Blue Murder (mini-series)

Blue Murder
Format	Drama
Starring	Richard Roxburgh Tony Martin Steve Bastoni Bill Hunter
Country of origin	Australia
No. of episodes	2
Production
Running time	198 min (in total)
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	14 September 1995 – 21 September 1995

Blue Murder is a two-part Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1995, and is based on true events. Given its confronting content, the DVD release was classified MA 15+. An injunction brought during Arthur "Neddy" Smith's appeal against his life sentence saw its broadcast delayed in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory for six years, until 2001. In New Zealand the DVD release was classified  R18  for graphic violence and offensive language.

Set in the 1970s and 1980s in Sydney, the miniseries concerns the relationship between controversial former detective Roger Rogerson and notorious criminal Neddy Smith. Rogerson and his colleagues were accused of giving Smith the "green light" to commit crimes without police interference, with the relationship fraying when Rogerson orders hitman Christopher Dale Flannery to murder policeman Michael Drury. The murder of prostitute Sallie-Anne Huckstepp also features.

Blue Murder is narrated by the characters of Rogerson, Smith and Drury and focuses on the corruption allegations that plagued the NSW Police Force at the time. Rogerson and Smith achieved a kind of celebrity during the Wood Royal Commission into police corruption.

The screenplay was written by Ian David who has written extensively on the people and events featured. The miniseries was directed by Michael Jenkins and produced by Rod Allan.

Plot

The series begins with the arrest of Arthur "Neddy" Smith for attempted robbery. He is interviewed by Det. Insp. Roger Rogerson, who instead of charging him employs him to protect various drug dealers. After serving a short prison sentence for other charges, Smith teams up with Graham "Abo" Henry and becomes a significant presence in the underworld. His association with Rogerson enables him to escape impending drugs charges and helps him to carry out other crimes unabated.

After Warren Lanfranchi, an associate of Smith's, robs drug dealers protected by Rogerson and attempts to shoot a Police Officer on the way to a robbery, Rogerson shoots him in front of fellow Officers. Lanfranchi's girlfriend, Sallie-Anne Huckstepp, vows revenge. Smith, who transported Lanfranchi to the murder and assisted the Police in court by giving a false testimony, is rewarded by Rogerson with a "Green Light", meaning he is allowed to commit any crime he likes, with the exception of assaulting or killing a Police Officer. Rogerson and Smith lead a criminal syndicate in Sydney, distributing drugs and murdering any potential witnesses to their crimes.

Meanwhile in Melbourne, undercover Detective Michael Drury sets up a drugs deal with dealer Alan Williams as part of a sting operation. Williams escapes after a botched Police chase but knows he will soon be caught and is terrified of being imprisoned. Rogerson, on behalf of Williams, tries to bribe Drury to drop the charges, but Drury refuses. In response, Rogerson and Williams contact notorious hitman Christopher Flannery to kill Drury. Flannery shoots Drury in his home but fails to kill him. The Police are unable to obtain any leads on Drury's assailant, but Drury reveals that Rogerson attempted to bribe him and Rogerson is charged.

Rogerson uses the lack of evidence and his corrupt associates in the NSW Police Service to escape conviction, but the negative image and increased Police attention caused by the affair begin to damage his criminal enterprises. His relationship with Smith becomes increasingly strained, to the point where he organises a failed attempt on Smith's life. Flannery and Huckstepp are both murdered when they begin to pose a threat to Rogerson and Smith, but Williams confesses his involvement in the Drury shooting in exchange for protection from Rogerson. Despite this new evidence, Rogerson again escapes conviction, but he is dismissed from the Police Force and arrested by the AFP shortly afterwards when he is caught depositing money in a bank account under a false name. Without Rogerson's protection, Smith's crime syndicate quickly falls apart and after killing a tow-truck driver in a drunken fight, he leaves enough evidence for the Police to arrest him.

In the final scene, a now-dismissed Rogerson meets Smith at his hide-out to discuss the situation. Rogerson tells Smith to keep a low profile while he uses his contacts within the Police Force to resolve the matter. However, as soon as Rogerson leaves, Police storm the house and arrest Smith and his associate.

As the credits roll, it is revealed that Michael Drury retired from the Police in 2000, Roger Rogerson served three years in prison and Neddy Smith received an indeterminate life sentence for multiple murders, which he is still serving.

Cast

• Richard Roxburgh as Roger Rogerson
• Tony Martin as Arthur "Neddy" Smith
• Steve Bastoni as Michael Drury
• Gary Sweet as Christopher Dale Flannery
• Peter Phelps as Graham "Abo" Henry
• Alex Dimitriades as Warren Lanfranchi
• Marcus Graham as Alan Williams
• Bill Hunter as "Black" Angus McDonald
• Loene Carmen as Sallie-Anne Huckstepp

External links

• Blue Murder at the Internet Movie Database