Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

You'll never get that ditty out of your head after you watch this. It's an oddity from the 1970's, more like a midnight movie actually, in which Mick Jagger makes his acting debut as the legendary Irish folk hero. Much like many of the films of this caliber, It's so kitschy that it's memorable. Mick Jagger is fantastic, and I love how it seems in almost any minute of this film, he looks like he's about to burst out dancing. The music is hilariously out of place, trying to sell this off an an American western when it is anything but, and yet that's what makes this film really charming. It feels rebellious and carefree. Unlike the Oscar-bait 2003 remake, this version of Ned Kelly truly captures the spirit of an outlaw.

This was actually a pretty entertaining movie, I was impressed with the collection of weapons all pretty accurate of the period. The Constable Uniforms were pretty right on. I liked the story line and Mick acted well as Ned Kelly, dug his accent also. I was surprised with the version of " the wild Colonial Boy" song. The verses were different as well as the melody...Also the clothing was good for the late 19th cent. period,facial hair very appropriate...all in al a good flick for a 1970 adaptation of the story of Ned Kelly. Mick Jaggar was also a good choice considering the stars of westerns of that genre, the 70's was full of cowboys all from the states. The movie would be a poor competitor against "The Proposition" a very well done portrayal of a similar tale!

No question I often make my movie selections based on their novelty appeal. This one has celebrity rocker Mick Jagger in the title role as an Australian outlaw, enough of an inducement for me to tune in on the Encore Western Channel. These things don't always go well, case in point - David Bowie as "The Man Who Fell to Earth". As far as Jagger's performance goes, it was OK, but that's about as much as I'll grant it. If it were an American film, any number of quality character actors could have filled in for Ned - Lee Van Cleef, Neville Brand, or if you want to go for the gusto, Klaus Kinski, even if he was German. I'm re-running the film in my head with any one of these actors and it works out OK. Aside from the dialog of course, it would have to be appropriately Australian/Irish.Story wise, one could make the case for an approximation of the James/Younger Gang of the American Wild West. Ned Kelly's mom (Clariss Kaye) is sentenced to jail for the shooting of a constable and with it, all hell breaks loose. Ned (Jagger) teams with his brothers and other local ranchers to take it to the authorities, but their ingenuity and firepower is never enough to overcome the powers that be. It's a familiar story.Quite apart from another reviewer's comments on this board, I thought Jagger's effectiveness was undermined by his looking like an Amish settler in the picture. He never appeared particularly threatening to me, or more correctly, his celebrity overcame his portrayal in the picture so that every time he appeared on screen I was thinking Rolling Stones instead of Ned Kelly, outlaw. I don't know how you can overcome that, the same was true in "Freejack" but that picture better suited his rocker style.What probably kept my interest more than the story alone was the frequent inclusion of songs throughout, including a solo by Jagger on 'The Wild Colonial Boy'. Waylon Jennings pops up a number of times, and his 'Shadow of the Gallows' was strangely evocative of Johnny Cash's early take on 'The Man Comes Around'. 'Blame it on The Kellys' was probably my favorite, and if I recall correctly, that one went on and on as Ned and his boys wreaked havoc throughout the countryside.Well I'm not sure how expansive this Australian Western genre might be, but if you really want to get down and dirty, you have to get your hands on a 2005 flick called "The Proposition". It too involves a family of brothers, and if you like your action gritty and violent, it's as visceral as they come. For my part, I'm left wondering what a guy like Mick Jagger thinks of his forays into film with the likes of "Ned Kelly".

This is truly one of the worst films I've seen in a very long time. It is not just the historical inaccuracy, it's the fact that accuracy is eschewed in favour of a very run of the mill story line. Waylon Jennings performing the soundtrack and Jagger in the lead role suggests a cheap and weak attempt to recreate Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, with Jennings' music not holding a candle to Dylan's and Jagger's acting not just being poorer than Kris Kristofferson's, but actually being some of the poorest I've ever seen.Who on earth thought it was a good plan to cast Mick Jagger in this film? He can't deliver lines, his accent is hopeless, during the fight scene, the supposed "hard man" stands like a wimp, something that the editor has attempted to deflect attention from but failed dismally. The supporting cast are basically insignificant, none of them being given enough screen time for us to develop much of a relationship with them, all frame space reserved for the "star."This film marks a low point in cinema that it would be hard to recreate, thank god.