Blue Murder

This fact–based story of the endemic corruption in the Sydney police force during the 1970s and '80s focusses on the principal personae of violent Sydney criminal Neddy Smith (Tony Martin) and Detective Sergeant Roger Rogerson (Richard Roxburgh).

Originally a three part ABC TV mini-series (it was not shown in NSW and the ACT because the real Neddy Smith was on trial at the time on seven counts of murder.it was re-edited into a feature-length drama that borders on the incoherent, the opening section being difficult to follow even with Neddy’s explanatory narration, not a little thanks to Martin’s tough guy Strine which is largely indecipherable (even for an Australian audience sub-titles are almost necessary)  . Although not clear why, you get the gist, which is that Detective Sergeant Roger Rogerson (Roxburgh also adopts an exggeratedly Strine accent) is a bad cop and that Neddy is his bitch.

Nothing much really happens for a good half of the film but director Michael Jenkins makes sure that there’s lots of action. Then about two-thirds of the way through a new main character is introduced: Detective Michael Drury (Steve Bastoni). For a while one seems to be in a different film then Neddy and Rogerson reappear and we’re back on track. Somewhere along the way we lose Peter Phelps but in recompense we gain Gary Sweet (in a dodgy wig). There’s less pointless action in the second part of the film which is a relief but then it just stops.

With a strong cast and with both Roxburgh and Martin turning in effective work, ably supported by a raft of recognizable Australian small-screen faces, Blue Murder should have appeal and perhaps it came across well on the small screen in its day but as a feature, editing issues aside, one can’t help but notice the lack of consistency. We get the occasional glimpse of something personal but by and large Blue Murder is an undifferentiated cavalcade of bad people doing familiarly bad things. And if that doesn’t appeal, there’s little else of interest.

FYI: Michael Jenkins whose career was largely in television, directed an earlier police corruption TV mini-series, Scales of Justice, with some of the same cast as this movie in 1983.

 

Want something different?