True History of the Kelly Gang

I've now written a lot of words about 'True History of the Kelly Gang', but I really don't feel as though I've scratched the surface of this fascinating, complex and shattering film. Using the story of Ned Kelly and his exploits, the film unpacks the concept of Australian myth-making, questions the stories and figures on which we have constricted our Australian identity, and challenges the ideals of Australian masculinity. 'True History of the Kelly Gang' is a magnificent symphony of chaos and contradiction, fury and fear, confusion and clarity, love and revenge, compassion and violence. It left me stunned and speechless, my brain ringing with the sheer scale of it. This is yet another great film digging into the fabric of who we are as a nation and what we have done to get here - in this case, the myths we have constructed to explain and justify the best and worst of ourselves. Justin Kurzel has delivered a remarkable and singular film, as arresting as it is provocative, and already one of the best of the year.

• Daniel Lammin

Read Daniel's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-true-history-of-the-kelly-gang-a-magnificent-deconstruction-of-the-great-australian-antihero

Is the truth relevant in myth-making?

At the end of the day the fence were still not complete but my family had witnessed my new strength and they I could be the man.

• Peter Carey; True History of the Kelly Gang (2000)

And here is the thing about them men they was Australians they knew full well the terror of the unyielding law the historic memory of UNFAIRNESS were in their blood and a man might be a bank clerk or an overseer he might never have been lagged for nothing but still he knew in his heart what it were to be forced to wear the white hood in prison he knew what it were to be lashed for looking a warder in the eye and even a posh fellow like the Moth had breathed that air so the knowledge of unfairness were deep in his bone and marrow.

• Peter Carey; True History of the Kelly Gang (2000)

Based on Peter Carey's 2000 novel, written for the screen by Shaun Grant (Berlin Syndrome; Jasper Jones), and directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown; Macbeth), ironically enough given its title, True History of the Kelly Gang is a film about lies. More specifically, it looks at the pivotal role lies play in cultural myth-making, how every myth is a fiction, a subjective interpretation and reframing of real events, oftentimes with the goal of inflating a person's reputation, oftentimes with the goal of diminishing it. Importantly, as with the novel on which it's based, True History is a work of historical fiction which invents characters and incidents, weaving such elements into what we know of the facts pertaining to Ned Kelly. Easily the best filmic depiction of the Kelly Gang, True History is rugged, fierce, bleak, sexually ambiguous, and psychologically exhausting, with universally exceptional acting and some quite stunning cinematography. Acknowledging Kelly as an important symbol in Australian cultural identity, the film occupies a kind of middle ground between condemning him as a sociopathic murderer and celebrating him as...

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This was a pretty tough review to write. I had no previous knowledge about Ned Kelly nor his gang. I don't know if this is a well-known story outside of Australia, but I can understand the reasons for its almost non-existent marketing campaign overseas. It will always feel strange when a movie with such a phenomenal cast doesn't get enough advertising. George MacKay is exponentially getting more significant roles, and he's undoubtedly the standout of this film. A genuinely remarkable performance from an actor who keeps impressing me every time I get the opportunity to watch him.

Russell Crowe doesn't have much screentime, but he always commits 100% to his roles, and this one was no exception. I would even presume that he was used as bait to bring in more viewers, but as I wrote above, it doesn't seem like the studio was truly worried about that. Charlie Hunnam (Sergeant O'Neill) continues his streak of good performances, Nicholas Hoult (Constable Fitzpatrick) proves once again that he deserves a lot more chances, and Essie Davis (Ellen Kelly) is terrific as Ned's mother.

Nevertheless, it's Thomasin McKenzie (Mary) who offers the big surprise. She was extremely funny in Jojo Rabbit, but now she shows an entirely different dramatic range. As you might have figured by now, I believe the cast is the best thing that True History of the Kelly Gang has to offer. Justin Kurzel doesn't hold back in setting up a truly realistic environment regarding the period where the movie is set, constantly placing the actors in uncomfortable scenes.

It's beautifully filmed by Ari Wegner (cinematographer), and the score (Jed Kurzel) is also really good. However, I didn't feel invested in the story nor its characters. This was a challenging film to review simply because when I finished watching it, I didn't really know how I felt. It rarely happens, but I was stuck in this place wh...