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Stingers – Ratcatcher (1998)

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clip Church goes undercover

Original classification rating: M. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

Under orders from boss Bernie Rocca (Joe Petruzzi) and supervisor Ellen Mackenzie (Anita Hegh), Peter Church (Peter Phelps) goes undercover at the railway yards. His target is railway worker Ronnie Gallagher (John Brumpton), a suspect in the case of a schoolgirl’s disappearance. Church arrives at the railways and introduces himself to Gallagher and his workmate 'Beefcake’ (Gary Adams).

Curator’s notes

by Kate Matthews

The briefing where the team get to know the personalities of their targets and devise a way to approach them is a standard feature of a Stingers episode. The series gets variety from the different personalities and approaches the agents adopt for each target.

The scene where Church goes undercover revolves around subtext: we the audience are in on a secret with Church. Our knowledge that Gallagher is a dangerous character also adds a layer of suspense to the situation. Phelps handles the subtext well. He’s a performer well suited to playing the tough guy cop who can easily slip into character as a criminal. Before Stingers, Phelps had shown his chops in the genre with his excellent performance as Abo Henry in Blue Murder (1995).

In this episode, the rail yards and the run-down rural area where the Gallaghers live provide a nice visual contrast with the urban setting of the Stingers base.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

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