Ned Kelly

Ned Kelly is a bio-pic about Australia's most famous outlaw starring Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom. For a brief time in the last quarter of the 19th century, the Queen's authority was challenged by a band of 4 Irish descendents to the point that they had international news coverage and the largest bounty ever put on anybody's heads. But to the commoners of Australia, they were folk heroes (and remain so to this day).
The movie focuses on Ned's life after a brief run-in with the penal system as he tries to raise his family's fortunes. Unfortunately, in a case of police power unjustly applied, he and his brother and two friends end up on the lam. The coppers, of course, harshly lean on anyone who knows Ned and his status as folk hero is cemented.
I thought the portrayals of the characters were pretty good, although I think some scenes get played up a little too cheesily and over the top. Overall, Ledger and Bloom play their characters well, as does Geoffrey Rush, their greatest nemesis. I think the love interest is a bit superfluous as presented and they should have either done more with it or dispensed with it completely.
The extras on the DVD (including a brief bit on a version of the story starring a relatively young Mick Jagger) help explain the appeal of Ned Kelly and his place in Austrailan culture and I find that a nice touch.
Overall, I give the movie a solid B.