the legend of ben hall review

Holmes has tried to tell Hall's story without deviating from facts. © 2020 METACRITIC, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. As with its subject, we'll never know. The performances are uneven, the dialogue dense and difficult for the actors, and it's too long. Even if it's the most historically accurate bushranging film ever made in this country – which might be true – that would not be such a hurdle, given how romantic and fanciful most of them are. Australia: Win Thriller ‘Apartment 1BR’ on DVD! In the artistic business, no one cares how hard you worked. The Legend of Ben Hall is compelling and rousing with a good cast and a strong hand in writer-director Matthew Holmes whose ongoing fascination with Hall, he also wrote and directed the short that led to the epic feature, leads to a fascinating if somewhat overlong and occasionally repetitive bit of historic adventure fiction. The Legend of Ben Hall is a rich, if flawed, portrait of a haunted man and a romantic tribute to the Australian bush as a mirage of freedom. Even the antagonists have somewhat bought into the legend, telling stories around the campfire of their encounters with the notorious outlaw. Sadly, Jack Martin is a bore as Ben Hall. This humanity is reflected in the antagonists, especially Indigenous Australian tracker Billy Dargin (played with compelling presence by Argus Pilukai). Both script and final cut needed pruning. Nor is he a villain. He worked with historian Peter Bradley, a descendant of Hall's younger brother, on establishing those facts, but there is much that has had to be guessed. Please log in again. Their plan is to steal enough money to buy passage to America, but Hall remains torn between the promise of escape and love for his estranged family. Australia: Win New Scott Adkins Action Movie ‘Seized’ on DVD! Ben Hall is drawn back into bushranging by the reappearance of his old friend John Gilbert. Hall's old accomplice John Gilbert, a Canadian with a mean and unpredictable streak (Jamie Coffa), persuades him back to work – holding up mail coaches and homesteads across the western plains. The Legend of Ben Hall opens with the warm golden glow of sunrise. Ben Hall is drawn back into bushranging by the reappearance of his old friend John Gilbert. As we meet Hall in mid-1864, his bushranging is largely behind him. Bradley has asked for the inquest into Hall's killing to be reopened: was it not simply police murder that he was shot about 30 times after he had fallen? Despite being partly crowd-funded, the film is as smoothly produced as any Hollywood blockbuster and the cinematography is simply incredible, encapsulating the unforgiving beauty of the Australian landscape. Check box if your review contains spoilers. Jack Martin plays him as a brooding man, resigned to his fate. In fact, they raised nearly double their target, and managed to turn what seemed like impossibly high aspirations even for a 40 minute short film into a full length feature, on a budget which was never-the-less minuscule. The latest movie to be released in the bushranger genre is The Legend of Ben Hall, written and directed by Matthew Holmes.Based on a true story and, determined to be faithful to historic fact, Holmes' focus has resulted in a film that will satisfy the serious historian, and also movie-lovers. He’s just doing the best he can in a complicated situation, as are most of the other police officers. Or does it? William Lee as John Dunn, Jack Martin as Ben Hall and Jamie Coffa as John Gilbert. This is not to say the film is without its lighter moments (particularly in scenes involving Jamie Coffa’s character), but overall, the tone does echo the seriousness of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (a film which Ben Hall does indeed give a nod to; with regard to the use of dream-like familial visions to help flesh out the titular character). The Legend of Ben Hall : Movie Review ... We even hope to get The Legend of Ben Hall on television! It’s an inspiring sight, and while the seams sometimes show via a … Martin and Coffa may bear a strong physical resemblance to their real-life counterparts, but their contemporary-sounding line delivery has all the dramatic heft of a Foster’s beer commercial. The chemistry between these three is crucial to the film's dramatic power but it's never quite right. Less would have been more, in every case. The film jumps straight into the action, with bushranger Ben Hall on the run from the police. Reforming the gang, they soon become the most wanted men in Australian history. Like Sidney Nolan’s famous series of Ned Kelly paintings, he seems ready to disappear into the landscape, or into his own legend. It's far from an art movie, but more art might have helped. Please enter your birth date to watch this video: You are not allowed to view this material at this time. He wants to get away to America, but has unfinished business. Directed by Matthew Holmes. Holmes thinks so, perhaps because of the manner of his death and the way he conducted his crimes. Reforming the gang, they …