I believe that for a woman, a dress is a weapon to get what she wants.” So declared Donatella Versace with a power-pout and a toss of her peroxide mane. Sadly, it wasn’t sartorial weapons she needed.
Last night, we reached the seventh episode of the high-camp docudrama The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (BBC Two), which continues to chart the events that led to the 1997 shooting of Italian designer Gianni Versace (Édgar Ramírez) on the doorstep of his Miami mansion.
In 1992, Versace was diagnosed with a rare form of ear cancer, forcing younger sister Donatella (Penélope Cruz) to take the fashion house’s reins. Almost literally so – a leather-strapped bondage dress became the siblings’ first collaboration. Meanwhile in San Diego, delusional sociopath and budding serial killer Andrew Cunanan (creepy Darren Criss, who, along with Cruz, is the star of this show) conned his way into a lavish new life by targeting wealthy older men.
The first of his targets, architect Lincoln Aston (Todd Waring), ended up savagely beaten to death – a shock scene of gore amid the gloss. The second, silver fox businessman Norman Blachford (Michael Nouri), allowed Cunanan to move into his minimalist mansion. “Oh, if only they could see me now,” murmured Cunanan, taking in the ocean view from a vast glass balcony. “Who?” asked Blachford. “Everyone,” came Cunanan’s chilling reply.
Written by British export Tom Rob Smith, this was a souped-up soap opera, dripping in gaudy bling and unfolding in designer beige interiors. All gilt mirrors, baroque chairs and creamy soft furnishings, it’s styled like a luxury hotel lobby and rollicks along like an afternoon true-crime movie, albeit a well-appointed one. You half-expect Columbo, Murder She Wrote’s Jessica Fletcher or Hart to Hart’s millionaire spouses to turn up and solve the impending murder.
There are two episodes of the nine-part series still to come, but thus far a convoluted flashback structure has prevented it from hitting the heights of its predecessor, The People vs OJ Simpson. While the time-hopping approach might fill in the background and motivation, it hardly adds much in the way of forward momentum. The hypnotic horror we saw earlier in the series – episodes three to five were masterful, the next two less so – has given way to middling drama. As a guilty pleasure, though, it’s grim, fascinating and just gripping enough.
The lies continue to slip off Andrew Cunanan’s tongue. He changes his surname, his parentage, his racial identity, his education, his occupation and even his interests more frequently than his socks. He even utilises other people’s memories if he feels it would impress or endear him to someone.
But if you’re wondering why so many apparently intelligent people fell for his fantasies, this episode explains it a little. We see how he cleverly targeted Norman Blachford (who survived Andrew’s killing spree) and how he dazzled David Madson (who did not) with his apparently glamorous lifestyle. Darren Criss is equally dazzling as Cunanan.
The music gods are off to a good start for 2018. Aimee Mann wins a Grammy. The Cars get voted into the Rock Hall of Fame. And, combining the two, Mann has covered one of the Cars’ biggest hits: “Drive.”
The Cars recorded “Drive” for 1984’s Heartbeat City, the Mutt Lange-produced album that marked the height of the band’s commercial success. “Drive” is a beautiful soft-rock ballad that was accompanied by a heavy rotation MTV video. Remember Paulina Porizkova crying while marking on the wall?
Mann recorded her cover for the television series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (she also appears in an episode performing “Drive” in a bar). Mann has covered other songs before for tributes or a movie, and most of those efforts only get traction with her loyal fan base. Her take on Three Dog Night’s “One” (a cover of a cover) has broken out wider; she still performs it often on tour.
So what would you expect from a singer-songwriter that covers a dreamy synth song from the 1980s? An acoustic guitar ballad? Ding, ding, ding. Aimee’s stripped-down playing and her unique voice accentuate the melancholy in “Drive.” This simple music plays to Aimee’s strength, and she does not disappoint. The Cars’ original version holds up today 34 years later, so there is a slim chance of improving this classic with a poppy overproduced version; thankfully she went in a different direction.
Give Aimee Mann’s acoustic cover of “Drive” a listen and sing along like you just lost your true love at the school dance.
There was another nine-part US television series about the murder of your brother called The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, released in January of this year. You are played by Penélope Cruz. Does time heal all wounds, or does it make wounds of Achilles heels? I still get as angry as I did on the first day when people want to make money with lies about Gianni. My lawyers tried to file a lawsuit against this television series, but they lost because my brother is a person of contemporary history and therefore has limited personal rights. Around 25 books came out after his murder, each with a different theory about the perpetrator’s motive. The wildest speculation was that it was a mafia contract killing. We were in countless trials, but no sooner had we won a case than another book came out. It was hopeless. Why does this TV series about my brother have to come now? The murder was 20 years ago. Can’t people leave Gianni alone?
