Blue Murder

Blue Murder is nothing short of a masterpiece. It delves into the world of police corruption and criminal activity and leaves nothing to the imagination. Everything about it is made all the more incredible due to the fact it's all true.

The casting is nothing short of genius. Richard Roxburgh as the infamous detective/criminal/murderer Roger "the Dodger" Rogerson is so utterly convincing and accurate you'd swear it was the man Roger himself. Tony Martin is equally brilliant as the notorious Neddy Smith, the charming, brutal and cunning criminal mastermind. All of the supporting cast do equal justice to the show, in particular Peter Phelps as 'Abo' Henry.

Blue Murder will have you utterly engrossed for all of its 4 hour running time, and leave you amazed and shaking your head in disbelief at the end. This is the real stuff, as it happened, as remarkable, and unthinkable as it is to comprehend. Go out of your way to see this one.

It says a lot about the accuracy of information in this series that it was not shown on TV in New South Wales (the Australian state where the action takes place) during the trials and inquiries (including a Royal Commission into corruption in the NSW police force) involving the main 'characters'. The story is just astounding.... hard to believe these were the daily activities of the NSW police. Excellent acting throughout, including that of Alex Dimitriades, which convinced me that he is not just the pretty boy of 'Heartbreak High'. It really was compulsive viewing for me when it was first screened.

I¡¦m quite surprised to find out that I seem to be the only non-Australian user who ever commented on this incredibly good TV movie. I clicked the hyperlinks around and found the leading actor Richard Roxburgh is the Duke in Moulin Rouge. I ran across this TV movie several years ago when I was just looking for some interesting show, and there it was. I never had a chance to see the complete show, and our local channel split it into two parts. I was quite shocked by the authentic but acerbic delineation of the police as well as some extremely violent shots that would be refused by American TV producers. Actually I could believe that it actually happened in the 80¡¦s in Australia, which is supposed to be a highly democratic and peaceful in every way. The incredulous scenes of the police looting civilians and murder, and the most ironic medal awarded to our hero.

Of course all these elements do not constitute this film as a masterpiece; what make this flick worth recommendations are the actors¡¦ impeccable performance and the director¡¦s ability to withhold too much personal comment that would ruin the cold style throughout the film. The police gangs¡¦ drinking binge and their obsession with interests and power appall the audience, and their ambivalent sentiments toward each other bewilder me. Their many-faceted acts make them more solid and close to real persons, and we all have a better understanding of the time and that part of Australia. This is definitely the best TV movie of the genre, and I feel really lucky to have seen this film.

The screenplay, by Ian David, is the primary reason why BLUE MURDER is the best TV ever produced in Australia -- in fact, it is better than 95% of the features produced in that country. And, yes, calling it the GOODFELLAS of Down Under is not exaggerating.

Other reviews here have detailed the content of this mini-series, so no point going there. I just hope my raving about it inspires people who haven't seen it to check it out and marvel at the sharp characterizations, brilliant performances, Michael Jenkins' intuitive direction and ultra-realistic dialogue.

The series captures the Aussie vernacular like nothing else ever has and portrays a "matey" political and social environment within the police force that allowed corruption to fester and become an accepted part of everyday life.

One powerful sequence, where a crooked lawyer is indifferently dropped into Sydney Harbor with a stove around his neck, perfectly captures the dark side of the Aussie "She'll be right, mate" approach to dealing with problems.

Richard Roxburgh as Roger Rogerson is nothing short of a revelation, but major nods must also go to Gary Sweet (his best performance by far), Gary Day (brilliant), Bill Hunter (solid as usual) and Alex Dimitriades (chillingly real).

If you're only retiring to that desert island with one Aussie DVD, this should be it.

Blue Murder is far and away the best piece of television I have ever seen.

Never in my life have I seen a more well acted presentation. Every actor here is in top form, every scene works. This is not TV that tries to emotionally lead the viewer, it shows these brutal and truthful events as they occurred, and thats what makes it so engrossing, and so watchable, never once do we feel patronised by the makers.

Tony Martin is fantastic on every level as Neddy Smith, the seedy Sydney underworld character, portraying him to a tee. Steve Bastoni gives a totally believable performance as Micheal Drury. As Drury he gives Australian television possibly its most powerful scene ever after being shot in the kitchen of his family home. I can honestly say that this scene, where he tries to maintain control of himself while bleeding to death and trying to protect his family is the most anguishing scene of a mans life slipping away that I have ever witnessed.

However, the rest of the production is stolen by one man, Richard Roxburgh as the corrupt policeman Roger Rogerson. Roxburgh is a standout here, his is embued with that tough smoke and beer stained swagger that one associates with the 'old school' style of policing in the 70's and 80's in New South Wales. He and his police mates impeccably re-create the seedy and corrupt feel of tones of that plagued the NSW police through the 80's and 90's, complete with boozey lunches, prostitutes and revenge killings.

Blue Murder was not shown in my home state until 6 years after its production. It was considered too powerful, too close to the truth. It was feared it may influence several court cases that were proceding at the time along with the Corruption Commission set up to investigate such activities. With this in mind it is mind blowing to finally see what the rest of Australia has been privy to for the last 6 years.

Though 6 years old when first screened here, there's no doubt that Blue Murder is a landmark in Australian television. Its just such a shame that our best work seems to sprout from our darkest moments...