History is full of weird and fascinating moments. As we said in our Watchmen series, history has bloody hands. There is no other way around it. History overflows with murderers, rapists, racists, discrimination, sexism, wars, famines - and the list goes on. Moments that are so dark that we dare not even speak of them. Much like what we learned from our coverage, earlier in the year, of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre: the people of Oklahoma actively went out of their way to purge that dark day of racism and violence from its history books. It worked for a short period of time. HBO’s Watchmen reintroduced the horrendous event back into the conversation and begged the question – how much has seriously changed in nearly 100 years?
That is solely American history. Other countries have their own histories, events, and stories. Sometimes if it is not something that outright affects American soil, we do not typically hear about it - at most, we might hear certain excerpts here and there. For me, I cannot really think of any other events outside of wars. So, in sitting down for True History of The Kelly Gang, I was learning something completely new. Prior to this viewing, my only foreknowledge of the famed outlaw was the 2004 film, Ned Kelly, which I should mention I have not seen. That version saw the late Heath Ledger in the titular role. Nearly 20 years later, Hollywood is introducing the Australian bushranger to a new generation in True History of the Kelly Gang.
Following in the footsteps of Ledger, John Forde (1906’s The Story of the Kelly Gang), and ironically enough, Mick Jagger (1970’s Ned Kelly) is 1917 star, George MacKay. True History is what I am assuming would be an updated version of the other biopics, though, having not seen them, I cannot honestly be certain. True History depicts Kelly’s vicious upbringing, arguably forced slavery, and his eventual rise to outlaw status. For a film that centers on an outlaw, True History never once grabs audiences the way you’d be expecting. The problem with the biopic genre is finding a creative way to convey the story to the audience. Taking somebody’s entire life and trimming it down into a two-hour time period is difficult. The Kelly Gang approach is for MacKay to narrate his story from troubled childhood to bitter end to his unborn son.
While there is inherently nothing wrong with this approach it feels more like a mockumentary or college professor lecturing on the life of Kelly than an actual movie. Outside of a handful of scenes, namely the short screen time of Russel Crowe, the movie hardly progresses past monotone. It never reaches the thrilling aspirations of its subject. Instead I found myself captivated by other areas of this movie. The score by Jed Kurzel is a phenomenal addition to the movie. Kurzel is able to elevate what would otherwise be a bland retelling of historic events and adds dramatic weight. The addition of his score conveys a new depth that would otherwise leave the film lost without emotion. Similarly, the cinematography is another welcome factor. Ari Wegner does a superb job at adding beauty to what can sometimes be a pretty dark subject.
While the score and cinematography add to this film, the performances within it never take anything away. The aforementioned Crowe performance is a prime example. Given how little Crowe is actually in the film, he still manages to give viewers goosebumps. Given the star power this film boasts in MacKay, Crowe, Charlie Hunnam, and Nicholas Hoult – just to name a few – they mostly feel wasted here. MacKay feels like the other exception to that statement. However, that’s mostly because he’s playing the lead character. A good deal of the performances here lack the emotional conviction capable to truly disappear within the role. That’s mostly the feel of the film as a whole though. As previously mentioned, it feels very monotone, which in the end results in a movie that feels longer than it actually is.
Overall, True History of The Kelly Gang is a bland biopic at best. The film might have an impressive cast in its chamber, but they are mostly nothing more than performances void of emotion. Maybe it’s the script or maybe it’s the cast. True History seems to drag from frame to frame never once capturing the thrilling life of its subject in Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. Outside of performances from Russell Crowe and George MacKay, this film offers little to nothing – quickly fading into obscurity. While the film offers little on the physical screen, it has more to offer more behind the curtain. With a stunning score from Jed Kurzel & breathtaking cinematography from Ari Wenger – True History wrestles up beauty. These two cinematic elements add some much-needed depth to keep viewers mesmerized throughout the two-hour duration. True History of The Kelly Gang never reaches the heights of thrilling but succeeds in spades with its beauty.
RORSCHACH RATING:
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and you are struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message or tweet to us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written and produced by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey. Music by Yuriy Bespalov & Beggars. This post was edited by Cam Smith. True History of Kelly Gang is property of IFC Films. We do not own nor claim any rights. True History of Kelly Gang is available on digital April 24h, 2020.
You can now support us on Patreon. Help us get mental health resources into schools and get exclusive content at the same time. Click here to join today!