Film Review: True History Of The Kelly Gang

The story of the infamous Australian outlaw Ned Kelly is a piece of folklore that’s been spun so frequently that it’s very much a part of that whole country’s fabric, with an impact that lasts to this day. And it’s a story that’s been explored since practically the beginning of cinema itself. The 1906 film, The Story of the Kelly Gang, was at the time the longest feature to ever be released, sitting at just over an hour. Filmmaker, Justin Kurzel, is the latest to dip his toe into the tale with True History Of The Kelly Gang, working off Shaun Grant’s script, which is adapting the novel of the same name by Peter Carey.

In the film, we find ourselves in the cold and almost apocalyptic landscape of the British controlled Australian frontier. We witness the grueling life that Ned (George MacKay) grew up in, and his complicated relationship with his mother, Ellen (Essie Davis), not only dealing with the harsh surroundings, but also how the British soldiers constantly belittle them and abuse their power. Ned finds himself in association with the notorious bushranger, Harry Power (Russel Crowe), who ends up fueling his inner desire for revenge against his oppressors.

The film starts on an interesting note, informing us that what we are about to watch it not true at all. Obviously, the broad strokes of what happened are real, but the filmmakers aren’t as much concerned with getting all the little historical details right, as much as they are in getting the emotional truth of Ned Kelly and his struggles right. On that level, what Kurzel delivers is something that is part deconstruction and part mythmaking, and the way we are informed by and pass on stories that are passed down from generation to generation. In a way, it’s a story that is absolutely about the fickle yet powerful nature of storytelling itself.

Kurzel has always had a distinct stylistic touch, one that emphasizes mood (heightened by his brother Jed’s score, which is fantastic), stark imagery, and stories that are in mostly defined by violence and cruelty. He taps into all those things here, and in a way that is far more irreverent and energetic than one might initially expect. And what he does with these flourishes is get you into the head of Ned, and finding some semblance of an understanding of how he turned out the way he did, even if it is purely defined by his terms and perspective.

On that level, the film works wonderfully. MacKay really shines here, tapping into an animalistic physicality. His many shirtless scenes and bodily contortions evoke Iggy Pop, and yet his somewhat soft spoken nature shows a different side, one that doesn’t want to deal with all the things that he is forced to face because the world around him has no care for him and his ilk. Try as he might to live a somewhat normal life, but that was simply never meant to be, so he leans in on all the bad things that were taught to him.

The performances from the rest of the cast are equally stellar. Davis is as great as you’d expect, bringing a presence to Ned’s life that is equal parts warm and vicious. Crowe does a wonderful job with his limited screen time as does Charlie Hunnam, who plays a sleazy sergeant, and Thomasin McKenzie, who plays Mary, Ned’s love interest. Nicholas Hoult is the one that comes close to walking away with the film as Constable Fitzpatrick, a charming yet insidious officer who starts off in a friendly enough relationship with Ned before it soon turns sour.

I am not the most familiar with everything regarding the story of the real Ned Kelly, so I can’t say whether the film holds water in regards to accuracy, but I have a strong feeling it captures his essence better than any conventional biopic would. Justin Kurzel’s filmmaking is bold, electric, and haunting and his touches as a visual stylist paints the story of Ned Kelly as an operatic western drenched in grime and blood. Like Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale, the film doesn’t hold back on the casual cruelties of early Australian history, but it explores that territory with its own vision and thematic interests. I enjoyed the film a lot, and probably more than any of Kurzel’s other works thus far. It’s epic, striking, atmospheric, and savage. Sure, it might not be the most accurate, but it makes for one hell of a story.