Justin Kurzel is just the latest in a number of indie filmmakers who had a critical darling, then made a failed leap to blockbusters, only to go retreating back to their comfort zone. The Macbeth and Assassins Creed director is back with True History of the Kelly Gang, about one of the most infamous outlaws from his native Australia.
While Kurzel getting back to his roots is a pretty big draw, for me it’s the cast he’s assembled that is truly amazing. 1917 star George MacKay plays Ned Kelly, the Aussie bushranger and gang leader whose stylish criminal activities (he fashioned his own body armor!) made him a rock star to some, a murderous villain to others. The Kelly Gang were so famous, they became the subject of the world’s first feature-length movie in 1906.
MacKay is joined in the film by Jojo Rabbit‘s Thomasin McKenzie, Nicholas Hoult, Russell Crowe, The Babadook‘s Essie Davis, Charlie Hunnam, and more. Damn.
IFC will release True History of the Kelly Gang in 2020.
