From the Archives: True History of the Kelly Gang uses a familiar story to explore desire

From the Archives: True History of the Kelly Gang uses a familiar story to explore desire

In the interest of getting “hard” copies of my work under one roof, I plan to spend the next few weeks posting the entire archive of my film journalism here on ScullyVision. With due respect to the many publications I’ve written for, the internet remains quite temporary, and I’d hate to see any of my work disappear for digital reasons. As such, this gargantuan project must begin! I don’t want to do it. I hate doing it. But it needs to be done. Please note that my opinions, like everyone’s, have changed a LOT since I started, so many of these reviews will only represent a snapshot in time. Objectivity has absolutely no place in film criticism, at least not how I do it. 

Without further ado, I present to you: FROM THE ARCHIVES.

Originally posted on Cinema76.

Mick Jagger played him in 1970’s Ned Kelly. Heath Ledger played him in 2003’s Ned Kelly. Now, George MacKay is playing him in this year’s True History of the Kelly Gang. For those not in the know, Ned Kelly is the legendary bushranger whose roving band of outlaws kept authorities on their toes in late 1800s Australia. While I went into this latest tale with absolutely no knowledge of Kelly’s story outside of “wasn’t that a Heath Ledger movie?”, I emerged from it with a thirst to learn more about this fascinating time in history as well as those who lived in it. And the research I ultimately did was not dulled by repetition because, as I understand it, True History of the Kelly Gang is highly fictionalized, title be damned.

In fact, the film begins with the following caveat as a title card: Nothing you’re about to see is true. This is probably a good thing, even though, as far as my own subsequent research has determined, it’s not really a factual statement in its own right. What’s really going on here is a dramatization of events that are mostly contested to begin with. Only the major bookmarks of Kelly’s life are known, with many of the details drawn from educated guesses. So some of it is true, and much of it isn’t. No matter. All the really counts here is that True History of the Kelly Gang is very, very good.

Based on the highly regarded novel by Peter Carey, adapted by Shaun Grant, and directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown), this tonally and structurally atypical film is not for everyone. But for those that dig its grimy style and purposefully uneven pacing, there’s some exciting storytelling going on here, with a roster of exceptional performances to boot.

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George MacKay plays Ned Kelly. He, his siblings, and his Irish parents live in Van Diemens Land in Australia at a time where the area was little more than a prison colony for the British Empire (apologies if I have some of the historic details wrong here). It’s not an easy life, with little by way of resources or money, and a lot by way of interference from the Victoria police. There’s a distinct tension between the Kellys, who would be considered lower class, and the higher class English/Scottish imports. For the Kelly family this means that they are barely scraping by to survive, while the matriarch, Ellen Kelly (an excellent Essie Davis) receives regular visits from the local police (repped here by a deliciously evil and pathetic Charlie Hunnam) in which sexual favors are exchanged for relative peace of mind.

The already precarious living circumstances crumble when patriarch John Kelly dies during a stint of incarceration, leaving an early-teenaged Ned as the man of the house, and Ellen with essentially nothing to survive on. She first attempts to “rent” Ned out to assist a famous bushranger, Harry Powell (Russell Crowe, terrifying), and when that doesn’t work out as planned, a hardened Ned stakes out on his own. Before long, he’s back home, he’s pissed at the world, and he’s ready to raise hell. Add some extra factors like a dishonest, selfish constable (Nicholas Hoult, devious as can be), and a meek young woman trying to escape the brothel life (Thomason McKenzie, wonderful), and now Kelly’s directionless rage has a target.

The first half of the film is used to motivate our protagonist and assemble the titular gang. The second half is a chase movie in which Kelly and company traverse the bush with the goal of being the violent fly in the British ointment, while doling out what they see as justice to those who wish to stop them. Both halves of the story are very well done, with a fearless, candid style typical of Kurzel’s previous work.  The blood is tangible, thick, and red in a way that makes even my iron stomach feel squeamish. Almost every shot in the chase portion of the film has a noticeable color filter on it — think Soderbergh’s Traffic, but with less of a novelty feeling. Oftentimes scenes are lit with a strobe light, or with a black light, giving them a surreal look that, while not accurate to the technology of the 1800s, does not feel out of place. It’s high style, for sure, but it’s never distracting. In fact, it’s much the opposite. It’s rock and roll filmmaking at its most artistic, and by the end, there should probably be an epilepsy trigger warning.

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There is an issue, however, with Kelly’s transformation from a guy who wants to do good into a guy who is willing to die just to fuck shit up. The motivation isn’t all the way there. While MacKay’s mad-eyed, hypnotic performance is enough to make it work, one cant help but feel that Kelly’s turn to violence is missing a link in its chain. Same goes for his further descent into absolute madness. For a film that ostensibly begins with a longform attempt at humanizing Kelly, it struggles at keeping that level of humanity alive. I get the sense that we are supposed to be rooting for him during the explosive climax, but it’s not the easiest thing to do. That said, this complicated characterization is valuable and rare, I just wish it was a little more thorough.

I can’t speak to Kelly’s sexuality in real life, but there is a queer undertone to some of his relationships that bubbles just below the surface. This seems purposeful, and it speaks to the idea of repression becoming rot. In the world that the Kelly Gang inhabits, there’s no room for anything but manly men and subservient women. If he had, for lack of better terminology, alternative desires, it’s not something he would advertise, lest he be further persecuted by those around him. Heck, the men of the Kelly Gang choose to wear dresses during battle so that it reads as “crazy” to the enemy, so it makes sense that Kelly’s sexuality, if it were indeed atypical, would be something for him to keep secret. Having an ambiguous queer subtext is a bold move, and given the sneakily erotic tone of many scenes, it’s one I’d like to give this film credit for.

It’s also suggested that a character (one of much higher social standing than Kelly) bangs a miniature horse with no shame…unless I’m reading the moment wrong, which I could be…but I don’t think so. The point is that this movie is very interested in the notion that humans have desires, many of which are hard to reconcile within a judgmental society—and that the metric by which such things are judged is made arbitrary by class distinction.

At the end of the day, whether True History of the Kelly Gang is factual or not is irrelevant. The goal here is to explore the many forces which could lead to violence so severe it becomes the stuff of legend. Such legends, as it were, are less about facts and more about truths, and the truths reached by this exciting, atypical thriller are more resonant than in so many other historical pictures.

Speaking of true stories: Russell Crowe famously stormed off the set of this movie because catering ran out of rice. That is all.

True History of the Kelly Gang is now available on VOD.

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