"Scales of Justice" (1983) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Michael Jenkins

Writer:

Robert Caswell (writer)

Release Date:

1983 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

TV Mini-Series

Cast

John Hargreaves	...	Const. Borland
Bill Hunter	...	Sgt. O'Rourke
Simon Burke	...	Const. Webber
Isabelle Anderson	...	Const. Callahan
Dennis Miller	...	Sgt. Draffin
Tim Robertson	...	Sgt. Miles
Tony Barry	...	Nipper Jackson
Don Reid	...	Asst. Comm. Thompson
Brian McDermott	...	Police Minister Carpenter
Nick Tate	...	Attorney General
Max Cullen	...	Roach
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Deryck Barnes	...	Insp. Clark
Bob Barrett
Antoinette Byron	...	Prostitute
Tim Cohen
Diane Craig	...	Meredith
Slim DeGrey	...	Paul Stewman
Kati Edwards	...	Mrs. Coleman
Judi Farr	...	Mary Miles
Frank Garfield	...	Ogden
Reg Gillam	...	Church
Martin Harris	...	Kerr
Peter Hehir	...	Const. Blake
Philip Henville
Joy Hruby	...	Mrs. Simpson
Colin Hughes	...	Insp. Brown
Malcolm Keith	...	Const. Simms
Sarah Lambert
Ray Marshall	...	Sgt. Wheeler
Bill McCluskey	...	Jeff Maynard
Kris McQuade	...	Kate Hardman
Michael Meagher	...	Const. Yates
Richard Meikle	...	Premier Cooper
John Meillon	...	Barnes
Warwick Moss	...	Sgt. Turner
Russell Newman	...	Palmer
Robert Noble	...	Lederman
Redmond Phillips
Philip Ross	...	Boarding house manager
John Sheerin	...	Const. Wiseman
Susan Stenmark	...	Jan
Colin Taylor	...	Fletcher
Jeff Truman	...	Const. Matthews
Garry Waddell	...	Jimmy
Stanley Walsh	...	Jaguar driver
David Williams	...	Sgt. Gardiner
Frank Wilson	...	Sir John Ritchie

Runtime:

80 min (3 episodes)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M

Company:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

A devastating expose of corruption in law enforcement and politics, from grass roots through to the highest echelons of power......

I find it hard to believe that no-one has chosen to make comment on this early masterpiece of Australian television. Of course, it may not be available on DVD in the United States, and I was extremely fortunate (I believe) to come by a copy by accident one day in the video section of a local store. Even so, I would have thought that one of my fellow Australians would have trumpeted the virtues of this work of art before this. I had not seen this powerhouse production for over a quarter of a century, since it first appeared on Australian television and created a huge stir for its "warts and all" depiction of corruption. This series was lauded at the time of its release for its realism and at the same time criticised because the day to day events of the various characters were considered "too fantastic and shocking" to be plausible. At the time of its release I was a young Police Constable who had only four years service, and upon watching this magnificent series again after 25 years a lot of memories came flooding back. The Australian public up to this time had never seen anything like "Scales of Justice", because it detailed the everyday corruption of public officials, from the lowly Police Constable on the beat through to the highest corridors of power in the Parliament of the Government. The average television viewer up to this time may have thought they had some vague idea of what the word "corruption" meant, but when this series hit television screens people were "shocked out of their socks". The series is caustic in its depiction of the debasement of the various players for money, power, sex, furtherance of careers or even the cost of a free meal and a drink. What is interesting to note in this series (and a sad comment on the human condition) is that some characters who appear "squeaky clean" are, inevitably, dragged down into the gutter; either because they are forced to or because they succumb to weakness. I highly recommend this series to any serious cinephile; its grainy 16mm. look and early 80's clothing and cars only add to its absolute realism. Did I mention that it is performed in a semi-documentary style that makes you believe in the sincerity and seriousness of the script from the get go ? And not to forget that each of the three episodes ends on an abrupt, "shock" ending that would put many current Hollywood movies to shame. Please watch this three part series - I promise you, you will not be disappointed, but you may feel like you need a shower afterwards !!