Ned Kelly

Last night I picked up Ned Kelly, previously viewed, at Blockbuster and then watched it with some guys on the deuce. This movie is about an Irish guy, Ned, who becomes an outlaw while trying to stick up for his family. The movie takes place in Austraila in the 1870's or 1880's. The cops basically rule the land and do whatever they want...so if you get on their bad side you're screwed. Eventually Ned, his brother, and a couple friends start robbing banks to give the money back to their friends and family so they can pay bills, mortgages, etc and basically survive. Pretty soon a bounty is put on their heads, they are declared outlaws, and the crown sends a big bad lawman, played by Geoffrey Rush, to bring the men to justice. Towards the end of the movie there's an interesting shootout where the 4 outlaws have created steel plating so deflect the police' bullets. Reminded me a lot of when those guys had flack jackets and AK-47's and robbed a bank out in CA. They walk out of a building, the cops open fire. They just stand there. The cops get confused. They open fire and start taking them out left and right til they have to reload and then go back inside. Besides the whole psuedo modern Robin Hood theme going on, there is the issue of unjust imprisonment and unchecked governmental authority. Definately something worth checking out.