Image Courtesy Of TIFF
Based on the book of the same name by Peter Carey, first published in 2000, True History Of The Kelly Gang is an Australia-based western based on the legendary 1800s gang. The new feature from Macbeth and Assassin’s Creed filmmaker Justin Kurzel, features a glittering international ensemble, including the likes of George McKay, Charlie Hunnam, Thomasin Mackenzie, Essie Davis, Nicholas Hoult, and a scene-stealing Russell Crowe, just one of many highlights in this solid, definitive take on the outlaw legend.
Based loosely on the true story with some artistic license brazenly employed; a fact the film has no problem admitting from the title card at the start of the movie, True Story Of The Kelly Gang is split into three separate chunks, titled ‘Boy’, ‘Man’ and ‘Monitor’. The first section focuses on the film’s subject, Ned Kelly, as a 12-year-old played by Orlando Schwerdt, an individual who bears witness to his mother servicing a local lawman, O’Neill (Hunnam) in exchange for cash to keep the family fed in the film’s opening moments. Ned’s father has failed to provide, the pre-teen forced to step into the fold to bring home the bacon – or in this case cattle – to put meat on the table and food in the bellies of his siblings. When his father is arrested and then passes away, Ned’s mother xxxx ‘befriends’ a more prosperous bushranger named Harry Power (Crowe), a man who can take the family off the bread line and potentially provide a much more positive father figure for the family’s eldest son.
From there, the movie follows Kelly’s journey into adulthood, all through voice-over, an older Ned documenting his life in an open letter to his unborn daughter – the result of a relationship covered in this section. George McKay plays the older Ned who shows up in the film’s second act, a supremely solid performance from the Brit actor, one who is quietly cementing himself as one of the finest of his generation – frankly he’s never been better.
In fact, the entire cast is brilliant – from Hunnam, relishing the villain of the piece with aplomb, Essie Davis as the well-intentioned though troubled matriarch, and Thomasin Mckenzie who continues on her quest to become the next big thing and succeeds marvelously once again. In a brief appearance, Russell Crowe is the brilliant stand-out, a surprisingly comedic, very unique role in a grimy, down and dirty, serious gritty piece; an expletive-ridden, wonderfully-written character that deserves more screen time than he ultimately gets.
Kurzel received some stick for his Assassin’s Creed movie – I was one of the critics who actually enjoyed it -but here he’s back on top form. This is a striking piece, possibly his best. He sets out his stall early on for the kind of movie he’s attempting to deliver and does so superbly. He’s surrounded himself with a phenomenal creative team – the cinematography from Ari Wegner (Lady Macbeth) is rich, bleak and textured all at the same time – you can almost taste the dirt, while frequent collaborator’s Jed Kurzel’s string focussed, vivid score complements the visuals throughout. It’s noticeable, though not in an intrusive way. One of the finest we’ve heard all year.
While some will be turned off by the expletive-ridden script – Shaun Grant really doesn’t hold back with the language – Kurzel’s film may just be the best ‘Kelly’ story ever committed to film. For a feature that alludes that a lot of the truth is contorted, it certainly feels authentic enough, and with such fantastic performances, wonderful staging and stunning visuals, True Story Of The Kelly Gang is one of the best cinematic surprises of the year so far.
True History Of The Kelly Gang was reviewed at TIFF 2019.
