The Legend of Ben Hall (2017) Online

I can recall a UK TV series Ben Hall in the 70's with the very excellent Jon Finch in the lead...it was brooding and atmospheric with great acting...so I was interested to see how this telling of the tale would stack up. In short it far surpassed expectation.I was mesmerised by the sheer spectacle of the cinematography, the sublime acting especially by Jack Martin who reminded me of Danial Day Lewis which is not a bad thing,and a script which only included what was needing saying...And yes, it was brooding, it was atmospheric...with landscape to die for...This is a film the Australian film industry and especially all involved can justly be extremely proud of,it was a "simply outstanding" movie. Australia has made some cracking movies in the past and this stands up there with the best of them. If only Hollywood would / could produce more of this quality movie instead of the constant drivel it churns out with only the occasional gem. I have only ever bothered to review one other movie before that was " INK" by Jamin Winans...another masterpiece and a low budget independent. Nothing else was really worth the effort...Trust me..this movie is well worth watching

From knowing nothing of Ben hall to feeling like I know him and his gang personally. The legend it's self has sparked an interest in truly wanting to discover all about Australian history and the authenticity of this brilliant Aussie film is to be thanked. The director, Matthew Holmes, has thoroughly considered all aspects of history and has chosen the most breathtaking locations. The cinematography was absolutely wonderful and is perfectly matched with a heart wrenching score. The character biography's of all 3 leads is so interesting and is portrayed in such a personal way, that it makes one think about the helpless lifestyles our ancestors have had to endure. You can empathise with the young John Dunn and feel his inner urge to impress his cronies. William Lee's jaw dropping performance allows you to relate and find that place that we all hide in our inner Psyche, where we just wish we were a little bit older, wiser and tougher. The character portrayal of Jack (John) Gilbert makes you just see how common narcissistic tendencies can be seen in every day society. He shows how a demonic personality can entertain and thrill all at the same time. We all know someone just like him and Jamie Coffa portrays that scary class clown like a true star. Ben Hall is the vision of all our worst night mare coming true. Situational desperation which is captured by the lead actor Jack Martin, like it is a real life experience. It is a true Aussie treasure and anyone claiming to be an Australian owes it to them self to learn our history and there is no better way to explore the truth then to watch this breathtakingly awe inspiring film.

What a beautifully shot film!! Excellent cinematography, it almost out shone the stars!

After reading copious amounts of Ben Hall literature in my youth this is the best historically accurate telling without adding the usual 'Hollywood' style fluff to pad it out and make a more 'interesting' movie to the detriment of the real tale. It shouldn't, and didn't need it. Well done Mathew and crew!

Jack Martin bought to life the best portrayal of Ben Hall yet, as did the rest of the gang and support cast. Even though Jamie Coffa's John Gilbert, with his 'boyish laugh', was a bit over the top and sometimes annoying, I reckon the real Gilbert probably was too.

The costuming and set detail is one of the best I've seen to recreate an accurate picture of the period. That's something that's usually goes astray. Even right down to the accurate detail of the weaponry used which would have maybe even impressed the late bushranger historian Edgar Penzig. A hard man to please.

The great music score only added the majesty of the scenery and the use of traditional music off the period, always a must, added to the authenticity. The song Ben Hall as the end piece was beautifully haunting. The stunning work of Ross Morgan's portraits during the credits must also get a mention.

The gun battles were excellently and excitingly shot while the last scenes of Ben's demise were very moving to say the least. Those bastard traps!

And the most amazing thing? It was crowd funded and shot on a very limited budget …but you wouldn't know.

This is a mostly forgotten history lesson that needed telling. Move over Ned!

Sadly, the distribution of this film is patchy, to say the least, and it will not be found in most mainstream cinemas. That is a real pity, as it is far better than many "big name" films (I'm tempted to write a spoiler here about the one we saw a few days ago) and deserves to be seen more readily. We had to travel to another town to see it.

For a film made on, essentially, a shoestring budget, the quality on all scores is excellent. The Australian bush is captured beautifully, the casting and acting is entirely credible as are the sets and production values. The script brings out good character development in the main characters and the story itself is historically accurate to the point that it could almost qualify for documentary status.

