★★★★★ 0/5

Hot Tip: Better Man

It's been a long time since a drama has turned me to tears....

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2013-07-08_1507Ok I admit it…. it’s been a long time since a drama has turned me to tears but Better Man sure did.

This SBS drama about Van Nguyen, the last Australian to be executed anywhere in the world, is powerful stuff. The first half is intense enough, but the second is consumed by an utter sense of helplessness…

Remy Hii in the lead role is outstanding, and so is Hien Nguyen as Kim Nguyen.

Full review to come later….

Don’t miss this one, 8:30pm Thursday July 25 and August 1 on SBS ONE.

13 Responses

  2. I’m happy there’s stuff you still get excited about watching.I know you must have to watch a lot of shows just as part of your job…and let’s face it,most are .. putting it kindly..not stellar.We talk a lot about numbers and the business of tv here..and a lot of what most of us watch is just habit.When we do stumble on something really good, I think we like to let everyone know about it.Last time I felt I’d seen something truly exceptional was with Snowtown..it seems Better Man might have affected you like that. I’ll watch and hope I find it just as affective. Returning to those nasty numbers for a sec…Thursday has been pretty good for Sbs..Shane Delia even getting 300,000.Having said that, I’d only set the over/under numbers for Better Man at not much above Shaun the Sheep figures.I’ll say 475,000 and take the under..I hope I’m underestimating the Australian tv audience,but sadly, that’s often hard to do.

  3. Van Nguyen took a stupid risk and got caught.

    In Australia a legal strategy based around a small technically will get you off when you are clearly guilty. But Asian doesn’t have such sophisticated legal systems, they lock up or execute the guilty.

    Of course that fact didn’t stop lawyers making lots of money out of the affair.

  6. I concur with bettestreep. When SBS announced the series last year I thought the Singaporean Government would not only ban it, but also ban any SBS journalist from entering the country as reprisal. The series will be controversial because it was about the prosecution of a drug smuggler rather than pursuit of the druglord or druglords behind it, something Singapore should have done and should be doing now.

  7. I am betting this mini series will be banned in Singapore – which is a shame because it is their government that would learn the most from it.

    I look forward to it and let’s hope the other networkds don’t put other Australian dramas up against it.

    It deserves to be seen by everyone in Australia.

  8. I too have watched both parts and agree that this is powerful stuff, guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye. Great to see SBS back in the Aussie drama market.

  10. It’s been touted as portraying Van Nguyen as the last Australian to be executed overseas, but I think that guy from the Bali 9 is more recent. Nonetheless, I’m very excited about Better Man! Keen to read your review, David.

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