RUN

Set during the 1980’s and 90’s, this six part series follows the life of Australia’s most notorious bank robber Brenden Abbott (George Mason). Over two decades, Abbott held up more than 40 banks and successfully escaped from two different maximum security prisons. By blending factual history with fictionalised elements to enhance the narrative, the story’s main focus is on Abbott’s relentless cat-and-mouse game with the police, with sub plots depicting parts of his tumultuous childhood and the heavy toll a fugitive lifestyle took on his personal relationships. It aims to show the human side of a man who was most well known for his criminal acts, yet doesn’t shy away from the intense trauma he inflicted on his countless victims. Surprisingly, Abbott comes across as a lot less paranoid than you’d expect from someone who, at one stage, was on the top of the country’s most wanted list. Filmed entirely in Western Australia, mostly in Perth, Fremantle, and Collie, this series is well produced, with a slick aesthetic and impressive attention to detail. The entire cast is superb, particularly Robyn Malcolm (one of my fave actresses) who plays Abbott’s steadfast mother Theresa. As always, she delivers her performance with unflinching authenticity. An absorbing glimpse into the high stakes cost of a life defined by crime.