The Assassination of Gianni Versace Review

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     Last year, uber-producer Ryan Murphy brought us a little television show you might have heard of called The People v. OJ Simpson. Billed as the first season of a new anthology series, it tapped into the public’s lingering fascination with the controversial trial and was widely celebrated by critics and audiences alike. There was a lot of anticipation for the next season, and what Murphy chose to focus on was something a little more obscure, to say the least. Does this new season live up to the first, or is Versace trapped in the shadow of OJ? Let’s find out!

     Despite the title, The Assassination of Gianni Versace doesn’t spend much time on the actual murder of the fashion icon (played by a pitch perfect Edgar Ramirez). Instead, it follows his murderer, Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), unfolding in reverse to explore the events that led to the titular crime. It also shows us the lives of his victims and Versace’s family, both in the past and following the murder, and their various trials and tribulations. Finally, it also tracks the failed efforts of the police to find Cunanan, and what is essentially their bumbling around on this case at nearly every level.
     Stories like this are very difficult to handle, as serial killer origin stories run the risk of creating too much sympathy for someone who is a monster (see My Friend Dahmer, one that avoided this trap). This has elements of that, as we get to see why Andrew became a killer, and you do feel some empathy for him. He was raised in an abusive household (where his father isolated him from the family and fed him lies of greatness), he lived as a closeted gay man that was shunned by society, and he even took great lengths to shower his friends with lavish gifts. Couple that with his charm and his ambition, and you might even understand what eventually makes him snap and go on a rampage.

FX

You're telling me you wouldn't trust that face?

     But that’s not what this series does at all. In fact, by playing events in reverse, it forces the audience to remember Andrew’s actions. So while we see bad things happen to him, we can only feel so bad for him because we know he goes on to be a cruel, cold and manipulating killer. Later on we see that, due to his upbringing, Andrew has an extraordinary sense of entitlement. He believes that he is owed the finer things in life, and it contributes to his murderous obsession with Versace, the openly gay man who has succeeded where he cannot. Rather than putting his considerable talent and intelligence to work, he instead chooses to hide behind excuses and the people in his life that he controls, further contributing to his sociopathy. 
     The show takes on a lot of themes throughout its nine episodes, but other than the serial killer exploration, the other two big ones are homophobia and police incompetence. While it’s hard to imagine now, given the great strides made in LGBT rights, life as a gay person in the 90’s was not very easy. Looked down upon, distrusted and ignored during their own times of struggle (the AIDS crisis is mentioned a few times) most of Andrew’s victims are closeted gay men trying to hide their sexuality. Their uncertainty and discomfort with the idea of outing themselves makes them prime targets for Andrew, who exploits and manipulates them to his own ends, particularly the older men he serves as an escort for. 
     It is this theme that strikes the biggest emotional chord, as most of Andrew’s victims are more terrified of outing themselves than him, which is incredibly sad when you think about it. In one scene, after Andrew performs an sexual act that would make Christian Grey wince, the victim considers calling the police. After looking at his wedding ring he stops, too scared to risk his life over this. Lee Miglin (Mike Farrell), a famous Chicago land developer and Andrew's third victim, sounds terrified of Andrew during their encounters but indulges him for fear of being outed. Andrew is a victim of this internal struggle as well, angrily rejecting his own identity depending on who he’s around while killing people like Miglin for hiding who they are. It’s a fascinating look into this period of time, and adding in the acceptance that Versace received it paints a complicated picture. 

FX

     While it takes a bit of a back seat overall, the theme of police incompetence pops up constantly, something that is very uncomfortable given the recent failures of law enforcement in the Parkland shooting. The show makes it very clear that police and FBI agents had multiple chances to stop Andrew in his tracks, but they all fail due to what seems like incompetence. It's very frustrating to see how this happened, and while the show takes a few liberties this stuff is actually true. According to this show, the murders of not only Gianni Versace but several other victims could have been avoided had the police stepped up, and it is a very sticky and potent talking point. 
     The biggest thing to praise about this series, though, are the actors. Every single person does a great job here, from the little one episode characters to the main cast. Darren Criss in particular was outstanding, bringing such depth and nuance to Andrew and giving us a through-line from his more innocent, troubled days to the sociopathic murderer that he would become. Not a moment rings false from him, and I hope he gets serious notice for this role. Each of the actors portraying his victims are great, though Edgar Ramirez's Versace obviously gets the lion's share out of these five. He not only looks the part but he acts his ass off, playing a brilliant foil to Andrew and making us all dread his fate. Penelope Cruz is excellent as Donatella Versace (if a little hard to understand at points), and Ricky Martin really surprised me with his performance as Antonio D'Amico, Versace's lover. I expect this to be another fierce awards contender. 

     When it comes to downsides, I think what people need to understand is that this show is not an upper of a watch. The backwards Memento-style structure doesn't just eliminate sympathy for Andrew, it creates dread for all the characters we see that we know are about to die. While this applies to Versace, the best example I can think of is David Madson (Cody Fern), who Andrew called the "love of his life." This small town guy is the nicest person in the world, and honestly gave Andrew a chance to win him over, and you instantly like him. We see how he dies in episode 4, only for him to pop back up in later episodes as the rewind continues. I have to admit that it was hard to see him reappear, given the heartbreaking way he was killed, and I wonder if audiences won't be able to take that well. It does have humor and levity to it, but it is all under the shroud of inevitability, something I found quite fascinating. 

FX

Oh, David... *cries*

     My only real complaint with the series story-wise is that I feel like the Versace family is rather underused. They appear at the beginning and are set up to play a big part, but then only appear in brief flashbacks before completely vanishing for three episodes. I don't mind that, as the show is mostly about Andrew, but the cast is so likable and their dynamic so interesting that I really wanted to see more of them. I also found some of the attempts to foil Versace and Andrew a little clumsy. Some, like contrasting Versace coming out to Navy sailor Jeff Trail (Finn Witrock) speaking about Don't Ask Don't Tell were great. Seeing how safe Versace is thanks to his popularity makes Jeff's experience seem more powerful since he has to hide in the shadows and under a voice modulator. Others, like Donatella deciding to overcome her fears and be a designer of her own while Andrew succumbs to his fears of intimacy with David, don't work as well. It's a shame, as I don't think the Versaces were utilized well enough, but they do have a great final episode that packs a punch, so I don't want to be too harsh about it. 

      Surprisingly, in terms of complaints, I found the direction in this show to be pretty boring. Most Ryan Murphy productions, for those who watch his shows, usually have a certain kind of flair or style to the visuals that make them more enjoyable to watch. Hell, it's the only thing that makes American Horror Story watchable these days! However, that just isn't here, and it's disappointing given who the subject is and the fashion empire he spawned. The direction is just fine, but it's carried mostly by the actors and the writing, so the disappointment is mainly a nitpick on my part. 

     The Assassination of Gianni Versace is a dark, haunting and terrifying look at one of the worst killers you've never heard of, and a heartbreaking glimpse into the lives of the people he killed. Andrew Cunanan may have been voted "least likely to be forgotten," but his story has been to our detriment, I think. There is so much wrapped up in this tale about our country and the seedy underbelly of the American Dream that we don't like to talk about, not to mention how our police operate and the plight of the LGBT community. Is it as good as OJ? No, but it's pretty damn close, and is another win for FX and Ryan Murphy. Check it out when you can. 

My Rating: 8/10

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story is on FX, iTunes, and other streaming sites now.