Trying hard to look for negatives, the most I could suggest is that there could have been slightly tighter editing of some of the "moody pensive" shots and horse riding. But that was a minor consideration. I also should mention the great musical score.

Definitely worth seeing to visit the Australian bush of the 1860s and to learn of one of the most legendary of our bushrangers.

A mildly interesting story about an Australian bush-ranger that runs about half an hour too long. Very slow moving and not-engaging. By halfway through I'd completely lost interest in finishing the film, much less the "history". Apparently, for a review to be valid, it requires 5 lines of text, but I'm not sure that there are 5 lines worth of useful thoughts on a movie where almost nothing happens in 2 hours.

First of all I give this 10 because a. I don't usually pay to go and see Australian films especially when its showing 45 minutes from where I live and b.it has to be one of the best pieces of Australian film with some of the most amazing scenery that I have ever watched (and there have been many I have cringed at). Well done to the directors, producers and the actors and actresses. They depicted perfectly what I imagine life in those times would have resembled and I am so glad that eventually it was all they hoped it would be. Though I sympathise with families of the victims of the bush-ranging gangs I could not help but shed a tear for Ben and John Gilbert and John Dunn. It is so real to me. From my earliest days I recall my father and his mother telling me about my "Uncle Johnny" and never in mine or their wildest dreams would they have thought I would be (what I consider lucky enough) going to see a movie depicting his short life (Though I really hope he did not have a voice or laugh quite like Koffa's & I'd probably minus .5 for that) However I will be going to see it again and judging by the attendance in the cinema I'm sure I wont be the only one.

This film was wonderful!

I loved the depth of the bushranger characters, I loved the cinematic moments that embraced the Australian bush in such a beautiful and fresh way (I felt like I could feel the breeze and smell the gums!) and I loved that the film is authentic in sets and costumes AND based on a true story.

Can't believe I knew of Ned Kelly but not of Hall, Gilbert and Dunn.

Great story. Great music. Great work! Highly recommend it.

A special note on the beautiful score - the music was soaring. And the credits were artistically beautiful as well. These guys nailed it.

In 2014 the prospects of a film based on the life and historical accounts of Australian Bushranger, Ben Hall only existed on a Kickstarter Fundraising campaign from writer/director Matthew Holmes. Little did I think what was originally pitched to be a 40- minute short would eventually expand to a full-fledged feature length Australian Epic.

My first viewing of the film at its premiere in Forbes, NSW was nothing short of 'surreal'. Never did I think I'd see a film that had so many years of development, be incredibly authentic, insightful and entertaining for an Australian Bushranger themed film. It was such a superb effort that paid off big time! even two years after I contributed to the film's crowed funding campaign, I'd finally see a film I think has the great potential to be a modern Australian Classic.

Firstly, Ben Hall is one of the most prolific Bushrangers to roam NSW, even in the overall history of Bushranging his name is overshadowed by Ned Kelly's reputation. Yet, no one can deny Hall's exploits and rich history that make him a legend of colonial Australia that's still celebrated today, though not as internationally well recognized as Ned Kelly. About a decade ago, I first heard of Ben Hall in a historical textbook back when I was in year 9 just learning about the bigger picture of Colonial History, unlike most of my classmates at the time I loved it and have since maintained a healthy passion for it.

The film's plot is centered on the last 9 months of Ben Hall's life, Ben (Jack Martin) has been living it quietly for a while, though the authorities are still after him and his reputation of being an outlaw still proceeds him. Eventually upon the return of his mate Johnny Gilbert (Jamie Coffa) and following them; John Dunn (William Lee), they decide to ride for one last time to gather enough money to leave Australia and head to California. The film follows their exploits and daring deeds to accomplish such a task, though they're thwart with hardships and moral conflicts especially when it comes to the life of Bushrangers.

