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Underground: The Julian Assange Story

TEN's telemovie pits a young Assange as a journalistic warrior in search of truth.

While we are all familiar with the rise, and subsequent suspension, of Julian Assange through Wikileaks, how little do we know of his beginnings? How did he become so integral to whistleblowing from humble beginnings in outer Melbourne?

TEN’s telemovie Underground: The Julian Assange Story focusses on his emergence from hacking in his bedroom to breaking into US military computers. Selecting this chapter of his life avoids passing judgement on his current predicament as well as awaiting an outcome. Questions about Wikileaks compromising national security, and even the lives of some in the Middle East, are carefully avoided, by all taking place post-story.

The telemovie from Robert Connolly and Matchbox Pictures is clearly a sympathetic one. It admires his technical nous and pits him as a narrative, even romantic, hero. Given our fondness for turning rogues into heroes (Ned Kelly anyone?) this is not surprising.

But it also puts some context on his family upbringing, which a court would later take into consideration during a criminal case.

It begins in Emerald, Victoria, in 1989 when the teenage Assange, aka ‘Mendex 17’, is joined to his Commodore 64 like an umbilical cord. Hacking into banking computers with next to no security (because he can), he lives with his mother Christine (Rachel Griffiths) and younger brother. They are constantly evading Christine’s husband, linked to the oh-so-blonde members of religious cult group The Family. Christine is a protester from way back, and is actively against the US space race under George Bush.

Assange also attracts the attention of the Australian Federal Police, with Detective Ken Roberts (Anthony LaPaglia) getting a quick lesson on the emergence of cybercrime. None of his team even have a computer on their desks. What crime has been committed if it’s all in the online world, anyway…?

Assange and his youthful cohorts, ‘Trax’ (Jordan Raskopolous) and ‘Prime Suspect’ (Callan McAuliffe), spend their time delving deeper and deeper into the world of hacking, breaking into Telecom phone systems, trading hardware at the Fitroy Town Hall Computer Swap Meet, and eventually breaking into MILNET, a US Military computer system. Here he gets his first glimpse into the world of government secrets, a forewarning of what would eventually lead to WikiLeaks.

Concurrently, Assange also falls for local girl Electra (Laura Wheelwright), and dazzles her with his IT powers. With the story moving swiftly, it isn’t long before a baby is born and our young hero moves into a rundown rental with barely more than a mandatory working phone line.

Aware he is being pursued, Assange also sends anonymous messages to Det. Roberts via his computer, always one step ahead of being traced.

Underground juxtaposes the cat and mouse game between the renegade computer nerd and the cop with a mission, against the personal stories of a young romantic in a gypsy lifestyle. Assange is known to have moved house 30 times before he turned 14. He lurks within shadows, mistrustful of authority and lacking commitment.

Newcomer Alex Williams impresses in the lead role of Julian Assange. He bears a convincing physical likeness, depicting him as intelligent and silent. Underground constantly reinforces that any law-breaking is in the name of empowering the masses with truth. These are qualities embedded in him by his liberal mother, Christine.

Rachel Griffiths and Anthony LaPaglia are both effective in their adult roles, only coming together for one scene. Jordan Raskopolous (The Ronnie Johns Half Hour, The Axis of Awesome) makes a nice shift to Drama from his comedic roles, but Callan McAuliffe is difficult to understand with lazy diction.

The production design with its drab colours and clunky technology (watch for old Tandy electronics and ‘brick-style’ mobile phones) give this a nostalgic 90s feel.

I’m not sure what facts were embellished to create a stronger narrative (a credit indicates it is based on actual events) but nevertheless, Underground is a terrific yarn that elevates Assange as a journalistic warrior, and Alex Williams as a new star. TEN’s drama department has again delivered another satisfying biography, following on from recent successes with Hawke and A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne.

The ending should elicit Australian support for Assange’s current cause and history will decide whether truth ultimately triumphs over adversity.

Underground: The Julian Assange Story airs on TEN in October.

13 Responses

  1. @Nathan – Hardly.
    I don’t think he’s yet been charged with anything.
    Without WikiLeaks some of the worst atrocities of the US government would remain “secret”. Interesting that newspapers and other news outlets never hesitate to publish WikiLeaks material.
    Will they film six different endings, to be re-edited onto future reruns?
    @Ronnie – “No new programming initiatives for Sunday night at 830 required from Seven” (?)
    “Strike Back”? Been promoted a lot on 7. 8:30 Sunday?

  2. Actually, Sam G, I’ve been very supportive on this website of TEN’s Pubity Blues and I Will Survive – sorry if my humour’s not your cup of tea.

    Everyone’s different – thank God.

  3. I believe the Commodore 64 is a relic of the 1980’s not 1990’s? I remember loading games from cassette tape(!) and playing games like Elite and Jet Set Willy.

  4. I’m really looking forward to this but don’t really understand the secrecy and question the delay. When it screens it will be up against House Husbands on NIne and Call the Midwife on the ABC, both doing very well for their networks. Shhh…do not disturb Tim Worner while he snores his way through the rest of 2012, the year already a success. No new programming initiatives for Sunday night at 830 required from Seven when he can win the night with the Brown show.

  5. Considering I watch next to zero free-to-air already, there really wouldn’t be much competition any other network could put on that would be an attractive alternative. I’ll be watching whenever it airs.

  6. This is looking like another top program from Ten’s drama department, sounds like it’s right on the money. It’s great to hear that along with Griffiths and La Paglia they’ve cast a new comer in the role of Assange. You got to love that.

    Air dates are highly kept secrets D@GP – 7 and 9 will no doubt pull out the big guns against this telemovie, as they have in the past with all of Ten’s dramas. They know what they’re up against….so why would Ten give them a running head start by announcing the air date way ahead of time?

  7. A TEN spokesperson declined to inform TV Tonight readers when this programme will be scheduled.

    “Our new CEO told us there are 31 days in October and, by not telling which of those 31 days Underground will screen, we know viewers will “take a fresh look” every night to see just what’s on TEN.

    “Fingers crossed they take a fresh look at the right time,” said the spokesperson.

    *Anyway, TEN believes our new target audience, ‘People Who Don’t Watch TV At All’ will turn on in droves,”

    The spokesperson immediately cleared out his desk and left the building.

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