Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- fierce
- stylized
- unsettling
- arthouse western night
- historical crime double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's distinctive postmodern revision of Australian history while acknowledging that its unusual style may alienate some viewers.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film presents Ned Kelly's legend through an explicitly subjective, literary adaptation that questions inherited Australian history.
The gang's flamboyant clothing, aggressive music, and stylized presentation recast nineteenth-century bushranging through a modern punk sensibility.
Ned's formation is shaped by abusive authority, outlaw role models, and competing ideas of male strength and identity.
The film uses Kelly's exploits to challenge the stories and figures underpinning Australian identity.
Films like True History of the Kelly Gang, and why
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Shares a revisionist western approach, outlaw mythology, historical violence, and morally complex masculinity.
Chopper
Shares a stylized crime drama treatment of a famous outlaw, emphasizing myth-making and fractured identity.
The Proposition
Shares an atmospheric Australian historical setting, criminal protagonists, and a bleak critique of colonial authority.
The Nightingale
Shares a postmodern reworking of national history through heightened visuals, violence, and contested heroism.
Movie Details
- Director
- Justin Kurzel
- Release Date
- 2019-11-23
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (368)
Cast
- George MacKay
- Nicholas Hoult
- Essie Davis
- Russell Crowe
- Charlie Hunnam
- Orlando Schwerdt
- Earl Cave
- Sean Keenan
- Thomasin McKenzie
- Rory Collins
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is True History of the Kelly Gang about?
- A fiercely stylized reimagining of Ned Kelly’s outlaw legend, where colonial brutality and punk rebellion collide in the Australian bush.
- What is True History of the Kelly Gang like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of True History of the Kelly Gang as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is True History of the Kelly Gang violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in True History of the Kelly Gang as brutal.
- What did critics think of True History of the Kelly Gang?
- Critics broadly praised the film's distinctive postmodern revision of Australian history while acknowledging that its unusual style may alienate some viewers.
- Which films are like True History of the Kelly Gang?
- Films with a similar feel include The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Chopper, The Proposition, and The Nightingale.
- How long is True History of the Kelly Gang?
- True History of the Kelly Gang runs 125 minutes.
- Where can I watch True History of the Kelly Gang?
- In United States, True History of the Kelly Gang streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now.
