True History Of The Kelly Gang Movie Premieres On Stan Today

A movie detailing the rise and crimes of the notorious bush ranger known as Ned Kelly drops on Stan today.

You couldn't have a better day to watch True History of the Kelly Gang considering it's bloody Australia Day.

George MacKay stars in the titular role, along with Russell Crowe, who plays Harry Power, another bushranger who had Ned Kelly serve as an accomplice while he was a teenager.

Joining them are Sons Of Anarchy's Charlie Hunnam and The Favourite's Nicholas Hoult.

There have been several movies about Ned and his gang, with Mick Jagger becoming the bushranger in Ned Kelly in 1970 (which wasn't reviewed well) and Heath Ledger reprising the role in the similarly titled 2003 film (which fared only slightly better than Jagger's).

But the latest adaptation of the criminal's story has been getting rave reviews, so much so that it registered 100 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes last year.

Transmission Pictures

IndieWire's Eric Kohn wrote about the film: "The movie hovers in a curious paradox, coming across as both operatic tribute and horrific condemnation, but it's never less than a nasty crime drama with plenty of grimy characters to keep the stakes compelling throughout.

"Imagine Bonnie and Clyde in the Australian outback - a disturbing glimpse of criminality that provides a subversive taste of its appeal."

Variety's Guy Lodge adds: "After multiple failed attempts to capture the legend of Aussie outlaw Ned Kelly on film, Justin Kurzel's enthralling, unruly vision finally gets it right."

AV Club's A.A. Dowd said: "This new version adopts a veneer of grim and grimy authenticity, even as it takes some liberties with the history its title purports to be truthfully retelling.

"What's interesting about the film is the way director Justin Kurzel, working from a script by Shaun Grant, relegates all of Kelly's notorious exploits to the final passage of the movie-covering them in montage or eliding them entirely, in favor of the less frequently chronicled events that led up to them."

So if you're wanting to tuck into some Australian history on this brilliant day then look no further.

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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