One good thing - almost all of the professional reviews I've read have had something positive to say about Orlando's performance, whether they liked the movie or not.

I'm just going to quote the Orlando parts, you can click on the links to read the whole review.

[quote]
Filmcritic.com Ned Kelly review By Chris Barsanti

Ned and a couple of his buddies, including Joe Byrne (Orlando Bloom, the only actor who seems to be enjoying himself here), head out to the bush, only to get chased by the coppers. . .
[/quote]

[quote]
SF Weekly - Ned Kelly Review - Robbin' Hood

When additional trumped-up charges are leveled against him, he flees into the Australian bush with his brother Dan (Laurence Kinlan) and friends Joe Byrne (Bloom, who seems to be everywhere on-screen these days but has yet to outwear his welcome) and Steve Hart (Philip Barantini). [/quote]

[quote]
BBCi Films Ned Kelly Review  by Nev Pierce

And there is some impressive action, albeit great scenes rather than sequences: a dragged-up Bloom seeking revenge against his betrayer;

Bloom, in particular, is brilliant, proving much more than a pretty face as Ned's right-hand man.
[/quote]

[quote]
SMH Australia

Orlando Bloom makes a lithe charmer of Joe Byrne
[/quote]

[quote]
JoBlo.com Ned Kelly Review by Mike Sampson

He’s well supported by Orlando Bloom as his best mate Joe Byrne. Bloom shows why he’s going to be a very big star with an immensely charismatic and believable performance.[/quote]

[quote]
The Hollywood Reporter - Ned Kelly Review

And stealing all of his scenes is Orlando Bloom, whose rakish swagger and commanding screen presence suggest a formidable star in the making.
[/quote]

[quote]
Indie London Review

while Bloom, as the playboy outlaw of the pack, brings some much needed light relief to the project, and builds on his growing reputation as a British actor of some talent.
[/quote]

[quote]
FutureMovies Review

Ned Kelly benefits from some respectable acting turns, notably Bloom as ladies man Byrne
[/quote]

[quote]
Web Wombat Review by James Anthony

His support cast is excellent, with special mention going to Orlando Bloom as Joe Byrne
[/quote]

[quote]
Resident Advisor Review

However, there are some standout performers in the supporting cast. Orlando Bloom as Joe Byrne and Naomi Watts as Ned’s on-again off-again love interest are the most notable. Bloom, in particular, makes a stunning leap from his recent role as Lord of the Ring’s elvan archer, Legolas Greenleaf, to embody the devil-may-care womanizer that was Joe Byrne.
[/quote]


Dairwendan

Thanks, Dair!

That was fun!

He has such a wonderful presence on screen and I'm happy he's receiving the notice he deserves.

Dair, thanks for sharing all that good news. Let's hope it bodes well for Orlando's career as well as the film's bottom line.


God, please, let this movie get some good box office this weekend, and open wider for us poor starving souls out of the Metropolitan areas!

Thanks, Dair! When I first saw it (via a DVD from Oz), I was struck with how his performance really stood out from the others (even without my prejudicial eye!). It was a good character that he made great, IMHO.

It's nice to see that so many 'professional' reviewers are having a chance to see the range of his talent.

[quote=Dairwendan,Fri, Mar 26, 2004, 08:51 AM]One good thing - almost all of the professional reviews I've read have had something positive to say about Orlando's performance, whether they liked the movie or not.

I'm just going to quote the Orlando parts, you can click on the links to read the whole review.

[quote]
Filmcritic.com Ned Kelly review By Chris Barsanti

Ned and a couple of his buddies, including Joe Byrne (Orlando Bloom, the only actor who seems to be enjoying himself here), head out to the bush, only to get chased by the coppers. . .
[/quote]

[quote]
SF Weekly - Ned Kelly Review - Robbin' Hood

When additional trumped-up charges are leveled against him, he flees into the Australian bush with his brother Dan (Laurence Kinlan) and friends Joe Byrne (Bloom, who seems to be everywhere on-screen these days but has yet to outwear his welcome) and Steve Hart (Philip Barantini). [/quote]

[quote]
BBCi Films Ned Kelly Review  by Nev Pierce

And there is some impressive action, albeit great scenes rather than sequences: a dragged-up Bloom seeking revenge against his betrayer;

Bloom, in particular, is brilliant, proving much more than a pretty face as Ned's right-hand man.
[/quote]

[quote]
SMH Australia

Orlando Bloom makes a lithe charmer of Joe Byrne
[/quote]

[quote]
JoBlo.com Ned Kelly Review by Mike Sampson

He’s well supported by Orlando Bloom as his best mate Joe Byrne. Bloom shows why he’s going to be a very big star with an immensely charismatic and believable performance.[/quote]

[quote]
The Hollywood Reporter - Ned Kelly Review

And stealing all of his scenes is Orlando Bloom, whose rakish swagger and commanding screen presence suggest a formidable star in the making.
[/quote]

[quote]
Indie London Review

while Bloom, as the playboy outlaw of the pack, brings some much needed light relief to the project, and builds on his growing reputation as a British actor of some talent.
[/quote]

[quote]
FutureMovies Review

Ned Kelly benefits from some respectable acting turns, notably Bloom as ladies man Byrne
[/quote]

[quote]
Web Wombat Review by James Anthony

His support cast is excellent, with special mention going to Orlando Bloom as Joe Byrne
[/quote]

[quote]
Resident Advisor Review

However, there are some standout performers in the supporting cast. Orlando Bloom as Joe Byrne and Naomi Watts as Ned’s on-again off-again love interest are the most notable. Bloom, in particular, makes a stunning leap from his recent role as Lord of the Ring’s elvan archer, Legolas Greenleaf, to embody the devil-may-care womanizer that was Joe Byrne.
[/quote]


[/quote]
I'm going to add on to Dairwendan's original post.


