''Reckless Kelly'' is a 1993 Australian

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

produced, written, directed and starring

Yahoo Serious Yahoo Serious (born Greg Gomez Pead; 27 July 1953) is an Australian film actor, director, and score composer. His films include the comedy films ''Young Einstein'' (1988), '' Reckless Kelly'' (1993), and '' Mr. Accident'' (2000). Serious writes ...

. It co-stars

Melora Hardin Melora Hardin (born June 29, 1967) is an American actress, known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's ''The Office'' and Trudy Monk on USA Network's ''Monk'', and Tammy Cashman on Amazon Prime Video's '' Transparent'', for which she received ...

Alexei Sayle Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952) is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th gre ...

and

Hugo Weaving Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is an English actor. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. He is the recipient of six Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts ...

. The story is a satirical take on a modern-day

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...

, a famous Australian outlaw.

Synopsis

A modern-day

robs banks in Australia and gives all the money to the poor people. Ned is forced to go to Hollywood to make enough money to save his family's land. As it goes against his belief, he cannot simply rob banks there for his own benefit. Ned is forced to find another way to come up with the $1 million required to save his family island. That is when a movie producer shows up and gives Ned an offer he cannot refuse.

Cast

... Ned Kelly *

... Robin Banks *

... Major Wib *

... Sir John *

Kathleen Freeman Kathleen Freeman (February 17, 1923August 23, 2001) was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed acerbic maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors and relatives, almost in ...

... Mrs. Delance *

John Pinette John Paul Pinette ( ) (March 23, 1964 – April 5, 2014) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and Broadway performer. He toured the comedy club circuit beginning in the 1980s and appeared in cinema and on television. Besides stand-up, Pine ...

... Sam Delance *

Bob Maza Robert Lewis Maza (25 November 1939 – 14 May 2000), known as Bob Maza, was an Aboriginal Australian actor, playwright and activist. Early life and education Robert Lewis Maza was born on Palm Island in North Queensland on 25 November 1939, ...

... Dan Kelly *

Martin Ferrero Martin Victor Ferrero (born September 29, 1947) is an American actor. His most well known roles are Izzy Moreno in ''Miami Vice'' (1984-1989) and Donald Gennaro in the 1993 film '' Jurassic Park''. Life and career Ferrero was born in Brockport, ...

... Ernie the Fan *

Anthony Ackroyd Anthony Michael Ackroyd (born 30 June) is an Australian comedian, writer, musician, actor, speaker, and teacher. He is currently the CEO (Chief Enjoyment Officer) of his company The Laughter Advantage. Biography Ackroyd was born in Hobart, Tasma ...

... Joe Kelly *

Max Walker Maxwell Henry Norman Walker (12 September 1948 – 28 September 2016) was an Australian sportsman who played both cricket and Australian rules football at high levels. After six years of balancing first-class cricket in summer, professional ...

... Newsreader

Production

The film was financed by Warner Bros, Village Roadshow and the Australian

Film Finance Corporation The Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) was the government agency responsible for funding commercial productions of Australian film, documentary, and television from 1988 to 2008. Unlike other publicly funded organisations responsible for f ...

. Serious used many of the same key creatives he had on ''

Young Einstein ''Young Einstein'' is a 1988 Australian comedy film written, produced, directed by and starring Yahoo Serious. It is a fantasized account of the life of Albert Einstein which alters all people, places and circumstances of his life, including r ...

''.

Reception

Neil Jillett, film critic for ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'' wrote, "There are some good gags along the way, and a few of the plot's twists have an entertainingly surreal zaniness. But there is much heavy going too. Most of the messages Serious loads into the film—protect the environment, hate violence and banks, mock the British, go for a republic, sneer at American fads and religious hypocrisy—are presented with a smugness that was missing from ''Young Einstein''".

Box office

''Reckless Kelly'' opened at number one at the Australian box office with a gross of $2,036,224. It remained at number one for a second week and went on to gross $5,444,534 at the Australian box office.

In popular culture

* Australian rock duo

Divinyls Divinyls () were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school uni ...

covered the song "Wild Thing" in 1993 for the soundtrack to the film. It peaked at No. 39 on the Australian Singles Chart.

References

External links

* *
''Reckless Kelly''
at Oz Movies * *
RECKLESS KELLY : 1ST RE-CUT VERSION
(Australian video release) at the National Film and Sound Archive
RECKLESS KELLY : 2ND RE-CUT VERSION
(U.S.A. film release) at the National Film and Sound Archive {{Ned Kelly 1993 films Australian Western (genre) comedy films Australian satirical films 1990s English-language films Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Australia 1993 comedy films Films scored by Anthony Marinelli Warner Bros. films Cultural depictions of Ned Kelly Films directed by Yahoo Serious