Disappointing
- True History of the Kelly Gang review by PD
I was really looking forward to this one - having liked director Justin Kurzel’s take on MacBeth, I was anticipating a unique take with a fresh delivery. The first section (Kelly as boy, played brilliantly by Orlando Schwerdt, with a nice turn from Russell Crowe) certainly delivers; it's thoroughly gripping and convincing, with some great camerawork and lighting, top notch acting and a great buildup, but all is undone by a terribly disappointing second part (Kelly as man played by George Mackay). It's like someone trying too hard to be edgy/quirky/unique, and not coming close to any of them, and it’s so cliche-ridden that's it's difficult to suspend disbelief and take seriously at times. And it's never a good sign when both myself and my sister (a self-confessed Ned Kelly geek from Melbourne) start double screening during the final shootout. Peter Carey's novel deserves better treatment than this, I'm afraid.
7 out of 8 members found this review helpful.
What utter Rubbish
- True History of the Kelly Gang review by AB
Was really looking forward to this film .. Great cast but what were they thinking .... i waited for the story to improve but i just was chaos .
6 out of 7 members found this review helpful.
Flashy but thought provoking
- True History of the Kelly Gang review by JB
Spoiler Alert
Updated 19/10/2020
The story of the homicidal Australian Bush-ranger Ned Kelly has itself been done to death but director Justin Kurzel (of the 2015 Michael Fassbender Macbeth) has given it a bold and bruised crack here.
Adapted from the Peter Carey novel, we follow Ned's disturbing childhood here almost as much as his infamous (short) adulthood. He loses his abusive father at a young age, grows up in poverty, and when still very young, is "rescued" from it all by bush ranger Russell Crowe, who buys him from his mother (Essie Davis) but exposes Ned to his first taste of robbery and murder. Flash forward a few years, Kelly's now got his own gang and is played by a muscled, sinewy George Mackay, full of anger and no direction.
Unpopular opinion alert- I didn't love Kurzel's Macbeth, which to me felt like Shakespeare watered down and luridly visually adorned for the Instagram generation, and there's a bit of that here… beautifully shot vistas occasionally given precedence over substance. The use of strobe lighting, sped up shots of weather and high contrast photography also don't really add much.
However, there's a lot more depth in this movie - the focus on Kelly's childhood gives the story some excellent context, for example, and the time given to Kelly's own writings and how they're then used against him is interesting too. It's also really well cast and Davis and Mackay are particularly good, despite occasionally thin material. Finally, the film is spectacularly violent and loud, in a way that's properly bracing.
Although I still struggled to get emotionally involved in the later sections (Kurzel's actors can only pump so much nuance into the relationships rather lacking in the script), and it does seem rather over stylised (like a kind of macho Baz Luhrmann movie), there's a lot of great stuff here and it's a worthy addition to the long list of Ned Kelly lore.
2 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Enjoyable, Authentic, Sweary Biopic
- True History of the Kelly Gang review by PV
I really enjoyed this film. Some great acting by George Mackay and Nicholas Hoult, and a fascinating story.
Yes, it's full of swearing, esp the C words, and I am not sure if the folk songs are new or of the time; however, either way, I think all the swearing makes it authentic.
The only reason this is not 5 stars is some bits which drag, and the 'punk song' element which I think was trying to be Peaky Blinders, using a modern soundtrack for stories set a century or more ago.
4 stars
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Another fantasy version
- True History of the Kelly Gang review by HM
The Kelly story is interesting without another fantasy version reflecting the writer/Director's political views and preferred version which suits their agenda. Transportation to Australia was not nice but then 'not nice' people got transported. A fake picture of police and Kelly family relations is painted among other excuses for Kelly's criminal and murderous behaviour. Let's face it, lots of people got transported or as in Kelly's case their parents. However, they didn't all become murderers. Genuine events in his life are married to invention, the downfall of many bio movies (Jessie James and Billy the Kid have suffered worse!). The crimes he committed don't get a look in as his mind set is explained, but is it accurate? Nope, not convincing. Disappointing in the end.
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Disappointing Historical Drama
- True History of the Kelly Gang review by GI
Despite the title this is a totally fictional account of the notorious Australian outlaw and it's a cold, bleak film littered through with brutal violence, homoeroticism and a punk sentimentality. At times I found the film ridiculous and at times fascinating but ultimately it left me empty. The narrative here forgoes a traditional rise of the outlaw type story with bank robberies and a growing notoriety to show an occasionally confusing and emotional journey of a young Ned (Orlando Schwerdt), witnessing the sexual favours his mother (Essie Davis) is forced to give to the local policeman (Charlie Hunnam) to crazed, cross dressing rebel at odds with British policeman Fitzpatrick (Nicholas Hoult). The whole thing has a weirdness about it that was jarring and odd. Russell Crowe has a neat cameo as real life criminal and Kelly's tutor Harry Power and Essie Davis is really good as Kelly's mother. I think this will be a 'marmite' film, you'll either love it or hate it.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Ghastly - True History of the Kelly Gang
- True History of the Kelly Gang review by Wkarmo
Bad script, bad acting, poor direction, silly set, horrible characters, stupid costumes (skin-tight trousers on a woman!) - nothing at all to like about this film. A fat, pathetic Russell Crowe as Harry Power. As if made by pretentious, spoilt school children who have no idea of (regard for) history or good film-making. Embarassing, self-indulgent twaddle. The near-final scene in which a metal building is shown burning ferociously the last straw! Groans all round.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
Not for me
- True History of the Kelly Gang review by JM
I was looking forward to watching it and all the way through was eagerly waiting for it to get going. Didn't enjoy i'm afraid. Reviews below sum up my thoughts too.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.