TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG
3 out of 5 stars
Behold a volatile version of the Australian folk hero that seeks to write its own history – separating fact from fiction even as the film itself tussles with taking the truth at face value. Being bold and violent is assuredly an attention-getter, yet director Justin Kurzel is missing a deepness that would immerse the audience into this searing, postmodern adaptation. It only scratches the surface of the hell being raised by the legendary rebel.
The intensity brought by George MacKay as Ned Kelly gives off a certain kind of imperative energy not to be messed with. Pulling the trigger doesn’t come easily to Kelly, but when he finally does, he’s reborn into a warrior who welcomes war. The hurt caused to his family and the oppression they have all had to sustain causes a thirst for vengeance, and he gets a killer taste of it. Portraying Harry Power, a bushranger who gives Kelly his first glimpse of bloodshed, Russell Crowe is sensational. More time should have been given to his character as there’s more to spill for sure.
Without question, this is a wild, grimy outlaw tale that resists from taking the usual approach to tell it. There’s something exciting and venturous about it all. At the same time, it’s part palling as there are rousing elements alive on the lawless colonial Australia – howbeit left for dead for less emotionally effective choices made. But the visual splendor Kurzel supplies can turn anything into something absorbing, if only for a few minutes at a time.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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