The Legend of Ben Hall

Holmes' unfocused screenplay makes clear that his subject was an honorable thief (Hall never took a life), but the writer-director never makes any of it matter.

Often the word "legend" in a film title can be a fairly good indicator that you're not in for a breezy frolic, but that still doesn't prepare you for the ponderously protracted slog that is "The Legend of Ben Hall."

As portrayed by Jack Martin, the bushranger is an imposing figure, tall craggy, blue-eyed and charming when he wants to be. But his motivations, except for the fact he wants his son back, remain sketchy.

There's a story here somewhere but I suspect the nub of it is at the beginning of Hall's bushranging career, rather than the end. Whatever the truth of it, Holmes is too tentative in his attempts to tease it out.

The film is a rich, if flawed, portrait of a haunted man and a romantic tribute to the Australian bush as a mirage of freedom.

The Legend of Ben Hall doesn't offer much, especially those not well-versed on legendary Australian bushrangers. It's probably a good idea just to skip this one.

As a celebration of a life lived on its own terms, it's a bit unappetizing, trying to make a hero out of a man who spent the majority of his life making trouble for others.

It's a serviceable Aussie Western set circa 1864, one that moves at a good clip despite being more than two hours long.

The long-neglected tale of bushranger Ben Hall - there was an ABC TV series way back in 1975 - receives a pretty good going over in this impressive, ambitious, incident-packed feature from writer/director Matthew Holmes.

This is far too long (half an hour could have easily been trimmed) and the actors aren't always up to it, and yet it's still worth persevering with, right down to the you-saw-it-coming, sub-Bonnie And Clyde ending.