You could have called Penélope Cruz and … Penélope called and told me about the project. She said that she has great respect for me, so I should write her if there are untrue things in the script.
The script is based on the 1999 non-fiction book Vulgar Favors by American journalist Maureen Orth. I had not heard of the book until last year. After reading it, I sent a list of factual mistakes to the production company working on the TV series. They replied that they were filming the book by Maureen Orth, so they could not take my findings into account. Viewers should know that the series is fiction, not a documentary.
Riz Ahmed made history in 2017 by becoming the first man of Asian descent to win a Primetime Emmy for acting. The British-Pakistani performer won Best Movie/Mini Actor for his role in the crime drama “The Night Of.” That also made him the first Asian actor, male or female, to win for a leading role. This year Asian actors may break through again in leading categories as Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”) enters the conversation for Best Drama Actress and Darren Criss (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace“) jockeys for position in the same category Ahmed just won.
The only other Asian actor to win an Emmy besides Ahmed was Archie Panjabi, who is of Indian descent. She won Best Drama Supporting Actress for “The Good Wife” in 2010. However, one may also count Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, Best Movie/Mini Supporting Actress winner in 2009 for “The House of Saddam.” Middle Eastern countries are not always considered ethnically Asian even though Iran is on the Asian continent.
Oh is Korean-Canadian, and this year she could contend for her leading role as Eve Polastri, an MI5 agent hunting down a psychopathic assassin in AMC’s “Killing Eve.” This would be her first Emmy recognition for a leading role, but she’s no stranger to the television academy. She earned five straight nominations for Best Drama Supporting Actress (2005-2009) for playing Dr. Cristina Yang in the medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” She also won a Golden Globe for that role in 2006, as well as two SAG Awards: for her individual performance in 2006 and as a member of the ensemble cast in 2007. But she never picked up a win from the TV academy.
Criss previously earned one Emmy nomination for songwriting — for “This Time” from the “Glee” episode “Dreams Come True” in 2015 — but he has yet to contend for acting. Though that’s likely to change this year, according to the combined predictions of more than 1,200 Gold Derby users, who consider him the front-runner to win Best Movie/Mini Actor with leading odds of 7/2. In “Versace” he plays real-life serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who was half-Filipino, as Criss is.
Oh and Criss aren’t the only Asian actors who could win lead-acting Emmys this year. Constance Wu and Randall Park could win Best Comedy Actress and Best Comedy Actor, respectively, for playing the parents of a Taiwanese immigrant family in “Fresh Off the Boat.” But that series has been eligible for the last three years and has yet to be nominated for Emmys despite two Television Critics Association noms for Wu and multiple Critics’ Choice noms for both Wu and Park.
Including actors who descend from the Asian Middle East, first-time Best Comedy Actress contender Yara Shahidi, who spun-off her “Black-ish” character Zoey Johnson into the Freeform college comedy “Grown-ish,” is half-Iranian. And Alia Shawkat, aiming for her first Comedy Actress bid on her second try for TBS’s “Search Party,” is half-Iraqi.
Do you think this will be another breakthrough year for Asian actors at the Emmys?
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
BBC Two, 9.00pm
It’s been fascinating to discover the “true” story behind the 1997 murder of fhion designer Gianni Versace in Ryan Murphy’s glitzy drama, which has expertly depicted the inner world of the perpetrator, a Walter Mitty-style serial killer called Andrew Cunanan (a career-defining role for Darren Criss).
This episode, however, has a mid-series lull about it as Cunanan ascends to the higher echelons of gay society, shaping himself meticulously into the posh, preppy eye-candy who saw a sugar daddy (or two) as his way to the top. Elsewhere, the Versace siblings return at last. Gianni (Edgar Ramirez), now in failing health decides to champion his insecure sister Donatella (Penélope Cruz in a frightful wig) and turns her into both designer and muse.
