The True History of the Kelly Gang review, Culture Whisper
With the circulation of fake news in the modern world, TV and cinema have been keen to emphasise the truth in their true stories; Justin Kurzel's fourth film, True History of the Kelly Gang, tries the opposite. ‘Nothing you’re about to see is true,’ says the opening title card. Given the legendary exploits of the Kelly Gang – an infamous group of 19th-century bushrangers (Australian bandits) that had a penchant for robbery and murder – the real facts behind their crimes are ambiguous.
But the most annoying deception in the title is not the enigmatic idea of 'truth', but the subject matter promised. True History isn't really about the Kelly Gang: it’s a fictionalised backstory of their leader, Ned Kelly, based on the Booker-winning novel by Peter Carey.
