Born in Victoria in 1855, Ned Kelly was the son of an Irishman who went from being a young troublemaker to Australia's most wanted, and wound up being romanticised and even idolised as one of Australia's most interesting historical figures. This is not the first attempt to bring Ned's story to the screen, and probably won't be the last. It is however the best - so far.
While much is known about the exploits of the Kelly Gang, there is possibly just as much that is unknown. As the years pass, the story quite probably becomes a little more distorted and facts meld with opinions and theories to leave us with several interpretations about the gang's movements and principals, as well as their eventful and dramatic end.
Even as a teenager, the local coppers already knew Ned Kelly (Heath Ledger). His troubles finally went beyond manageable after bashing a copper who falsely accused him of horse theft. He served time and upon release tried, but failed, to lead life as a relatively private and law-abiding citizen, hampered by his inability to shake his reputation.
When a drunk Constable Fitzpatrick (Kiri Paramore) showed up at the Kelly household to make a move on Ned's sister Kate (Kerry Condon), the family, minus Ned who claimed he was elsewhere at the time, resorted to physical blows to run him from their house. Naturally, Fitzpatrick didn't take this rebuke too well, and returned to arrest the matriarch of the family, Ellen (Kris McQuade), as well as various other Kelly family and friends. Ned and brother Dan (Laurence Kinlan), with their mates Steve Hart (Phil Barantini) and Joe Byrne (Orlando Bloom), now aware that there was a large reward out for Ned, and a shoot on sight order, fled their home fearing arrest.
The Kelly Gang's short reign as bushrangers saw them achieve almost hero status as they continued to buck the system. Their reputation preceded them, and the gang became almost romanticised.
It was at Glenrowan Inn in 1880 that The Kelly Gang's final scenes were played out. Knowing they were being hunted after being grassed on by a mate, The Kelly Gang's attempted ambush failed and they were faced with a massive shoot-out with over 100 arms-bearing coppers, lead by Superintendent Hare (Geoffrey Rush). History records that only Ned survived the actual shoot-out, to be hung as a murderer shortly after in Melbourne Gaol.
Ned Kelly was not the financial success that the makers and backers had hoped, but neither was it a complete flop. The film no doubt takes a few liberties with truth, but is essentially entertaining enough. It does paint a slightly one-sided picture, with the Kelly family portrayed as mostly harmless larrikins until backed into a corner, and even when innocent people around them are killed, they are still painted in a fairly positive light. There are many familiar faces throughout the film, aside from the big name cast, and even if some of the events are somewhat overdramatised, there is still much here to be enjoyed.
The acting is fine, the sets and costuming is terrific, the music is Irish in flavour and the film moves along at a fairly respectable pace. This is not exactly the DVD release of the year, but it is a very long way from being the turkey of the year.
This is mostly a very nice looking DVD. As with many big releases, it is in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is 16:9 enhanced. It is a very sharp looking image with good definition and solid, natural colouring. There is no evidence of chroma noise, and skin tones are good. Black levels are very good, while the darker scenes present no problems with shadow detail.
There is no evidence of grain, but there is some very mild edge enhancement and some shimmer than only the fussiest and most finicky of viewers will notice. There are a few distracting film artefacts in the form of white blemishes, but they are quick and few in number.
The layer change is placed mid-scene at 51:07, but is rather smooth all things considered.
Both the Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 audio tracks sound fine, but the DTS wins out simply for being a little more hard-hitting in the "wham-bam" scenes. Even for a film with some decent action sequences, this is a subtle audio effort on the whole. Most dialogue is placed along the front sound wall, with little separation and panning. There is still quite a bit of action from the surround speakers, especially in the shoot-out and horse riding scenes. All of it, however, sounds quite natural. The subwoofer is also kept quite busy.
There are no issues with volume or clarity, and a good sound range is in evidence. The music is nicely spread out and never intrusive.
