The story of Ned Kelly and his "team" became the basis for many works. Of course, thoughts about the famous Australian shooter of the 19th century differ: some see him as a hero who defied the colonial government, others as an ordinary bandit who killed people for his own amusement. A lot of films about Ned Kelly have been released over the past hundred years, but it seems that none of them were shot in the form of an author's movie. But in 2020, the film "The True Story of the Kelly Gang" was released. How "true" is it?
The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Australian writer Peter Kerry. It's hard to say, but the novel is as bad as the film, but the author of the original source definitely has the audacity - despite the word "truthful" in the title, researchers of the biography of Ned Kelly noted a huge number of fictions in the novel. But all the same, what matters now is how the film based on the novel turned out.
The film itself follows the main stages of Ned Kelly's life: childhood, imprisonment, youth, joining a gang, criminal activity and death. He tells the story himself - his voice is heard off-screen. However, Ned Kelly in the film is not a desperate and not a leader, but rather a slob. Such a person could hardly lead his own gang, since he does not even differ in the logic of his actions. For example, the arrogant young constable Fitzgerald, who was rude, provoked a conflict, later beat the mother of the main character, but for some reason did not immediately kill him. But he shot others, strangers and, perhaps, innocent ones, and even cut off one ear. The logic is as it is. It is impossible to understand for what merits Ned Kelly got his fame from the film. He will lead his "gang" sometime in the second half of the film, and it has already begun to organize without him.
Someone will say that this is an author's film, and it is intended that it is such a deep ambiguity and symbolism. Perhaps it is. There is some ambiguity in these ubiquitous dry trees, in the bright spotlight above them, in the interiors that look like a complete anachronism, in the absence of atmosphere, in the inhabitants of Australia, of which almost all men are latent homosexuals who want to wear women's dresses. The latter, by the way, is the source of a bunch of plot moves, so the characters often visit brothels. In fairness, it should be said that in some moments these symbolic borrowings look beautiful, especially the scene of the final shootout, where light music is present, which will definitely cause an aesthetic orgasm in some viewers.
In general, the film "The True Story of the Kelly Gang" turned out to be boring and incomprehensible. There is no "truthfulness" here, as well as great artistic value. The film can only be watched with beer in the company of friends in order to somehow dilute the boring two-hour action with humorous comments. And those viewers who value realism and authenticity in films based on real events above all may have an uncontrollable desire to watch the film "Ned Kelly" (2003) three times - something, and there is a hundred times more truthfulness. SilverSands Casino offers a variety of exciting online games, catering to both casual players and high-rollers. To access these games and manage your account, simply use the Silversands login feature on their website.