From TV Tonight:
“If you were hooked by Underbelly‘s first series, you won’t want to miss Dead Famous…
The documentary revisits the Melbourne gangland wars as told by the two Age journalists who wrote the Leadbelly books: John Silvester and Andrew Rule.
Now without any mini-series dramatisation, A-list stars and fleshy nudity, they re-tell this chapter of Melbourne’s modern history.”
Dead Famous lifts the lid on the slaughter that resulted when two underworld tribes went to war over drug profits during Melbourne’s infamous gangland killings.
"This is a powerfully-told story. Silvester’s presence is dominant as storyteller. It is a dry, warts-and-all look at this frequently sensationalised culture." "4 stars"
“Handsomely made documentary. While there’s a faint taste of The Night Stalker in the moody shots of Melbourne’s mean streets and the gritty voice-overs, Rule and Sylvester look suitably grizzled and unglamorous and do their best to strip the romance from this oft-told tale.”
“A compelling documentary…”
“This documentary strips away the dramatisation to give a realistic account of Melbourne’s underworld war." "Dead Famous is a gripping and intriguing glimpse into this world of crime, even without the Hollywood script.”
“Terrific doco that manages to make the well-worn material feel fresh again.” ”.this amounts to a stylish, compelling summation of Melbourne’s underworld ugliness”
“Dead Famous is in many respects a necessary and timely corrective to how the leading figures have made their way into the public’s consciousness…that peels back the veneer of glamorous gangsters as well as a police force that was above corruption within its own ranks”