Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageNed Kelly (2003)
Director: Gregor Jordan
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Ned was little more than a boy when he was wrongfully imprisoned for horse-thieving. Released, he finds it's impossible 'for an Irishman in Queen Victoria's colony to walk the straight and narrow'. Loutish English coppers force the issue, and soon Ned (Ledger), brother Dan (Kinlan), and muckers Steve and Joe (Barantini and Bloom) are setting Superintendent Hare (Rush) a merry dance across the outback, the most wanted men in all Australia. This version of the legendary tale is stuck uneasily between romantic myth-making and historical accountability. It's shot in muddy equatorial browns, and cutaways to local flora and fauna mark Ned as being at one with nature. But a quality conspicuously absent from Ledger's self-consciously heroic performance is any sense of wildness. He makes Ned a decent but ultimately rather dull underdog. Yhe shoot-outs are efficiently handled, but this feels terribly overfamiliar. (From Robert Drewe's novel Our Sunshine.) TCh.Author: TCh
Cast & crew
Director: Gregor Jordan
Producer: Nelson Woss, Lynda House
Cast: Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts, Joel Edgerton, Laurence Kinlan, Philip Barantini, Kerry Condon, Kris McQuade, Geoffrey Rush, Kiri Paramore, Emily Browning, Rachel Griffiths, Geoff Morrell full cast
Genre(s): Period/Swashbucklers
Duration: 110 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Michael Haneke discusses 'The White Ribbon'
Dave Calhoun met with Michael Haneke in Munich to mull over the details of his Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now