Ned Kelly Review
by Harvey S. Karten (harveycritic AT cs DOT com)March 22nd, 2004
NED KELLY
Reviewed by: Harvey S. Karten
Grade: B-
Focus Features
Directed by: Gregor Jordan
Written by: John Michael McDonagh, from Robert Drewe's novel "Our Sunshine"
Cast: Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts, Geoffrey Rush, Joel Edgerton, Laurence Kinlan, Philip Barantini, Kerry Condon, Rachel Griffiths
Screened at: Broadway, NYC, 2/23/04
Bonnie and Clyde go downunder in Gregor Jordan's kangaroo Western, "Ned Kelly," based on Robert Drewe's novel "Our Sunshine." Most Americans probably never heard of the lad--who was hanged in 1880 at the tender age of twenty-five in Britain's Victoria Colony, Australia: More likely that most of today's Australians, particularly those of Irish ethnicity, consider the fellow to be a hero, a Robin Hood who not only robbed from the rich and gave to the poor but stood vocally and vociferously for getting the Brits out of the land, and for good measure out of Ireland.
There's much need today for stories of people looked upon like heroes by some groups, deplored by others. However, we in the audience cannot judge the title character of John Michael McDonagh's screenplay unless we know more about why Kelly considered Irish-Australians to be oppressed by the British. There's a whole history there about how towns in Victoria's northeast after the collapse of gold mining were dying, and how a severe drought compounded the problems. On a political level, the traditional conflict between the those of Irish stock and those boasting British bloodlines played out their little war in Victoria, the rich landowners, known ironically as squatters, feared incursions on their domain by land reforms, wherein so-called selectors were given poor land and remained at the mercy of banks and of loan sharks charging some 20% to 30% interest annually.
Because "Ned Kelly" does not provide us with a historical background for the conflicts--director Jordan apparently believing that the two romantic interludes should remain in the story at the expense of hard facts--we end up cheering Kelly's heroism only because he fought the good fight against the local, oppressive police force and ultimately against the Crown's own massive unit under the command of its calm but fear-inducing superintendent.
The political background, then, is pushed into the, well, background, in favor of bloodshed, gunfights, a less-than-torrid romance, and some mighty fine equestrianism, Heath Ledger rather than some stunt guy doing some fine gallops across the dusty landscape of an undeveloped, late-19th century Australia. Nonetheless, as a kangaroo Western, there's much to cheer in Jordan's presentation, particularly in Heath Ledger's charismatic evocation of an Irish hero, a devil to the English.
We're struck from the beginning with Oliver Stapleton's awesome nature photography, particularly his capturing of a diversity of animals not seen lately in the streets of my New York City. Exotic birds seem to have been transplanted from the Amazonian rain forest. A monkey, a vulture, a lion, a hyena, a kangaroo, some ants--all get uncredited cameos amid a tale of political violence meted out by brutish officers.
Though beginning slowly with the sun-drenched awakening of Ned Kelly (Heath Ledger), the story picks up as Kelly is falsely accused of stealing a horse and is sent to prison for three years. When his sister is hit upon for about tenth time by a determined cop, Ned's appropriate defense leads to his mother's incarceration as Kelly runs from the town with his friends Joe Byrne (Orlando Bloom--who looks nothing like the silent blond warrior in "Lord of the Rings"), Dan (Laurence Kinlan) and Steve Hart (Philip Barantini). The four become public enemies after a succession of bank robberies, the money distributed some of the poor who have outstanding debts and who are fortunate in getting their mortgage papers burned at the robbed banks. When the gang of four become too much for the local authorities to handle, the SWAT team led by Superintendent Hare (Geoffrey Rush) enter the bush area determined to smoke out not only the bandits but all who have given them aid and comfort.
Naomi Watts performs in the role of Julia Cook, the wife of a rich English landowner, who obviously dislikes her stuffy husband and is visibly magnetized by Kelly. In the one example of comic relief--which is also said to be the only fictional aspect of the story--Rachel Griffiths, a bank manager's wife, hits on one member of the gang in the midst of a robbery, her husband one of Kelly's unfortunate victims.
When Erin Free, critic for the Hollywood Reporter, states in her rave review that "Jordan has crafted an excellent historical saga that doesn't collapse under the weight of two much history," she appears to be praising what is actually a major flaw, which is that a greater attention to the historical background is desirable, not something to be tossed away in the interest of a shoot-'em-up. That major weakness aside, "Ned Kelly" is worthwhile viewing for a reasonably authentic study of a man who was as hated by the British as he was loved by the Irish, shown in burnished lensing that could be a contribution to the Nature channel minus the fireworks.
Rated R. 109 minutes.(c) 2004 by Harvey Karten at
[email protected]
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
