91. True History Of The Kelly Gang; movie review

TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG
Cert 18
125 mins
BBFC advice: Contains very strong language, sexual threat

Is there a better young British male actor than George MacKay? Surely, the only one who can touch him is Nicholas Hoult.
Well, in True History Of The Kelly Gang, we get them both!
In my view, it was a scandal that MacKay was not shortlisted for an Oscar in the stunning 1917 and here he proves his quality by giving a very different style of performance as Ned Kelly.
Yep, MacKay goes all Aussie, ripples his impressive muscles and even goes crazy in a women's dress as the notorious lawbreaker.
Justin Kurzel's film is an adaptation of Peter Carey's Booker Prize-winning novel in which he paints Kelly in a very different and not always factual light, despite the movie's title.
This is a punk rock version of Kelly, an explanation of why he became dark and dangerous, played out to a stunning backdrop and searing music.
The movie spans from his childhood when his prostitute Irish immigrant mother (the excellent Essie Davis) demands he grows up quickly to fill the gap of his useless father (Ben Corbett).
This is the most arresting part of the film because young Ned (Orlando Schwerdt) is exposed to murder and mayhem. He doesn't have a chance but to follow the craziness because he knows nothing else.
This becomes even more evident when he is teamed up with infamous bushranger Harry Power (Russell Crowe).
Much of the film is narrated by MacKay and it appears to be from the writings which Kelly is known to have made.
However, they are to a child which there is no evidence he had.
And while we are on the subject of fiction, there is apparently no evidence to back up the obsession which the Kelly males have with women's clothes during this picture.
I digress, slightly.
Kelly is not the villain of this film - instead, it is clearly presented that he is provoked by a constable called Alex Fitzpatrick.
This is where Hoult comes in, all posh English and bullying spite and whose violent actions, combined with those of another 'copper' (Charlie Hunnam) fester vengeful resentment inside Kelly.
Meanwhile, there is an unconventional (and fictitious) love story between Kelly and a prostitute (Thomasin McKenzie) to paint him in an even softer light.
Of course, director and the author might rightly state that so little is known about the real Ned Kelly that it is legitimate for them to have licence with the truth.
In which case I was, as said, a tad bamboozled by the title.
And that is not the only cause of head-scratching. After a good hour and a half of very gritty but compelling cinema, the picture drifts off into the surreal.
Was this intended to represent the descent of madness or red mist? It was impossible to fathom. But, in my eyes, it diluted the film's effect and knocked it down from an 8/10 movie to a 7/10 one despite the quality of the performances.


Reasons to watch: Some stirring performances
Reasons to avoid: Very strong violence and a c-word avalanche

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: Very briefly
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Kelly's armour has been on display in the State Library of Victoria. The helmet, breastplate, backplate and shoulder plates show a total of 18 bullet marks. Also on display have been Kelly's Snider Enfield rifle and one of his boots.

The final word. George Mackay: "I can see the good that he (Ned Kelly) did but I know that if my dad was a copper that he killed I couldn't level with that." 

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