Advanced Search Beta »
Basic Search Fields
Ned Kelly
Metascore
56 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 2 out of 16
view
per page
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Erin Free
    90
    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.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: David Stratton
    80
    An impressively staged, dark-toned revisiting of the life and times of Australia's boldest and most charismatic outlaw.
  3. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Clint Morris
    70
    It’s an exciting movie filled with plenty of action, adventure, beautiful cinematography and best of all, terrific performances.
  4. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Jessica Winter
    70
    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.
  5. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Jean Oppenheimer
    70
    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.
  6. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    67
    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.
  7. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    63
    The result is a handsome, action-packed biographical drama with a credibility gap wider than the screen.
  8. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    60
    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.
  9. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    60
    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.
  10. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    50
    The cast works hard, but Jordan's directing is too ponderous and slow to build dramatic energy.
  11. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    50
    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.
  12. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    50
    The movie, which has a rusty photographic veneer, is monotonous and drags toward the end.
  13. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Scott Foundas
    50
    The whole movie is curiously distant and flat, like a museum object encased in extra-thick glass.
  14. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    50
    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.
  15. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Janice Page
    38
    Ultimately, Jordan's vision is so murky that Ned Kelly remains as foreign to us as wombat stew.
  16. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    25
    A leaden retelling of the legend of Australia's Jesse James that has understandably been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years.
prev next
Page:
  • 1