This is from the WWW.NYDAILYNEWS.COM

[quote]Ledger has a strong, stiff-backed presence as the stubborn Ned, a man given to voluminous speeches, and Bloom - Legolas in "The Lord of the Rings" - is a dashingly mischievous Joe Byrne. [/quote]

I can't wait to see this tomorrow night. Woo hoo

I think I wrote something to the old thread.

I am probably very critical and I enjoy movies that are not too obvious. I'm into Almodovar, Peter Jackson etc and don't like much about that Braveheart style. I went to see Ned Kelly just because of Orlando.

I think the two best performances were by Bloom and Edgerton. When I read the critics' reviews, they all said the same. Orlando does very good job and he's very professional. No doubt about that.

The movie is not very good, but it's not hopeless. I'd say the same about Heath Ledger. Rush and Watts are "bigger than their roles", so they just appear there, not ruining anything but not bringing much in. Something in the script and directing just doesn't work. It was so difficult to figure out what kind of a feeling they were trying to get through. Sometimes it looked like an American no-brainer and sometimes it had very philosophical or artsy feeling in it. Cinematography was good. Landscape was very beautiful.

What I disagree with the critics most is Rachel Griffiths performance. (FromOBfiles: Mrs. Scott meets Joe Byrne.) It was the most ridicilous thing that I've seen for a long time.

sillymom

The critical reaction to Orlando in Ned Kelly is really fantastic to read -- it's such a pleasure to see Orlando's acting talent acknowledged. It's also interesting to compare with the reaction he received in POTC, which seemed lukewarm at best, with a lot of the reviews pointing out that Orlando's role as Will Turner was the "straight man" (i.e., most boring) of the movie. It's sort of fascinating to me that Orlando is getting better reviews in a movie he filmed chronologically before POTC, even though it's coming out almost a year later.

I wonder what makes the difference -- the writing of the roles, or maybe just the type? It seems in Ned Kelly, Orlando gets a chance to do what Johnny did in Pirates -- play the roguish, fun, colorful contrast to the more straightlaced, heroic character. Maybe it's just easier to shine as an actor in that kind of role -- since the actor's not carrying the narrative burden of the movie, maybe there's more freedom to have fun with the role. Also, I wonder if the type of production might have played a part as well -- maybe it's easier to take chances in an Australian indie than in a Disney blockbuster -- well, if you're not Johnny Depp :wink:

Now I'm really dying to see what kind of reviews Orlando gets in Troy, and of course to see the performance itself. I truly hope Orlando is able to "run with it" and continue to display the depth of his talent.

I think that you are dead on, JayDK. This snippet from the Newark (NJ) Star Ledger review indicate that their reviewer saw some of the same things:

"Cast as Joe, Kelly's sidekick, Orlando Bloom gets to cut loose and engage in villainous antics, a saucy turn from the gleaming-hearted heroes he's played in 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' "

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ledger/ind.85249118230.xml

I think that Orlando's Will Turner is much better than many reviewers gave him credit for. On subsequent viewings, once one can look past the phenomenal Capt. Sparrow, it becomes much more apparent just how subtle and nuanced a performance his was. The type of movie POTC was and the expectations of the reviewers, then the incredible turn by Johnny Depp, led many to miss just how good Orlando was.

Hi everybody. I'm about as newbie as they come, this is my first post. I just wanted to add my 2 cents about all this. I have Ned Kelly on tape curtosey of a friend and her region free dvd. I have to say, despite it's flaws as a film I find myself watching this thing over and over again. Heath, whom I love, is a bit confusing to watch. I'm not sure where he picked up the mannerisms he gives to Ned. Orlando is charasmatic and you can't take you eyes off him, even with the dodgy facial hair. The story itself is timeless and every country had their own "Ned Kelly." Gregor is clever, albeit obvious, in his use of shots of the Australian flora and fauna to drive home that this is an Australian tale.

The movie has opened today here in LA and I'm dying to see it on the big screen. I may just have to catch a late show tonight.

Mo

Well, I just got back and still feeling a little shell-shocked. I agree with all that sillymom posted above. I was trying to figure out how to word what I'm feeling, and thankfully she already did the work!

NK is definitely missing something. Can't quite put my finger on it, there were moments I felt it starting to engage me, but then the scene would change and I got very restless. I spent a good deal of 1 hour 50 minutes feeling restless.

Orlando did a good job (he does a really good death act, although I'm not sure how a man could bleed out THAT quickly even when the major artery leading to the thigh is hit)), but again, something was missing. Not that it was his fault, but I kept wondering what made Joe Byrne tick.

I'd have a hard time recommending this film to anyone who is not a serious fan of any of the players. It was violent, of course, and the climatic scene is very, very loud.

The "letter" scene was definitely an outstanding moment. The final moments of Dan (did I get Ned's younger brother's name right?) and Steve was outstanding, as was Joe Byrne's. The Aaron plot line was outstanding.

But the scene where they're testing the armour . . .?? Ricochet??

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to hearing other points of view.

I am going to add another review of Orlando's performance and it comes from the critic from The New York Times A.O.Scott.


"Orlando Bloom, as Kelly's loyal sidekick Joe Byrne, upstages Mr. Ledger in nearly every scene."

I know it's only one line but from this guy, it's a very good thing
Chloe.

Wow. It's great that Orlando is mentioned in almost all reviews of Ned Kelly for giving an exceptional performance. I hope this means that critics are seeing Orlando as a serious actor. And as JayDK said, it'll be interesting to read reviews for his role in Troy. Many thanks to Dairwendan, LegolasAngel, Patty, and chloe for posting the little mentions of Orlando. You've made my day!