Epic Australian western The Legend of Ben Hall portrays the last years of the titular bushranger with handsome production value and an emphasis on historical accuracy, resulting in an introspective western that is as fascinating as it is engrossing.
It’s a mystery why the Australian western isn’t as prolific as it should be. While many movies set during Australia’s colonial times focus on the suffering of the nation’s indigenous people (near the point of shoulder-shrugging indifference), films about bushrangers and their renegade exploits are few and far between.
Director Matthew Holmes (Twin Rivers) aims to change that with The Legend of Ben Hall, a historical biopic about notorious bushranger Ben Hall who despite having committed 600 crimes (mostly robberies) did not kill a single person during his criminal capers.
The Legend of Ben Hall is set during 1864 in the colony of New South Wales, as Ben Hall (Jack Martin) tries to stay a step ahead of the police – or “traps” – vying to bring him in. Estranged from his young son Henry (Zane Ciarma) and with no prospects, Ben plans a move to the United States, an expensive proposal that he intends to fund through an epic crime spree across the colony that enhanced his legend and brought on new government powers aimed to bring him down.
Despite working with a limited budget, Holmes delivers an impressive looking film filled with eye-catching period detail courtesy of production designer Das Patterson (The Dressmaker) and costume designer Michael Chisholm (Lake Mungo). The location of Forbes, New South Wales, is beautifully captured by cinematographer Peter Szilveszter, with shoot-outs in dense forest areas resulting in a visual palate both uniquely Australian and an antithesis of to the typical dusty climes of the classic American western.
As the title character, Jack Martin cuts an imposing figure: tall, handsome, ruggish. Most impressive is how Martin conveys regret and remorse behind Hall’s steely-eyes, and an awareness of an ever-growing reckoning upon his head and soul. While Hall didn’t take a life, his action led to the destruction of many livelihoods, including (ultimately) his own. Holmes doesn’t ask us to feel sorry for him, but he does convey the message that Ben Hall the legend could only happen at the destruction of Ben Hall the man.