The history behind these events are for one fascinating, the film maintains this fascination by giving each of the characters on screen enough depth and dimension to be invested in as well as understanding their conflicts when it came to endangering their family and friends who lived more comfortable lives than being outlaws on the run. Seeing these characters and events play out on screen that I only merely read about in various history books was both insightful and thrilling. The entire cast are excellent I commend all them for their roles, as do I for the production team behind the costumes, make up, sets, props and cinematography that really make the period stand out, I can't remember the last time I saw an incredibly authentic looking film set in Colonial Australia. Ronnie Minder's score also captures the awe-inspiring beauty of the Australian Bush and the thrill of the action when it plays out on screen.

When it comes to 'Bush Westerns' or what I like to call 'films centered on Bushranging made here in Australia', are something of a rare breed nowadays. They were very active from the early days of Australian Cinema from 1906 to 1920, even active in the 70s and 80s particularly on Australian Television. This film particularly shies away from being in any sense fictitious as Holmes has maintained a great sense of being both historically accurate to the period and events on screen as well as just being an entertaining film for that matter, shedding light on history that people may not be all too familiar with, making this the 'Definitive Ben Hall Film'. The action is also some the best I've seen from a Bush Western in years, really capturing the thrill and excitement of what adventure in Colonial Australia would be.

I absolutely love this film, it may as well be the finest Bush Western I've seen to date. People may talk about other Bush Westerns whether it'd be 'Ned Kelly', 'The Proposition', 'Robbery Under Arms', 'Mad Dog Morgan' or 'The Outlaw Michael Howe', 'The Legend of Ben Hall' however is my top pick for the genre. Even upon hearing the prospects of a trilogy where two other films centered on Frank Gardiner and John Vane who were connected to Ben Hall are to be made, make me evermore excited to see that Bush Westerns are coming back.

I highly recommend this gem of a film as it's an Australian story that needed to be told and is executed on screen with such rigorous passion and with such incredible talent. It's a film that's entertaining as it is insightful, based a true story etched into Australia's history and should really be seen to be believed.

Don't miss it, saw it last night at the Cinema Paradiso, Ettalong and it was better than all of my expectations. Unreal factual Australian movie. This is history in our backyard and I will be watching it again. So many sad moments, the scenery was breathtaking, just loved it. I was a little perplexed why it didn't cover Ben Hall's early years but hopefully this could be for another movie. I only rated it a nine, this leaves room for improvement which will be hard. It was like watching a history lesson, so beautifully done, I believe this will be an Australian classic in the years to come. At the end of the movie, I loved how details of what became of each main character, this is a great Australian story. Well done and thank you everyone involved with the making of this fine classic, you should be very proud.

When we think of Australian bushrangers it's highly likely that the first name that springs to mind is Ned Kelly.

The armour wearing Irish outlaw that to this day remains one of Australia's most well-known figures has had his fair share of the spotlight when it comes to feature films, documentaries and countless other iterations, so it's about time we are treated to another bushranger fuelled local production and up and coming director Matthew Holmes is here to answer our call.

Based on the true story and inspired by Holmes work on the short film The Last Days of Ben Hall, The Legend of Ben Hall sees us transported to the dangerous and violent lands of a burgeoning Australia in the 1860's were wanted bush bandit Ben Hall and his various band of fellow trouble makers are hunted through the thick surrounds of the bush as they try and secure themselves fortune by various robberies, hold-ups and other dastardly deeds.

I for one must admit to not knowing about Ben Hall and his tribulations as an outlaw of the local lands but Holmes captures the time and place in our history fantastically to give us a first-hand insight into the later life of this everyday man turned hunted criminal.

The film looks great, filmed with a steady hand and a keen eye; there really aren't many local productions that feel this polished. From gun fights, hand to hand brawls, through to simply capturing the rugged natural wilds of a yet to be civilised Australia, Holmes and his production team have nailed the setting completely but Legend's failure to connect us emotionally to Hall, some disappointing acting and a runtime that needed some extra trimming all hold the film back from becoming the truly great experience it could've been.

While he certainly looks the part, in the lead role of Hall, actor Jack Martin struggles to convey the necessary range we needed to invest ourselves into Hall as our central figure and he remains a somewhat mysterious figure throughout, as we're never shown his early beginnings or real reasoning behind becoming the figure he became and while the man never took a life as far as we know, it doesn't exactly make him a likable persona.

