True History of the Kelly Gang (film)

True History of the Kelly Gang is a 2019 bushranger film directed by Justin Kurzel, written by Shaun Grant, and based upon the 2000 novel of the same name by Peter Carey. A fictionalised account of the life of bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly, the film stars George MacKay, Essie Davis, Nicholas Hoult, Charlie Hunnam and Russell Crowe.

True History of the Kelly Gang
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJustin Kurzel
Produced by
  • Liz Watts
  • Hal Vogel
  • Justin Kurzel
  • Paul Ranford
Screenplay byShaun Grant
Based onTrue History of the Kelly Gang
by Peter Carey
Starring
Music byJed Kurzel
CinematographyAri Wegner
Edited byNick Fenton
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • 11 September 2019 (2019-09-11) (TIFF)
  • 9 January 2020 (2020-01-09) (Australia)
  • 28 February 2020 (2020-02-28) (United Kingdom)
Running time
124 minutes[1]
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • Australia
LanguageEnglish
Box office$457,278[2][3]

It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2019. It was released in Australia on Australia Day 2020, by Transmission Films and Stan, in the United Kingdom on 28 February 2020, by Picturehouse Entertainment, and in the United States on 24 April 2020, by IFC Films.

Plot

Based on Peter Carey's novel, the film is a highly fictionalised account of the life of Australian bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang as they flee from authorities during the 1870s. It is ostensibly written by Kelly to his fictional daughter.

Cast

Production

Director Justin Kurzel mentioned he was developing the film in December 2016 while doing press for Assassin's Creed.[4]

In November 2017, the project was officially announced, with George MacKay cast as Ned Kelly, and Russell Crowe, Nicholas Hoult and Essie Davis making up the supporting cast. Filming was announced as beginning in March 2018 in Victoria, Australia.[5][6] By April, the film's production start was shifted to July.[7] Production started on 22 July.[8][9] It was revealed in September that Charlie Hunnam was cast in the film.[10]

Release

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2019 and will be released in Australian cinemas in 2020 by Transmission Films.[11] Australian streaming rights were acquired by Stan, which will release the film on their service as a Stan original.[12] The film was given a limited release in Australian cinemas 9 January 2020[13] and will be released on Stan on Australia Day, 26 January 2020.[14]

Picturehouse Entertainment will release the film theatrically in the UK and Ireland starting 28 February 2020.[15][16]

In September 2019, IFC Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[17] It was released on 24 April 2020.[18] and was number 1 at the box office.[19]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, True History of the Kelly Gang holds an approval rating of 79% based on 145 reviews, with an average rating of 6.89/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Its unusual approach won't be for all viewers, but True History of the Kelly Gang takes a distinctively postmodern look at Australia's past."[20] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21]

See also

References
  1. "The True History of the Kelly Gang". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  2. "True History of the Kelly Gang (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  3. "True History of the Kelly Gang (2020)". The Numbers. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  4. Leane, Rob (27 December 2016). "Justin Kurzel interview: Assassin's Creed". Denofgeek.com. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  5. N'Duka, Amanda (6 November 2017). "Russell Crowe, George MacKay To Star In 'True History Of The Kelly Gang' From Director Justin Kurzel". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  6. McNary, Dave (6 November 2017). "Russell Crowe, Nicholas Hoult, George MacKay Join 'True History of the Kelly Gang'". Variety. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  7. Keslassy, Elsa (30 April 2018). "Memento Films International Boards Justin Kurzel's 'True History of the Kelly Gang' With Russell Crowe". Variety. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  8. The Fleming Agency [@flemingagent] (22 July 2018). "Shooting starts today on True History of the Kelly Gang, screenplay by award winning writer, TFA's Shaun Grant starring George MacKay, Russell Crowe, Essie Davis & Nicholas Hoult #featurefilm #truehistoryofthekellygang #australiansinfilm #screenplay #writer" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 August 2018 – via Twitter.
  9. World Entertainment News Network (23 July 2018). "Russell Crowe posts bizarre Instagram video, fans ask 'what happened with you?'". Torontosun.com. Postmedia Network Inc. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  10. Keslassy, Elsa (6 September 2018). "Charlie Hunnam Joins Cast of Justin Kurzel's 'True History of The Kelly Gang'". Variety. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  11. Groves, Don (9 August 2019). "Justin Kurzel to direct TV drama series for Apple". Inside Film. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  12. Groves, Don (4 October 2019). "Stan boards Justin Kurzel's 'True History of the Kelly Gang'". Inside Film. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  13. Bradley, D.M. (13 January 2020). "Film Review: True History of the Kelly Gang". Adelaide Review.
  14. Groves, Don (18 November 2019). "Short theatrical window for 'True History of the Kelly Gang'". Inside Film. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  15. Dalton, Ben (21 November 2019). "Picturehouse Entertainment takes 'True History Of The Kelly Gang' for UK & Ireland". Screen Daily. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  16. "Justin Kurzel's TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG in cinemas 28 February 2020". Filmoria.co.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  17. Siegel, Tatiana (5 September 2019). "Toronto: Russell Crowe Drama 'True History of the Kelly Gang' Nabbed by IFC". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  18. "True History of the Kelly Gang". IFC Films. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  19. "Lowest Grossing No 1. Movies on the Domestic Box Office Chart". The Numbers.
  20. "True History of the Kelly Gang (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  21. "True History of the Kelly Gang reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 6 October 2019.

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