Ned Kelly

I rented Ned Kelly after complaining to my mother about the huge disappointment that was Naomi Watts in Funny Games, after which she suggested I rent Ned Kelly, since she loves Heath Ledger and she knew Naomi Watts was in it. So I checked out the trailer, thought it looked pretty good, and here we are.

Oddly, Naomi Watts' role in the film is almost completely unnecessary. She's alright, but really, her screen-time is all of ten minutes, and her character is never really fleshed out enough to be cared about, though her costumes were fabulous.

Of course, the real star of the film is Heath Ledger, and his performance is pretty damn good. I'm not entirely familiar with Ledger's work, though I am so excited to see him as the Joker this summer. I haven't really seen him in anything else, and seeing this film made his passing all the more sorrowful for me. His performance is really great, bringing to life a historical figure that American audiences have absolutely no familiarity with. I think that's probably why this film didn't get wide reception in the states, as I, along with most Americans, can claim I know as much about Australian history as I do about advanced astrophysics.

Ledger plays the title character, a sort of Robin Hood - Billy the Kid character in Australian history, the typical flawed but courageous individual that attempts to change the status quo of society. Unfortunately, as so many other stories of this kind, there is very rarely a happy ending for these warriors of the people. Orlando Bloom plays his right-hand man, and he does a great job as a ladies man, bringing the only bit of levity to the film.

And, ultimately, that is my only criticism. The film is a bit disconnected, the events within don't really match up to make linear sense, and the reasons for Ned Kelly's rebelling, and where he's doing it, simply are not made clear enough. It's also incredibly dark for the entire film, and I feel that the film would be much better if certain details were made clearer to the audience and if there was more of a playfulness and lightness added to the actions of Kelly and his gang. Stories of this type are made more interesting when the lead characters humiliate the oppressors over and over, and from reading the actual history of Ned Kelly, it seems that he and his gang were a lot like Billy the Kid and his gang, only with an actual political agenda and a righteousness to their actions.

The DVD's extras are pretty interesting, with a documentary about Ned Kelly, and actual photos of the real characters. Unfortunately, the documentary is doubly depressing, as it features live interviews with Heath Ledger. It is saddening that Ned Kelly was killed at the young age of 25, and even more depressing that Ledger left the world at 28, with so much promise, talent, and integrity.