The other notable downfall of this otherwise cut-above local production is the supporting turn of Jamie Coffa as Hall's outlaw sidekick John Gilbert. Coffa's turn is at times nigh on unbearable as his Gilbert cackles and crazies his way through various scenarios and it feels like a turn dialled up to 11, when it needed to be dialled quite a ways back and while it's nice when actors try and liven up dramatic proceedings, Coffa's turn feels way out of place here.

The Legend of Ben Hall shines a light on a little known piece of Australian history and showcases Holmes often impressive skill as a director, that should make local and international audiences excited for his next outing, the horror tinged Territorial, that hopefully will be finding its way into cinemas sometime in the near future.

Not always on the mark and frustrating in some of its execution, particularly within its performances, The Legend of Ben Hall is however a finely put together independent local production that deserves a larger audience on home video formats than it was afforded in a brief cinematic run towards the end of last year.

3 trigger happy officers of the law out of 5

growing up in Ben Hall country really made this movie something special to me . As a child spending days fishing the Dog and Duck lake . Searching for old relics at the site of the Inn .Feeling the spirit of those men while sitting under some aged red river gums knowing those gums would have sheltered the bush rangers .Also having an understanding of the distances they traveled all comes to life as i watched BEN HALL. ON a recent visit to Forbes i was fortunate to meet the cast of Bushrangers it was very brief but great to chat about how they felt portraying the gang .On occasions growing up there i had visited where Hall was shot and Gilbert .As well as there graves .I give full credit to all who made this come to life

A B MOVIE AT BEST, Don't know why this movie has received such highly rated reviews, it must be the directors family !! The movie is so lame, awful script, awful acting and about 45 minutes too long. Gilbert looks like a scarecrow and I dare say that a scarecrow would have played a better part and that stupid false girly laugh !!!!! Very poor all round, lacking in action and what action there was had the police unable to shoot anything but trees (apart from the end which had Hall shot 100 times and he was still standing. All in all a big disappointment, don't waste your time with this one. Total rubbish.

Getting right into my movie/art criteria:

Do I believe the characters? Yes! Right down to the supporting cast and minor characters -- I can't think of one I thought was acting a part in a movie.

Do I care about the characters? 100% -- absolutely.

Do I believe the story? Without a doubt. So believable, I felt I was watching a documentary, that I was secretly following Ben Hall's bushrangers around, from the comfort & safety of my modern home.

Do I care about the story? Yes! I was sad that the movie ended.

I wanted to keep following the gang around -- I wanted to see even more, but the story ended; there was no more to be seen.

The Lengend of Ben Hall has joined my group of favorite outlaw movies, along with Unforgiven, American Gangster, and Josey Wales.

The difference between Ben Hall and those others, beyond the obvious change of scene is, it evokes a different feeling. The classic outlaw pics have a decidedly familiar feel and context. As such they are not too much of a stretch for the emotions. With Ben Hall, the people, the landscapes, the music -- it's all unusual, a bit strange, a bit of a challenge to relate to. Something new and unusual can be a bit unsettling, even daunting. I find it refreshing.

Ben Hall is a slow paced film. Scenes and situations have ample time to evolve. I find the slow pace appropriate to the intent of the film.

Finally, loved Jack Martin's rendition of an introverted Aussie Bandit -- I look forward to seeing his evolution as an actor.

This production is based on the true story of Ben Hall the infamous and legendary Australian bushranger. Unfortunately we don't see much of his exciting life, just the last 9 months. Sort of like watching "The Legend of Butch and Sundance" with the film starting in Bolivia but not as short as Monty Python's "Death of Mary, Queen of Scots." The film could have just as easily been titled, "The Death of Ben Hall" as it failed to show us why the man was legendary, just why he was dead.

The Ben Hall (Jack Martin) in this film is dull and lifeless. He is melancholy about being separated from his son. Personalty is reserved exclusively for John Gilbert (Jamie Coffa) a flamboyant outlaw. Like so many low budget films the high budget past was "as read." It has all the components of an outlaw western, but knowing what they left out made the film a disappointment.