Despite a lack of characters to root for – the Versaces’ moments of vulnerability dissolve into tedious histrionics and are eclipsed by Cunanan’s cold-blooded machinations – it’s all quite a fabulous mix of fashion, high society and brutal murder, with some interesting commentary on homophobia in the Nineties as well. Vicki Power
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, based on Maureen Orth’s nonfiction book Vulgar Favors, also excelled in true-to-life casting. Actors Darren Criss, Edgar Ramirez and a blonde-wigged Penelope Cruz bear uncanny resemblances to serial killer Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace and Donatella Versace. Director/executive producer Daniel J. Minahan (Deadwood, Game of Thrones), who helmed three episodes, says: “In this day and age, people can Google things and make their own comparisons, so you need to be vigilant about making sure people look correct, between wigs and prosthetics and makeup. Darren looks remarkably like Andrew Cunanan. And people who personally knew Gianni Versace were astounded by the similarity when they saw Edgar in costume, hair and makeup.”
For all it’s verisimilitude in casting, Assassination displeased the Versace family. In a statement, they criticized the series for being an unauthorized “work of fiction” and objected to an early episode insinuating that Versace had AIDS. Series executive producer Ryan Murphy defended Assassination, citing Orth’s fact-vetted book and additional research as foundation for the show’s reenactments.
Later installments directed by Minahan focused squarely on the murderer. “Authenticity was paramount,” says Minahan, who directed the finale detailing Cunanan’s demise. “The houseboat Cunanan hid in after he shot Versace was dismantled and sunk, but it was well documented by police videos and photographs, so we had a great reference,” Minahan says. “We built an exact replica and moored it at the original location, which is where we staged the final siege with the FBI.”
Assassination dramatizes the designer’s slaying minutes into the first episode, eliminating any suspense about who committed the crime. Instead, the mystery has more to do with how Cunanan became a cold-blooded serial killer. Minahan says, “People don’t realize everything that came before in the life of Andrew Cunanan that brought him to the point of wanting to murder Versace for seemingly no reason.” By moving through time in reverse chronological order, Minahan says, “We’re able to look at the making of a sociopathic monster. And the other story is the way [Cunanan’s early murders] were written off as gay-on-gay crimes. The police maybe weren’t equipped to figure out what was happening and maybe didn’t take it as seriously as they could have.”
Minahan understands the tightrope walk that demands a balance between plausible fiction and hard-boiled evidence. “We’re dramatists,” he says. “We have a sense of what these people’s voices are, the things they were interested in, the hurts they had. You try to dramatize all of that around circumstances and events that you know actually happened. With Versace, I felt an obligation to honor these characters and tell the story as best we could in the way that we reimagined it.”
Episodes directed by Minahan feature extensive private dialogue between Cunanan and architect David Madson. Minahan says, “Through Maureen Orth’s research and our own research, we tried to put ourselves in Andrew Cunanan’s shoes and figure out or try to imagine what might have happened when Cunanan took David hostage and went on the road before he murdered him.”
Minahan worked with Criss to shape a subtext for the actor’s chilling performance. “Andrew was a fantasist, but he believes all those lies,” Minahan says. “Rather than have Darren play them as lies, we played them as truths, which produced, I think, a more interesting performance. Based on interviews I’ve read with people who knew Cunanan, he was known to be generous but also lethally damaged. He tried to present an idealized version of himself, and we thought that was more interesting.”
One of the most disturbing “reimaginings” called for Minahan to restage the murders of Cunanan victims Jeffrey Trail and Madson. “We had FBI reports and a lot of crime scene photographs, so I could see the blood spray against the door, where the blood pooled on the floor, where the body was moved,” Minahan says. “That really helped me determine how to block the whole thing.”
But on an emotional level, immersion in true-crime storytelling can exact a toll, says Minahan, who worked on Assassination for eight months. “You try to focus on the details, but there are moments where it’s absolutely exhausting to be living in the mind of a serial killer. I remember after we shot this very long scene where David’s pleading for his life, a kind of a pall went over the crew.”
What exactly do Emmy voters think of “The Assassination of Gianni Versace”? The good news for Ryan Murphy and FX is there is seemingly less competition in the Limited Series categories than years past. So much so that it would be shocking if the latest “American Crime Story” season didn’t earn a nod in the top category. Beyond that recognition and a likely nod for star Darren Criss, a “People vs. O.J.” sweep seems remote. On the one hand, reviews were mostly very good with a 74 average on Metacritic, but the TV ratings were often just a third of “People vs. O.J.” instead on par with last year’s FX nominees “Fargo” season three and “Feud: Bette and Joan.” That being said there has been a lot of passionate debate over the historical inaccuracies or “liberties” the show takes in regards to both Versace (outing him as having HIV for instance) and his killer, Andrew Cunanan (too many to list). It’s still compelling television, but will it be a harder sell than FX might think or does the Murphy brand rule when “Big Little Lies” isn’t around?
