Ned Kelly

"The British Empire branded them as outlaws. The oppressed called them heroes."

2003 1h 50m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 410

ActionAdventureDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After getting threatened by Kelly's friends and family, Constable Fitzpatrick places the blame on Ned Kelly and exaggerates what happened. With the biggest ever award available, Kelly and his gang set into the wild, to remain hidden from everyone who seeks them. Even if it means having his family arrested, the members of the Kelly Gang stay hidden and plan a way to get their names cleared.

“The British Empire branded them as outlaws. The oppressed called them heroes.”

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Cast

Heath Ledger
Ned Kelly
Orlando Bloom
Joseph Byrne
Geoffrey Rush
Superintendent Francis Hare
Naomi Watts
Julia Cook
Joel Edgerton
Aaron Sherritt
Laurence Kinlan
Dan Kelly
Philip Barantini
Steve Hart
Kerry Condon
Kate Kelly

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gregor Jordan
Writers: John Michael McDonagh
Languages: English
Countries: Australia, France, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Australia, France, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gregor Jordan, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bernard Fanning. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jon Gregory shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The British Empire branded them as outlaws. The oppressed called them heroes.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0277941 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gregor Jordan directs. Oliver Stapleton behind the camera. Bernard Fanning scores. Jon Gregory cuts. Produced in Australia, France, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 23 years ago.
2International production across 3 countries: Australia, France, United Kingdom.
3Directed by Gregor Jordan, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Bernard Fanning. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jon Gregory shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The British Empire branded them as outlaws. The oppressed called them heroes.".
8IMDB entry: tt0277941 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 16 themes, including "australia", "resistance", "folk hero", "lawlessness".

The technical file

Cinematography: Oliver Stapleton
Original score: Bernard Fanning
Editing: Jon Gregory
Production design: Steven Jones-Evans
Costume design: Anna Borghesi
Makeup / hair: Deb Watson
Sound: Mike Prestwood Smith
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $6,585,516
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Ned Kelly (2003)

Awards

AACTA Award for Best Production Design
AACTA Award for Best Costume Design

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Gregor Jordan

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-06-04
★ 7/10
It’s Regina versus us; The Kelly Gang. Ned Kelly is directed by Gregor Jordan and written by John Michael McDonagh (based on “Our Sunshine” written by Robert Drewe). It stars Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts, Geoffrey Rush and Joel Edgerton. Music is by Klaus Badelt and cinematography by Oliver Stapleton. The Australian Robin Hood? Well not quite, but Ned Kelly’s name and exploits live on for ever more. As is often the case with film’s of this type, such as Braveheart, it’s best to approach them as interpretations of real events and people, than actual historical facts. The core basis of Ned Kelly the man is here, and the picture built around him is handsomely mounted. Also ripe with strong character portrayals by the key actors (fluctuating accents and dodgy beards aside) and shot through with enough lyrical smarts by Jordan, it’s a film big on atmosphere and authentic feel. However, obviously hamstrung by budget and running time etc, much of the story feels incomplete. There’s also the problem of under using Geoffrey Rush, who although playing a key character in the Kelly legend, is only on the periphery of things. Still, the evident problems can’t stop it from being an engaging piece of entertainment. It’s consistently beautiful to look at, Badelt’s mournful musical score is an absolute cracker and the action is well staged by the passionate Jordan. We are still waiting for the definitive Ned Kelly Gang movie, because although this is made with care of the source stories, it only scratches the surface of this most interesting period of Australian history. 7/10
CinemaSerf2023-02-25
★ 6/10
It's always tough with a subject that suffers from Titanic Syndrome - there can be no jeopardy about the final outcome so it really does boil down to the quality of the writing and the acting as to whether or not we are going to bother to sit through it... Heath Ledger isn't bad at all in the title role, an Australian from Irish (and criminal) stock who falls foul once too often of the frequently corrupt police, takes matters into his own hands and with his brother Dan (Laurence Kinlan) and Orlando Bloom (Joseph Byrne), amongst others, turns into an Antipodean version of Robin Hood - determined to redress the pretty in-your-face imbalances of society in Victoria and New South Wales. Bloom's accent is straight out of "Finian's Rainbow" but Naomi Watts is good as Julia as is Kris McQuade as his mother Ellen. Geoffrey Rush is drafted in by the government to lead the chasing constabulary, but his usually dominant presence doesn't quite work here - he doesn't really have enough to do/say. Those really observant amongst us might spot Charles Tingwell (think "Inspector Craddock") towards the end, too. It's violent but not brutal - we are shown a side of Kelly that has been driven to the course of action and although he doesn't exactly hate it; he has scruples. The detail is good; we get a sense of the relative squalor in which they lived, and the writing and direction are taut and well paced. From what little I know of the man, and his gang, this isn't the most accurate depiction of his brief moment in the limelight, but on balance, it is worth sitting through...