Guide" F-word. Implied sex. Very brief nudity.

First of all boring, I couldn't cope with the main character or the rest of them. A fearless outlaw who never shot anyone, a cheated husband who hit at one of his best friend's wife, eager for revenge, never actually does it, wanted to go to America, never did something in that direction. At some point I really wanted to hunt him myself. A non hero, a non anything, with my deepest apologies to Australian people if this offends them. I never seen a gun fight where nobody is able to shoot someone, not to kill but only shoot, in my entire life. Well except the end, there apparently nobody missed ...

I need to state I have NO direct connection to the Production of TLOBH, other than I became aware of it when it was a crowd funded short and have followed its journey from afar, on line, ever since. I remember thinking then that the scale of the story seemed to lend itself better to a feature film, clearly the creative team thought the same and thank god they did, thus comes the tale of Ben Hall (Jack Martin) a father and low level criminal who didn't willingly choose a life of crime. Hall is forced to choose between a life of poverty and one that might provide his family with a decent future. Therein lies the dichotomy for the central character in this engaging study of Australia's first elusive Bushranger. Along with his gang of robbers, a mixed bunch if ever there was one, John Dunn and Johnny Gilbert (Jamie Coffa and William Lee) the unlikely trio force the law enforcement to take action and the hunt for them is on. Will Hall's ever deeper slide into a life of crime push him away from his family forever or can he give them all a new life before it's too late?

Criminally ignored by Austrailia's film festival circuit, I find it incredible that this is a feature film that started out from nothing, with very little assistance from the larger bodies of the professional industry down under has not been better supported by the movers and shakers in the industry in Oz. If ever there were a film to praise under such circumstances it would be this one. Matthew Holmes and his team have created a rich and believable world here, full of texture and character of the period that is entirely convincing. The action scenes are tense & gripping while the cast of largely unknowns, hold their own against many of Australians cinema leading contemporaries. The lead performance of Jack Martin is appropriately cold and well measured while Jamie Coffa brings an unusually camp energy to the proceedings which leaves one wondering if wine & women were not the only things his character were into. Holmes gets strong performances from the rest of his cast too - stand outs for me were Callan McAuliffe, whom I genuinely believed was an English actor from his accent and very nicely underplayed. William Lee is appropriately nervy while the man charged with Halls Capture, the Constable who hopes in vein to take Hall alive (The actors name I cannot recall) was extremely natural. Matthew Holmes clearly had a strong vision for his film and he has stamped it in all the right places. The rolling landscapes of New South Wales, not somewhere I am at all familiar with, were brought vividly to life, production design was excellent and the score by Ronnie Minder is something James Horner would have been proud of.

In the digital age it is perhaps more feasible to make a feature film than ever before, but still not many people do it and that's because its hard, to make a period film, even more so, a further dilemma, when your hero is really an anti hero and the film is not a traditional good vs evil story, here everything is far more shades of grey, risky, but the film is so much stronger for it. It is right and proper that the film is now getting a decent release and I strongly urge you to support it. Anyone who likes the Western genre is unlikely to be disappointed here and while the film may feel long, the journey of the characters cracks along and the end creeps up on you before you know it. More like this from Australian Cinemas please.

Dreadful. Sceanery is nice though. Acting was appalling. The movie moved between comic, drama and utter silliness. I like Australian movies but this was a turkey. Costumes okay, script terrible. Actors had really nice teeth...... which is quite odd for the time period. Beards looked realistic, all I could think about was that least a few 'hipsters' were earning a few bucks!

If I knew about The Legend of Ben Hall last year then I would of seen it in the cinemas. I found out about this awesome film in a class at film school after being tasked with researching it, I found that I was in need of getting this film for myself. Recently I found it at DVD store so I brought it and watched it.

