john-kelly-3 Review of The Last Outlaw

The Last Outlaw (1980)

This is the film on which you define the "Kelly" yardstick

[10/10 · 21 March 2006]

Its taken 26 years for this miniseries to come to DVD - and it is an Epic (I had to watch it over two nights) - nearly 8 hours of great Australian drama..

John Jarrett is simply the BEST - forget your Heath Ledgers or (god forbid the Mick Jagger impersonation !!!!) .. You should base your yardstick on Jarrett's performance - thats REAL NED..

Added to the fact that Jones & Binns were so much sticklers for detail - I didn't realised Bronwyn Binns had passed away and was sorry to hear it..

As one who has the same Kelly blood pumping through my veins, this should be a classic but has not received the accolades it should have - this is definitive Australian History, along with Remembrance Day and the day they sacked Whitlam - All November the 11th...

..SPOILER..

Of course Ned gets hung in the end of it - footage is from the real site (Old Melbourne Jail) and Ned Kelly's real gun gets a look in 100 years later with the gun that Harry Power gives Ned (looks like a sawn off)...

Kind of makes you think they should have done a little bit more than cardboard cutouts at the Sydney 2000 Olympics in regards to Ned..