10 out of 10 may seem like quite a high rating but i thoroughly enjoyed the 4 part miniseries and while not perfect, nothing is, i'm rating it 10 because i was so engrossed the whole time. ABC featured all four episodes to stream on Iview and after watching the first episode on live TV, i could not wait a whole week for a second serve.
I did start reading the book and gave up a few chapters in. While it was interesting and did at one point hook me in, i found the author who is brilliant, Christos Tsiolkas, is a strong story teller through the amount of detail he uses to set up plots, characters and scenes. I found the book at times be quite indulgent and while important in setting the scene, i wanted the book to progress at a faster pace. The miniseries however i found very rewarding as for time reasons, it was condensed and the narrative moved quickly which i liked. While i did not connect with the book, i appreciate it and could see how it is such a compelling read. Seeing it on the screen, i really respect the book for painting such a complex story of Danny, who is such a complex character.
Elias Anton as Danny and Ben Kindon as Martin Taylor did such a superb job of bringing their characters to life. It was compelling to watch, they had major chemistry on screen which added to the direction of the storyline. Rachel Griffiths was outstanding as well, she nailed the cold and privileged mother. Matt Nable as Frank Torma though was a force, he gave a truly outstanding performance. A bare minimum Logie nomination for most outstanding actor, if not the win because he was just mesmerising. Playing a coach, you felt obliged to listen to him, like you were his student. This TV series really does deserve several nods in all categories at the Logies next year and AFI awards.
I have to admit, i've been slack to acknowledge the ABC as suppliers of brilliant Australian drama, the only shows i watch on the ABC are Please Like Me and Dance Academy (back in the day) but i am certainly paying attention now. They are such wonderful contributors to Australian television and i'm going to make sure i am aware of all future TV projects because i would have felt very saddened had i not been aware of this television series. Support local production! Barracuda is a shining example of the talent in our industry. Wonderful story writing, talented actors, beautiful cinematography. Really spot on. Well done to all involved! A true feat.
