Australian
Screen

Clip description

Police officer Steve Owen (Rodger Corser) discusses the Alphonse Gangitano murder case with his boss Gary Butterworth (Frankie J Holden), after discovering that the key witnesses have left the country. On the streets of Carlton, Alphonse Gangitano (Vince Colosimo) – greeted along the way by Carl Williams (Gyton Grantley) – revels in the knowledge that the case against him has collapsed. It seems like it’s business as usual, as Gangitano hangs out at the footy field with his friends Mick Gatto (Simon Westaway), Lewis Moran (Kevin Harrington), Mario Condello (Martin Sacks) and Graham Kinniburgh (Gerard Kennedy).

Curator’s notes

While the crime figures depicted in Underbelly are based on real people, the police characters are fictional, albeit inspired by an amalgam of police officers who worked on the real cases. These fictional police characters represent a contrast to the amorality of the underworld characters. Butterworth, the head of the investigation, bakes shortbread and gives stern lectures about professionalism and integrity. James brings camaraderie and empathy. Owen presents an archetypal narrative of the idealistic, driven newcomer rising through the ranks. This scene is an early moment in that trajectory. It’s a very different police force to that seen in Blue Murder (2005), often compared with Underbelly due to both being based on real events and banned in certain states. That mini-series focused on systemic corruption and an intermingling of police and criminals.

The scene with Gangitano creates an image of the Melbourne suburb Carlton that could have been dreamt up by Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, 1972). According to some commentators, this was in fact a stereotype Gangitano aspired to. Anecdotally, the images seen here of his self-important street parade may be the way he is primarily remembered by uninvolved bystanders who spent time in Carlton during Gangitano’s era, or read the local press. So despite its cinematic influences, it also rings true with images from the time. At the end of the sequence there’s a reminder that beneath the cultivated aura of glamour lies basic thuggery.