In "Ned Kelly" Orlando plays Joe Byrne, right-hand man of outlaw Ned Kelly.

If you haven't yet, I suggest you watch the movie as soon as you can, because honestly, it is a little gem. Evenif it is not completely true to the real story... but I guess that when talking about movies, what we are all interested in when we go to the cinema to watch them, is how good the story is told and portrayed by the actors.
And in my humble opinion, Ned Kelly is a beautifully told and played story.

Here is the synopsis of the movie:

Based on the story of Australian bushranger and icon, Ned Kelly, who had a brutal childhood and at 16 years of age was imprisoned for stealing a horse. Upon release four years later, Ned’s sister is assaulted and it’s Ned and his mother who are charged with attempted murder. Forced to go on the run, Ned is determined to avenge his family and strike back at the system that wrongs them all. He forms the notorious Kelly gang with his brother Dan and two other men. Making use of homemade steel helmets and chest plates to protect themselves, the four men rob a bank, hijack an entire town for three days and they kill three policemen who were hunting them. They then take over a pub in Glenrowan, where they gather, waiting for a train full of police to derail at a part of the track that they had pulled up. However, it doesn’t go according to plan and results in a shootout.


I will silence the fangirl in me (who squealed at each and every caption containing Orlando!) and give a serious (serious? ME?) review of his acting skills.

I won't comment the accent (as I am not very much acquainted to Irish), but as far as I have heard around he is not that bad at it! He speaks Mandarin... wow! (No, I am not acquainted to Mandarin either!) honestly! Hearing that language leave his lips is something really blessful!
Joe Byrne is depicted as loyal to Kelly and a womanizer. He is also a sort of war machine, killing without even blinking about it. (In a wicked kind of way, it reminded me of Legolas' characterisation!)
I believe he portrayed this character in the right way.
In the scene when he kills Aaron Sherritt (a former friend of theirs who betrayed the Kelly gang) he is able to show regret and at the same time coldness. I believe that this moment was one of the best relating to Orlando's acting in the whole movie!

After all, I consider it a good proof for Orlando. And... on the frivolous side... all the pics that have been going over the i'net of him as Joe Byrne are NOTHING compared to what you get to see in the movie, girls!
He is so darn charming, let me tell you! So charming that in my personal hit list of Orlando's roles Joe Byrne even surpassed THE ELF! And you all know how much I adore the elf, don't you?

If any of you has already seen the movie, I'd love to hear their opinions on it!

ETA: He seems to be speaking Cantonese and not Mandarin. I beg your pardon. not that I would make out the difference, but, lol!

:bloom:

I've seen the movie, quite a few times, it was amazing! I don't want to give anything away, because I know I will lol, but Orlando played an amazing role and did a fantastic job being seductive *chuckles*

You know what stuck out for me? The fact that they ate a raw horse...

And I was also surprised because I cried in the end. Not because he died but the way to two young ones died and then Neds face when he hears the gunshots.

I'm agreeing to that and everything everyone else said.

(and my Ned Kelly book [unread currently] has that picture on the cover)

:lmao: Sorry, Ursi, actually I don't understand what he was talking about because it was actually a dialect off the Mandarin language. My friend was from that dialect (I was from another) and she managed to dicipher it after some thinking :D But that and the quick Irish (rather British isn't it?) accent he put on amuses me tremendously.

Personally, I don't think the movie was all that great. The story is definitely good but I don't see much character development or anything within the movie. My two cents, don't take it to heart!

I still can't believe Joe Bryne surpasses the elf in Ursi's heart! :blink: