I didn't like itUNDERBELLY: Like Neighbours, but with guns.
February 24th 2009 03:17
Based on the 1994-2005 gangland killings in Melbourne, this is a rare Australian attempt at big-budget 'world-class television'. Season 1 is an entertaining, addictive series, if you can get past the numerous flaws.
Problem number one is the dreadful Aussie TV production values, complete with overwrought, distracting music, heavy emphasis on melodrama, and cinematography that knows only two modes: crazy shaky zoomy for the action scenes, and endless slo-mo for other dramatically 'important' moments. The aesthetic is that of a soap, or a commercial, or a music video, with little interest in the subtle or cinematic. Witness, for example, what should have been the series most disturbing moment, the murder of Jason Moran at a kids' footy clinic, as it is all but ruined by some whacky student-film like mise-en-scene.
The stylistic hotchpotch is echoed in the show's confused narrative outlook, as it lurches from one tone to another trying to make up it's mind whether it's a hard-edged no holds barred gangster show, or an attempt to explore the soft human 'underbelly' of the criminal world. Probably the writers should have gone with more of the former, because the latter is done in the most clumsy and cliched way, deflating the tension by prefacing nearly every murder with maudlin scenes designed to make us feel for the victims before they are murdered; you know someone is about to be offed when they all of a sudden get a melancholic scene of domestic bliss where they are telling their wife/girlfriend/family how much they love them. The show works best when the murders come as a shock (Alfonse Gagitano, Benji), and are presented with scant motivation beforehand, and no examination afterward. It's at its worst when the writers do the opposite, telegraphing every plot twist and murder well in advance (occasionally, and most unforgivably, through the completely superfluous voiceover), or showing a killer's remorse after completing a terrible deed, such as Benji's contrived tears after killing one of his mates.
Having said all this, there is an undeniable pleasure in watching the revolving door of gangsters lie, cheat, trick, double-cross, and muscle their way into the spotlight, only to get knocked off within an episode or two of their introduction. This is what's fun about this show, and what sets it apart from previous gangster experiences. Before, we always knew that no matter how dangerous the world they lived in, James Gandolfini, Al Pacino, Ray Liotta, whoever our big stars were, they were always going to make it through to the final reel. But in Underbelly, because the writers are (loosely) following real events, characters are set up and offed almost immediately, no matter how much the writers/producers/audience have become attached to them. Were it not for this, one gets the feeling that Vince Colosimo would still be strutting around at the end of the series doing his Robert De Niro impersonation.
The acting is uniformly excellent, despite the clunky lines the actors are frequently forced to deliver. The obvious standout is Kate Stewart's supremely vitriolic Roberta Williams, who so steals every scene she is in the viewer is left wondering why she isn't running the Melbourne underground herself. It's hard to believe how her goofy bogan of a husband could become king of an empire, offing everyone around him without ever being touched himself. No wonder the real Carl Williams complained about his character being a "brain dead goose".
But the part of the show that seems least credible is everything related to Task Force Purana, portrayed as a team of disciplined and determined public servants, religiously following Sergeant Garry Butterworth's 'Professionalism, Integrity, Tenacity' (who comes up with this stuff?) watchwords. There's some major dissonance here as we're shown the cops acting all efficient and dedicated, while at the same time failing to make any investigative headway into the gangland killings. Despite all the dignified posturing, the only thing they actually do is turn up at the scene every time Carl Williams leaves a body in a pool of blood. So either the writers have failed to capture the full complexity of the Melbourne gang world, or the real story behind this is one of corruption and incompetence, which, this being a high-profile Nine Network production, there was no way we were ever going to be shown.
Underbelly is a fun show (the real Roberta Williams was reportedly offended by it until she realized it was a "comedy"), based on some fascinating source material, even if none of it is handled with anywhere near the sophistication of the show this is clearly in thrall to, The Sopranos.
So anyway, now that we've seen gangster movies or TV shows from the US, Italy, Australia, when are we going to see something based on events where the real action is, namely Mexico and Russia/Eastern Europe?
Problem number one is the dreadful Aussie TV production values, complete with overwrought, distracting music, heavy emphasis on melodrama, and cinematography that knows only two modes: crazy shaky zoomy for the action scenes, and endless slo-mo for other dramatically 'important' moments. The aesthetic is that of a soap, or a commercial, or a music video, with little interest in the subtle or cinematic. Witness, for example, what should have been the series most disturbing moment, the murder of Jason Moran at a kids' footy clinic, as it is all but ruined by some whacky student-film like mise-en-scene.
The stylistic hotchpotch is echoed in the show's confused narrative outlook, as it lurches from one tone to another trying to make up it's mind whether it's a hard-edged no holds barred gangster show, or an attempt to explore the soft human 'underbelly' of the criminal world. Probably the writers should have gone with more of the former, because the latter is done in the most clumsy and cliched way, deflating the tension by prefacing nearly every murder with maudlin scenes designed to make us feel for the victims before they are murdered; you know someone is about to be offed when they all of a sudden get a melancholic scene of domestic bliss where they are telling their wife/girlfriend/family how much they love them. The show works best when the murders come as a shock (Alfonse Gagitano, Benji), and are presented with scant motivation beforehand, and no examination afterward. It's at its worst when the writers do the opposite, telegraphing every plot twist and murder well in advance (occasionally, and most unforgivably, through the completely superfluous voiceover), or showing a killer's remorse after completing a terrible deed, such as Benji's contrived tears after killing one of his mates.
Having said all this, there is an undeniable pleasure in watching the revolving door of gangsters lie, cheat, trick, double-cross, and muscle their way into the spotlight, only to get knocked off within an episode or two of their introduction. This is what's fun about this show, and what sets it apart from previous gangster experiences. Before, we always knew that no matter how dangerous the world they lived in, James Gandolfini, Al Pacino, Ray Liotta, whoever our big stars were, they were always going to make it through to the final reel. But in Underbelly, because the writers are (loosely) following real events, characters are set up and offed almost immediately, no matter how much the writers/producers/audience have become attached to them. Were it not for this, one gets the feeling that Vince Colosimo would still be strutting around at the end of the series doing his Robert De Niro impersonation.
The acting is uniformly excellent, despite the clunky lines the actors are frequently forced to deliver. The obvious standout is Kate Stewart's supremely vitriolic Roberta Williams, who so steals every scene she is in the viewer is left wondering why she isn't running the Melbourne underground herself. It's hard to believe how her goofy bogan of a husband could become king of an empire, offing everyone around him without ever being touched himself. No wonder the real Carl Williams complained about his character being a "brain dead goose".
But the part of the show that seems least credible is everything related to Task Force Purana, portrayed as a team of disciplined and determined public servants, religiously following Sergeant Garry Butterworth's 'Professionalism, Integrity, Tenacity' (who comes up with this stuff?) watchwords. There's some major dissonance here as we're shown the cops acting all efficient and dedicated, while at the same time failing to make any investigative headway into the gangland killings. Despite all the dignified posturing, the only thing they actually do is turn up at the scene every time Carl Williams leaves a body in a pool of blood. So either the writers have failed to capture the full complexity of the Melbourne gang world, or the real story behind this is one of corruption and incompetence, which, this being a high-profile Nine Network production, there was no way we were ever going to be shown.
Underbelly is a fun show (the real Roberta Williams was reportedly offended by it until she realized it was a "comedy"), based on some fascinating source material, even if none of it is handled with anywhere near the sophistication of the show this is clearly in thrall to, The Sopranos.
So anyway, now that we've seen gangster movies or TV shows from the US, Italy, Australia, when are we going to see something based on events where the real action is, namely Mexico and Russia/Eastern Europe?
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