Ned Kelly DVD Review

"NED KELLY" reviews

DVD

NED KELLY

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-26 11:16:32

Provider

MRIB

DVD Review

Australia in the 1870s must have been pretty similar to the Wild West in the US. First and second generation immigrants are trying to make their way in this new country and one such man is Ned Kelly (Ledger). Ned's never had much luck with the law (he's just come of jail after being banged up on a ropey horse theft conviction) and his luck is about to get even worse when he's charged with attempted murder after an officer assaults his sister. With his mum behind bars, Ned and his gang decide to strike back at the establishment and are soon the most wanted men in Australia.

To most of us, the only familiarity we have with Ned Kelly is what we learned from the 1970 flick which starred Mick Jagger as the armour-clad rebel and while the historical accuracy of this movie is unproven, the film itself is actually pretty good.

Playing out like an Aussie Young Guns crossed with Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, director Gregor Jordan does occasionally fall into the trap of wanting to romanticise his hero a bit too much but both Ledger and Bloom seem to have fun, making this an enjoyable 'Western'.

Copyright © MRIB 2005.