True History of the Kelly Gang may not be entirely true, but its ability to dig beneath the legend and explore the horrors of colonial rule, the toxicity of unchecked power, and the violence of a world built on social division feels far more authentic than any previous Ned Kelly story. True History of the Kelly Gang is now playing in cinemas nationwide.
History is full of figures who fought institutionalised oppression by breaking laws to become legends of folklore, from Dick Turpin to Jesse James. In Australia, Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang have become an integral part of the country’s social history, reflecting the anger and oppression of colonial rule, as well as the fight for self-governance and freedom. There are countless stories surrounding Ned’s life and death at the tender age of 25, and his actions continue to spark debate in Australia. But on film, few movies have managed to move beyond the folklore, with both Ned Kelly (1970), starring Mick Jagger and the 2003 film of the same name, starring Heath Ledger, struggling to explore the young man beneath the legend.
Justin Kurzel’s True History of the Kelly Gang could have taken a similar track to its predecessors, but instead offers us a different take with a layered character study rooted in dirt, dust, grime, and abuse. In Kurzel’s film, based on the 2001 Booker prize-winning novel by Peter Carey, the volatility, trauma, and anger of an oppressed young man who tried to ‘fit’ the damaged world around him sit centre stage. Like the book, Kurzel’s film is raw, sharp and unafraid to dig deep into the darkness of Australia’s past. It’s a film burning with the fire of rebellion and the inescapable turmoil of a land built on blood.
However, it is within its nuanced exploration of masculinity and class divide that True History of the Kelly Gang truly shines; here, Kurzel takes Carey’s words and dissects the image of the traditional Western male as we follow Ned from his childhood experiences of violence and control to his eventual adult rebellion – his destiny, pre-determined no matter how hard he attempts to steer a different course. Oppression, toxicity and violence surround him from his youth to his teens and early twenties. In this world, society demands that the innocent boy die and be transformed into a violent and unforgiving man. Yet, Ned holds on tight to the innocent boy within, hoping it will keep him from falling like the other men around him.
In the hands of George MacKay, there is a poet and scholar who screams to be set free from the expectations of those around him, including his mother, Ellen (Essie Davis). There is a fluidity in his sexuality, love in his heart and uncertainty in his actions as he attempts to navigate a world of men who lurch from the opportunistic, controlling yet vulnerable Sergeant O’Neil (Charlie Hunnam) to the erratic, manipulative and power-hungry Constable Fitzpatrick (Nicholas Hoult) and the violent and brutal Harry Power (Russell Crowe). It is a world of men he longs to escape, yet one he knows will eventually consume him.
True History of the Kelly Gang may not be entirely true, but its ability to dig beneath the legend and explore the horrors of colonial rule, the toxicity of unchecked power, and the violence of a world built on social division feels far more authentic than any previous Ned Kelly story.
Director: Justin Kurzel
Cast: George MacKay, Essie Davis, Nicholas Hoult, Orlando Schwerdt, Thomasin McKenzie, Sean Keenan, Earl Cave, Marlon Williams, Louis Hewison, Charlie Hunnam, Russell Crowe
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