Ned Kelly

2003 Drama

Gregor Jordan's version of the Australian legend Ned Kelly stars Heath Ledger as the title outlaw. Sixteen-year-old Irish immigrant Ned is sentenced to three years in prison for stealing a horse. After his release he finds work tending to horses owned by Richard Cook (Nicholas Bell), whose wife (Naomi Watts) grows interested in Ned. Fitzpatrick (Kiri Paramore) is a police officer with a yen for Ned's sister, Kate (Kerry Condon). When she rejects him, Fitzpatrick steals the family's animals. The brothers are falsely accused of a crime and go into hiding, leading to the assault and arrest of their beloved mother. Francis Hare (Geoffrey Rush) is eventually brought on to stop the gang, which becomes famous after a string of bank robberies. The film also features Orlando Bloom (of Lord of the Rings fame) and Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under). The most recent version of this oft-filmed tale featured Mick Jagger as the infamous Kelly in 1970. more..

Director: Gregor Jordan

Starring: Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Naomi Watts

 26 Reviews  4 Awards

Reviews

  • Expertly combining the personal and the epic, Jordan has crafted an excellent historical saga that doesn't collapse under the weight of too much history.

    - The Hollywood Reporter

    26 April 2013

  • 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.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • The wholly invented character of unattainable love interest Julia Cook (the real Kelly once referred to an enigmatic "Julia" in a letter) is the film's weakest link and smacks of a desperate attempt to shoehorn a pretty woman into a story about grubby men with tangled beards.

    Maitland McDonagh - TV Guide

    26 April 2013

  • There's something in Ned Kelly' that's lost in the translation from Australia to America, and the overly emotional film score is just a symptom.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    26 April 2013

  • The movie, which has a rusty photographic veneer, is monotonous and drags toward the end.

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Costume Design

    Australian Film Institute (2003)

  • Best Actor - Male

    Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards (2003)

     

  • Best Production Design

    IF Awards (2003)

  • Best Sound Editing in a Feature - Music - Feature Film

    Motion Picture Sound Editors (2005)

     

Lists

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