''Better Man'' is a four-part Australian television

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

which originally screened on

SBS TV SBS TV (Seoul Broadcasting System Television) is a South Korean free-to-air television channel operated by Seoul Broadcasting System. The channel was launched on 9 December 1991. Unlike competing network MBC, SBS operates using a federalized ...

on 25 July 2013, and replayed in February 2014. It was written and directed by Khoa Do and produced by Stephen Corvini. It starred

David Wenham David Wenham (born 21 September 1965) is an Australian actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre. He is known for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Friar Carl in ' ...

Bryan Brown Bryan Neathway Brown AM (born 23 June 1947) is an Australian actor. He has performed in over eighty film and television projects since the late 1970s, both in his native Australia and abroad. Notable films include '' Breaker Morant'' (1980), ...

Claudia Karvan Claudia Karvan (born 19 May 1972) is an Australian actress and producer. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film '' Molly'' (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in ''High Tide'' (1987). She portrayed a teacher in '' The Heartb ...

and newcomer

Remy Hii Remy Hii is a Malaysian-Australian actor born in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Hii attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art for three years, and appeared in various theatre productions, before being cast in his first television role. Hi ...

. According to SBS, ''Better Man'' had the most "star studded lineup" in the network's history.

Synopsis

''Better Man'' is based on the true story of

Van Tuong Nguyen Van Tuong Nguyen (Vietnamese: ''Nguyễn Tường Vân'', ; 17 August 1980 – 2 December 2005), baptised Caleb, was an Australian from Melbourne, Victoria convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore. A Vietnamese Australian, he was also add ...

, a 25-year-old Vietnamese-Australian man who was arrested in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, convicted of drug trafficking, sentenced to death in 2004, and subsequently hanged in 2005. The series follows the story of a young man who had a tough but loving upbringing with his twin brother and devoted mother. The story culminates in a three-year legal battle to save the life of Nguyen, led by Julian McMahon, a Melbourne

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, and Lex Lasry , a Melbourne

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

Cast

as Julian McMahon *

as Lex Lasry * Jordan Rodrigues as Khoa Nguyen * Hien Nguyen (real life mother of Khoa Do) as Kim Nguyen *

as McMahon's wife Bernadette * Aileen Huynh as Kelly Ng * Carmel Rose as Rachel *

Sachin Joab Sachin Joab is an Australian actor. He took an interest in acting during primary school and attended various acting schools and workshops. Since graduating from the National Theatre, Melbourne, National Theatre, Joab has appeared in several film ...

as Inspector Ramesh * Felino Dolloso as Alan *

Terry Lim Terry Lim is an Australasian Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee, Martial Arts Australia Martial Artist of the year Masters Awards recipient and renowned martial artist who has had a short documentary made about him titled ''It's him... Terry Lim ...

as Father Giang *

Mahesh Jadu Mahesh Jadu (born 26 October 1982) is an Australian actor. He is best known for the role of Dr. Doug Harris in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' and the role of Ahmad in Netflix original series ''Marco Polo''. He also portrayed the supporting rol ...

as Shanmugam Murugesu *

Greg Stone Gregory "Greg" Jonathon Stone (born 23 June 1961 in Perth, Western Australia) is an Australian actor who has appeared in films, television and on stage. Early life Stone was born in Perth, Western Australia to parents Roy and Jennifer Stone a ...

as Drennan, AFP * Edwina Royce as the McMahons' daughter Angie * Nhung Kate as Vy, Van Tuong Nguyen's lover

Production

Development

''Better Man'' was researched and developed by Stephen Corvini, Khoa Do and Timothy Hobart for over three years prior to the series’s production. Van’s lawyer

Julian McMahon Julian Dana William McMahon (born 27 July 1968) is an Australian-American actor. He is the only son of Sir William McMahon, a former Prime Minister of Australia. He is best known for his roles as Ben Lucini in ''Home and Away'', Detective Joh ...

was a consultant on the miniseries as were Van’s closest confidantes prior to his execution, his best friends Kelly Ng, Bronwyn Lew, and Goldgan Ng. All four had been present during Van’s final visit. ''Better Man'' was written by Do based on extensive interviews, Van’s personal letters, court transcripts, his arrest statements and his clemency appeal.

Filming

Production and filming took place in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

and

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

Oct - Dec 2012. Scenes depicting

Singapore Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport ( ; ) is the primary international airport that serves the country of Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. More than 100 airlines operate from the airport, with flights to destinations in A ...

Changi Prison Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison complex in the namesake district of Changi in the eastern part of Singapore. It is the oldest and largest prison in the country, covering an area of about . Opened in 193 ...

and the courtroom in the

High Court of Singapore The High Court of Singapore is the lower division of the Supreme Court of Singapore, the upper division being the Court of Appeal of Singapore, Court of Appeal. The High Court consists of the Chief Justice of Singapore, chief justice and the ju ...

, among other settings, were all filmed in Melbourne with the Cambodian and Vietnamese scenes being filmed in Vietnam.

Episodes

Controversy

Van Tuong Nguyen's family had stated that the series had "reopened old wounds", and his mother, Kim, had declined to contribute to the development of the project and called for the film maker to drop the project. Additionally, Lex Lasry, who acted as a lawyer for Nguyen prior to his execution in 2005, condemned the series, calling it an "untruthful soap opera" and saying that it continued to cause stress to the family. Subsequently, SBS inserted a disclaimer stating that the Nguyen family "had no direct participation" in filming of the movie.

Reception

''Better Man'' received glowing reviews, with critics commenting on the exceptional performances of the cast and the gripping nature of Do's storytelling. David Knox in TV Tonight called the show "the best local drama of the year", Dianne Butler in The Herald Sun praised it as "the most gripping TV drama of the year", The Australian's Lyndall Crisp selected Better Man as its "pick of the week" and mentioned that Better Man was "harrowing but well worth watching". The Sydney Morning Herald's Gordon Farrer also selected Better Man as its "Show of the Week" and praised the production, stating that Better Man's "script is sharp and moving; the direction is confident and effective. This is a moving story that gains power from the telling. Compulsory viewing". TV Tonight also listed Better Man in its "Top 5 Shows of 2013", and ranked it number one in Australian television shows for the year.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 2381048, Better Man Special Broadcasting Service original programming 2013 Australian television series debuts 2010s Australian crime television series 2010s Australian drama television series