Ned Kelly
Focus Features | Release Date: March 26, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The Hollywood ReporterErin Free
Expertly combining the personal and the epic, Jordan has crafted an excellent historical saga that doesn't collapse under the weight of too much history. Read full review
80
VarietyDavid Stratton
An impressively staged, dark-toned revisiting of the life and times of Australia's boldest and most charismatic outlaw. Read full review
70
Film ThreatClint Morris
It’s an exciting movie filled with plenty of action, adventure, beautiful cinematography and best of all, terrific performances. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJessica Winter
The film marks a welcome departure from the usual rah-rah machismo of the semi-nationalist action adventure, but Jordan never escapes the mighty shadow of "The Thin Red Line"--from the grace-note inserts of exotic birds, snakes, and foliage to Ledger's laconic, sometimes haiku-like voice-over to Klaus Badelt's embarrassingly Zimmer-derivative score. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverJean Oppenheimer
Despite the idealized portrait of Kelly and the very predictable plot, the film proves engaging, thanks in large measure to Ledger's sympathetic and believable performance. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
A boggy mix of fact, fiction, and changeable wigs and beards worn by Heath Ledger in the title role, manages to shrink the grandness of the myth without clarifying our understanding of the man. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
The result is a handsome, action-packed biographical drama with a credibility gap wider than the screen. Read full review
60
The New York TimesDana Stevens
The storytelling is choppy and abrupt, and the filmmakers rely heavily on voice-over narration to announce themes that are never brought to dramatic life on screen. Mr. Ledger, his heartthrob charisma camouflaged behind a heavy beard, gives a stiff, hesitant performance. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The wholly invented character of unattainable love interest Julia Cook (the real Kelly once referred to an enigmatic "Julia" in a letter) is the film's weakest link and smacks of a desperate attempt to shoehorn a pretty woman into a story about grubby men with tangled beards. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
The whole movie is curiously distant and flat, like a museum object encased in extra-thick glass. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The cast works hard, but Jordan's directing is too ponderous and slow to build dramatic energy. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Since Ned Kelly -- which is not terrible, just too often dull -- has a no-expense-spared feel to it, this Focus Features release can be regarded only as an opportunity missed. Read full review
50
USA TodayMike Clark
The movie, which has a rusty photographic veneer, is monotonous and drags toward the end. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
There's something in Ned Kelly' that's lost in the translation from Australia to America, and the overly emotional film score is just a symptom. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeJanice Page
Ultimately, Jordan's vision is so murky that Ned Kelly remains as foreign to us as wombat stew. Read full review
25
New York PostLou Lumenick
A leaden retelling of the legend of Australia's Jesse James that has understandably been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years. Read full review
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