Among all the iconic Aussie history lessons we were taught in school, perhaps one of the most gripping was the story of Ned Kelly.
But forget everything you know about the infamous outlaw because the Stan Original film True History of the Kelly Gang tells the story like you’ve never heard it before.
AACTA award-winning director Justin Kurzel’s fictional reimagining of Ned Kelly’s story is the final piece of Australia’s biggest ever line-up of brand new Originals this summer, landing fittingly on Australia Day.
Despite its dark subject matter, the flick is a true celebration of both Aussie history and talent.
Not only is it helmed by Kurzel, one of Australia’s most esteemed directors, but it also features a stacked cast of local talent, plus a few A+ international stars as well.
True History of the Kelly Gang stars BAFTA award-winner George MacKay (Captain Fantastic), Oscar-winner Russell Crowe (The Loudest Voice), Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road), Essie Davis (The Babadook), Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit) Claudia Karvan (Stan Original series The Other Guy), Earl Cave (Born to Kill) and Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy).
George MacKay plays the man himself, Ned Kelly
Russell Crowe as Kelly’s real-life accomplice Harry Power
Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam as Sergeant O’Neill
Kelly Gang combines everything Aussies love to see on-screen from wild moments to intense violence plus an element of truth mixed in there as well.
Guy Lodge of Variety described the movie as “lithe and volatile and recklessly stylised to the hilt,” adding that it has “moves like Jagger, but a head still teeming with language and history.”
So despite the series being a fictionalised retelling of the story, based on the Booker prize-winning novel by Peter Carey, it’s still seeped in Aussie history and culture that you’ll no doubt resonate with.
While other Ned Kelly flicks you’ve seen in the past may have romanticised the story, this gritty film paints a damaged and unhinged bushranger ready to unleash his wrath on anyone who has crossed him or his family, particularly his mother Ellen (Davis).
Davis comforting a young Kelly (Orlando Schwerdt)
“[Kelly Gang is] a raw rebel yell of a movie that combines visceral violence with a kind of delirious, scrappy poetry,” added David Rooney from The Hollywood Reporter.
The film has particularly been praised for its direction, featuring loads of gripping and terrifying yet somewhat dreamy scenes, set in the gorgeous Australian outback.
Just have a go at some of the captivating shots below:
On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, indicating “universal acclaim.”
If the international critics are raving about this inherently Aussie flick, then I guarantee that you’ll be obsessed as well.
The Stan Original film True History of the Kelly Gang is now streaming, only on Stan – Australia’s unrivalled home of original productions.
Catch the wild trailer below:
