Ned Kelly crime spree goes on too long

SET in colonial Australia, Ned Kelly is the story of a young man determined to fight and drink his way into manhood.

Because of his fondness for trouble, young Ned (Heath Ledger), along with the rest of his gang, including brother Dan (Laurence Kinlan) and best friend Joe Byrne (Orlando Bloom), has become pubic enemy number one with the local cops.

They finally get their man when they frame him for assault and he’s left with two choices — he can give in, admit defeat and promise to be a good boy, or come out with all guns blazing. He chooses the latter.

Ned takes his gang on a crime spree through the Australian outback.

Ned Kelly is portrayed here as a kind of Robin Hood character, growing ever popular with the bank clerks and customers he’s robbing.

They don’t seem to mind the fact that he shoots a few of them along the way. Friendly lot the Aussies.

Eventually Kelly, and his gang, are cornered and we are treated to a re-enactment of the shoot-out that sealed the Ned Kelly legend.

It’s just a shame you have to wade through over an hour of poorly acted, poorly scripted filler before you get to the main event.

Drama, 15. 2/5