RECKLESS KELLY

Australia, 1993, 76 minutes, Colour.
Yahoo Serious, Mellora Hardin, Alexei Sayle, Hugo Weaving, Kathleen Freeman, John Pinette, Bob Maza.
Directed by Yahoo Serious.

Reckless Kelly is Yahoo Serious's second film. He spent a great deal of time, money and energy on producing Young Einstein in the mid-80s. It took him several years to produce Reckless Kelly. Again it took him a number of years to produce his third film, Mr Accident.

This is typical Yahoo Serious material, keeping a smile on the face for most of the time. It begins with the supposition that the Kellys had lived in Australia for 40,000 years and had become a huge bank-robbing clan living in their own national park. The film continuously suggests parallels between this Kelly family and Australian Aborigines (a device used by the writers of The Castle to make their points with Australian audiences). The island is an odd place with kangaroos and other fauna wandering around the bar. The Kellys are expert at drinking - and also have a strong video shop in their hotel.

Hugo Weaving snarls as an English baronet who is thwarted by Ned Kelly. He plans to sell off their island - to Japanese who will tow it to Tokyo harbour. Ned Kelly decides to go to America to rob banks - having been warned by an American bank assistant whom he encountered during a robbery. He becomes an actor by accident and asks the young woman to give up her Shakespeare auditions to work with him on film as the Christian Cowboy. He makes enough money to return to Australia and for a confrontation with business-suited gunmen.

There are a lot of puns, comments on Hollywood movies, comments on gun culture. It is quite undemanding - but done in the quirky Australian comedy style.

1. The appeal of Yahoo Serious as a screen personality, nice and ingenuous? Parody with the gentle touch?

2. The ideas behind Reckless Kelly: the tradition of Ned Kelly and robbing banks, outlaws against the government? The parallel with Aborigines - and with Bob Maza's presence to reinforce this? The Kelly clan, the joke about their documents for their identification? The hotel, the flora and fauna, the drinking, the beer cans, the videos? The guns? American films? American money? The confrontation with the banks and the suited oppressors of ordinary Australians?

3. The re-creation of the island, its look, the animals? The jokes? Its being towed away from Australia? The Sydney sequences, the robbing of the bank, the chases? Ned Kelly riding through the desert, the harbour bridge, into the city? The contrast with Los Angeles, the streets, the cinemas, the buildings, film-making? The musical score and songs?

4. The title, the focus on Ned Kelly and the persona of Yahoo Serious? His place in the clan, his leadership, the best bank robber, his armour, pulling bullets out of himself? The invention of the garbage can and the homage to Ned Kelly? The bank robberies and the style, giving the money to the poor? The confrontation with the banks, losing the island? His decision to go to America, his attempt to rob a bank, interrupting the film-making? His skill as an actor, the humorous scenes of the film and the confrontations? The religious dimension - his being a minister, falling in love with the nun? His return, the hero, the confrontation and saving the island? As a character, as a humorous cartoon-type character?

5. Hugo Weaving as the cartoon villain, snarling, the banks, hiring the henchmen from England? The plan to destroy the island, sell it to the Japanese, commanding the killing of Ned Kelly? The phone calls with his henchmen? The final helicopter arrival, the shoot-out, his being defeated? (And his trying to destroy the Americans by freezing the assets of the film company?)

6. Robin Banks and her reading Shakespeare during the robbery, her overhearing Sir John and his plots, sending the fax to the Kellys? On the plane, the Shakespeare auditions, coming to Los Angeles, performing as the nun, falling in love with Reckless, participating in the final confrontation?

7. Dan Kelly, the Aborigine, the elder, his support of Reckless?

8. Major Wimp and his English background, Nazi style, disguises, trying to kill Reckless, going to Los Angeles, bribing the fans, the attempt at the airport on his life. In at the end?

9. Sir John, scheming, ruthless, the banks, Major Wimp, the telephone calls, the confrontations?

10. Sam Delance, the director, fat and eating at home, his direction, the films, the bank freezing the money? His mother doing the ironing, giving good advice?

11. The verbal jokes, the visual - the corny, the slightly crass, the Australian humour?