A bearded Mick Jagger stars as the title character, Australia`s most famous criminal, in Tony Richardson`s oblique approach to the problem of Irish nationalism. The son of a man deported to Australia for stealing two pigs, Ned is unjustly imprisoned in 1868 at the age of 16. Upon returning home three years later, he finds his mother (Clarissa Kaye) affianced to horse thief George King (Bruce Barry) and his brother in jail for stealing cattle. Hoping to steer clear of further incarceration, Ned starts a sawmill. But in a bar one night, Fitzpatrick (Martyn Sanderson), a policeman--or trap --drugs Ned`s drink and jails him for drunkenness. After being released, the resentful Kelly forms a gang to steal horses with his brothers and King, and they head for the outback. Fitzpatrick chases the criminals down but they kill him and a couple of others in an ambush. When Ned finds out that his mother has been arrested for murder on trumped-up charges, he offers to give himself up in an exchange, but the provisional governor refuses, sending Kelly and his gang off on a murderous rampage that gains him a following among the poor and downtrodden. Based on a true story, the film features excellent photography by Gerry Fisher and splendid work by Rolling Stones lead singer Jagger.