Ned Kelly
Finally, I am reviewing this film. I'm not promising anything great here. Or even anything all that accurate.
This film, to me, was worth the 4 hours it took me to get through it. I kept trying to watch it at 3 AM or so and ended up having to rewatch bits and I still think I might have to rewatch the movie as a whole to get the full-effect... It wasn't Ledger's best film, but that's because The Dark Knight was, and I respect this film and its purpose. Naomi Watts plays her typical wide-eyed role as Ledger's chief love-interest and somehow becomes his only alibi. But she sure as Hell ain't talkin'.
An almost startlingly typical theme emerges from this: Kelly is an outlaw simply for the English's prejudice against Irishmen. Kelly grew up in Britain and is as English as the rest of them if not more so, but that doesn't matter to local law enforcement as they torment him and attempt to frame them.
In the end, Ned gets the last laugh even as he goes on the run.. the people are for him and a scenario reminiscent of Jesse James emerges. An outlaw with a familiar face. A boy you grew up with and so you know he can't be a murderer. But Kelly becomes that which he fears and struggles with many things as they cart his family off to prison and he watches many good men die by his own hand or otherwise.
This film isn't slow, but it isn't remarkably fast-paced. I enjoyed it and sympathized with Ned, but it was a story that's been told before and this wasn't necessarily a fresh take. It's a good film, doubtless. Does it get it's point across? Debatable.
This film, to me, was worth the 4 hours it took me to get through it. I kept trying to watch it at 3 AM or so and ended up having to rewatch bits and I still think I might have to rewatch the movie as a whole to get the full-effect... It wasn't Ledger's best film, but that's because The Dark Knight was, and I respect this film and its purpose. Naomi Watts plays her typical wide-eyed role as Ledger's chief love-interest and somehow becomes his only alibi. But she sure as Hell ain't talkin'.
An almost startlingly typical theme emerges from this: Kelly is an outlaw simply for the English's prejudice against Irishmen. Kelly grew up in Britain and is as English as the rest of them if not more so, but that doesn't matter to local law enforcement as they torment him and attempt to frame them.
In the end, Ned gets the last laugh even as he goes on the run.. the people are for him and a scenario reminiscent of Jesse James emerges. An outlaw with a familiar face. A boy you grew up with and so you know he can't be a murderer. But Kelly becomes that which he fears and struggles with many things as they cart his family off to prison and he watches many good men die by his own hand or otherwise.
This film isn't slow, but it isn't remarkably fast-paced. I enjoyed it and sympathized with Ned, but it was a story that's been told before and this wasn't necessarily a fresh take. It's a good film, doubtless. Does it get it's point across? Debatable.