My opinion of the film; that it's a great Aussie Film. The acting, costuming, props, and everything about it was amazing. The lengths that Matthew Holmes went to keep it historically accurate amazed me. Many films can say they are accurate but in most cases they are betrayed in a fictional and story driven way. However this isn't the case here. When I finished watching it, I had to have a moment to take in the visuals. Because they are amazing. I was very much liked them to a point where I went and watched the special features to find out how they made it. The film is something that audiences love out Hollywood Westerns. It capabilities that essences but it isn't necessarily fictional. It actually happened.The drama That Ben Hall comes from historians that consulted with Matthew Holmes on the script.

Because Great Aussie Films sometimes aren't seen by Australians. This film, I feel is a must see for any who loves Australians films, History of Australia and just good Australian Westerns. Sometime great Aussie flicks aren't seen at all. This one is a must to track down and get.

9 out 10, worth every dime.

We had a great night watching this movie in Collector New South Wales Australia. we sat in The actual field where he shot the policeman. The actors were believable. The plot and script felt truthful not done in a Hollywood way. The costumes were well done and makeup felt realistic. It was a good watch well worth purchasing the DVD which we have enjoyed watching in our own home.

This is one of the finest Australian films of the last ten years. It is a masterfully told true story full of dangerous action scenes and wonderful suspense. Writer-Director is a new talent to keep a close eye on. For someone so young, he has demonstrated a mature sensitivity and depth in the telling of this important historical story. Race out through the wind and rain to grab a copy on Blu-ray! It's a top picture!

There was no Legend in the story and named Ben Hall first seemed to be a cowboy western movie like Clint Eastwoods' The Outlaw but here it was none. Can't blame the Aussies for this but rather the director and the script was simply awful. I would say this to director - if you make a fact or true story based movie then make it like "The life of Ben Hall or The Story of Ben Hall" but don't just call it a "Legend". I would tell viewers worldwide to skip this movie and go for another which has good script and story.

This film is awesome. It captures the true history of our local legends and area as a lot of the film is set in Binda, Australia. Knowing the legend well and folk stories surrounding it, the makers and actors of Ben Hall are spot on. Well done and I wished it was longer!!! We also managed to put the movie on for two runs in Binda Hall and there was standing ovation at the end of each screening. If you want to see a bushranger / western movie that is authentic then this is it!!!

A brilliant story, excellent cinematography, fantastically director with exceptional acting.

I cannot believe I have never heard of Hall, Gilbert and Dunn.

I highly recommend this gem of a film as it's an Australian story that needed to be told.

I've been following the making of this movie since preproduction days and now after seeing this movie, the acting, the production itself, to see a movie that sticks to the true history instead of the truth being lost entirely, was a wonderful sight to behold. Well done to Matt and the crew for all your hard work...which I'm sure wasn't work at all, as you all appeared to be enjoying yourselves at every stage of putting this movie together. It's great to see a brilliant Australian movie reinacted so well, more importantly to stand up and be recognised against any Hollywood movie. Can't wait to see more of your work in the not too distant future.

I bought two copies of this movie, one for my friend and one for myself and also ordered the collector's edition.

Watched the DVD when I arrived at my friends' home, as she has the BIG screen TV, I couldn't wait until I got home to watch it.

What can I say!! OMG! I KNEW this film, The Legend of Ben Hall, was going to be awesome! WOW!!! It's FANTASTIC! ALL Australian's should OWN their copy!

All the actors were FANTASTIC!! Loved the way Jamie Coffa portrayed John Gilbert! Loved that character!

The numerous places where this film was being done were beautiful. It shows the viewer the beauty of this great land of ours.

Matthew Holmes, the Director of this film, and his team, made it as authentic as they could. It was so authentic that in a couple of the shoot out scenes, the main characters reloaded their guns during the shoot outs. I have NEVER seen anyone reload their guns/pistols/rifles in ANY movie. I'm sure you have sat and watched a western etc., where there is a shooting scene and they seem to have a bottomless pit of bullets in their weapons!

The costumes also were wonderful and definitely for the right period. The makeup was also amazing.

Congratulations to EVERYONE who was involved in the making of this GREAT Aussie film! All your special talents shone through it.

Do yourself and your family a favour! Go buy YOUR copy of this AMAZING film! You WONT be disappointed!