Judged on chatter alone, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story is an immense disappointment. Ratings have been down. Reviews have been mixed. It hasn’t reached the mainstream crossover event-TV status of its predecessor The People Vs OJ Simpson. People have been infuriated that – spoiler alert – in an entire series of television called The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace gets assassinated in the very first scene of the very first episode. Things are looking bad. Not quite True Detective 2 bad, but the consensus is that this did not go the way it should have.
In short, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story needs a defender. Reader, I am that defender. Because the chatter is nonsense. This is an astonishing, bold piece of television. By some distance, it’s the best of the year so far.
Of course it suffers by comparison. The People Vs OJ Simpson was a shameless crowd-pleaser. It was a retelling of The Trial of The Century, a murder case dripping with fame and sex and violence. Every character was a celebrity – many were Kardashians – and every role seemed to be filled by a down-on-their-luck megastar determined to chew every last piece of scenery available as aggressively as possible. Travolta, Schwimmer, Gooding Jr; all going goon-eyed hell-for-leather bananas in every single scene. It was precision-designed to draw eyeballs.
But that’s not what The Assassination of Gianni Versace is. This is a vastly different beast, and its weakest moments come when it overtly tries to ape the Simpson series. The scenes that actually feature the Versace family – played by Édgar Ramírez, Penélope Cruz and Ricky Martin – are ever so slightly too broad, even without the cognitive dissonance that comes from hearing a Venezuelan, a Spaniard and a Puerto Rican all loosely attempting to hit a convincing Italian accent.
Their scenes are rendered even flabbier by the fact that they butt up against a bone-tight horrorshow. Because The Assassination of Gianni Versace isn’t really about Gianni Versace. It’s about his killer, Andrew Cunanan, and the gut-churning tilt-a-whirl of his mid-90s murder spree.
The show’s entire mid-section barely features Versace at all, and it counts among some of the most gripping television in recent memory. Tracking back through Cunanan’s murders, episodes blast through genres with a breathtakingly confident swagger. The murder of Lee Miglin is shot and paced like a horror movie, full of lurching unease and escalating dread. David Madson’s death is a claustrophobic thriller that feels tragically inevitable right from the very first frame. And the episode about Jeff Trail’s murder is just a thing of towering majesty. It manages to simultaneously move the story along, draw a graceful one-off character arc and dish out the most stingingly furious rebuke to the US military’s “don’t ask don’t tell” policy I have ever seen. It was stunning and heartbreaking, and if there’s a better episode of television broadcast this year, I will be genuinely staggered.
Holding all these disparate tones together is a mesmerising central performance by Darren Criss. A former Glee star in danger of being lost to the world of cartoon voiceovers, Criss is horrifyingly convincing as Cunanan. He’s needy and manipulative and utterly empty; a blank that slowly draws you in to your doom. I’m watching the series at BBC pace, so I don’t know whether or not the wheels will fall off in the weeks to come, but for now it has the look of a star-making performance. Criss deserves to be huge because of this role. He cannot win enough awards for it.
American Crime Story’s producers Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson have previously said that their show exists to tell stories that say something “bigger and deeper and more disturbing about America”. So far, that’s exactly what The Assassination of Gianni Versace has been. It’s dark and complex and tragic, and it deserves a much better reception than the one it received. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out on something special.
Unlike last season where an expected showdown between “Big Little Lies” and “Feud: Bette vs. Joan” turned into a sweep for the former this year’s Limited Series crop has delivered a more wide-open race. FX’s “Assassination of Gianni Versace” and Showtime’s “Twin Peaks“ have to be considered the frontrunners, but Hulu’s “The Looming Tower” has a great shot as well. Who will fill out the remaining five slots remains to be seen. Netflix’s “Godless” and Showtime’s “Patrick Melrose” seem likely, but there are a number of stealth candidates still in the mix. [Posted March 27]
Frontrunners “Assassination of Gianni Versace” “Godless” “The Looming Tower” “Patrick Melrose” “Twin Peaks”
Almost there “American Vandal” “Howard’s End” “The Sinner” “Top of the Lake: China Girl”
Longshots “Alias Grace” “The Alienist” “Collateral” “Genius: Picasso” “Mosaic” “The Terror”
ACS news 