moviefan1234
When's the North American release date?

To be announced, 2003 . . . :(

[Shakamaker]

I thought the direction was terrible, and not just because the film decided to portray Ned Kelly as a victim, and a hero.

It lacked cohesiveness, and there was precious little development in the relationships between Ned and the other characters. It was therefore a little hard to fathom the motives for several of Ned's actions, and those of his family and friends. The film made me assume too much, which - as an Australian - will prove easier for me to do, than North American audiences, who know less of the Ned Kelly story.

Addressing the portrayal of Kelly, I found it a cop-out that the director/writers/producers chose to take the less challenging path, which was to paint him as a hero and a victim. Whilst the facts regarding the man have been blurred by time, the reality is that Ned Kelly was most probably a very bad man. I believe in this case, moral obligation took a back seat to financial viability; a more diverse range of people would come to watch a movie about Ned Kelly the hero of the people, than Ned Kelly the villainous murderer.

Ledger, though, was excellent. In his most confident and competant performance to date, his accent rarely strayed, and his style, whilst bordering on over-the-top, was as consistent as his presence was commanding.

I sincerely hope the film is shown on many screens outside Australia, as even if I disagree with the film's standpoint, the cinematography was at times breathtaking. So blatantly was it on display, that I felt certain shots were a cross between a documentary on, and a commercial for, the unique beauty of the Australian outback.

Perhaps the pulling power and acting ability of Ledger and Bloom will put bums on seats. The strong performance of Ledger should ensure they remain, however without sufficient background knowledge, I doubt whether the North American audiences could be expected to appreciate the level of mystique generated by the man that was Ned Kelly, in Australia.

It could have gone down as an important film in Australia's history, but ended up challenging nothing about the man and his life. See it for the performance of Ledger, and the exceptional cinematography, and don't try to sort fact from fiction.

[Shakamaker]

Update: The producers/distributers are potentially pulling the plug on this being released in the USA/Canada/UK due to it's less than expected gross in Oz.

[Jon Lyrik]

Pull the plug? Aw, shit! I really wanted to see it.