Janus: Volume 2

Before Underbelly and Wildside there was Janus, a ground-breaking television series that secured a name for itself in the pantheon of Australian drama produced during the 1990s. Janus combined distinctive visual techniques with a strong emphasis on dialogue to widespread critical acclaim. Janus, originally broadcast on ABC TV in 1994, tackles the subject of the Australian legal system and its mechanisms, with a focus on the minutiae of procedures and courtroom dialogue. In the second volume of Janus, Mal Hennessey has been charged with murder. On the way to the courtroom though, Mal manages to escape and go to ground with his brother Steve, only resurfacing to rob a payroll van. When Steve Hennessey is shot in the resulting showdown with Peter Faithful's Tactical Response Unit, Faithful's law-enforcement methods are brought into question. Will his unit survive public scrutiny to bring down the Hennessey's for good? Packed with a stellar ensemble cast, including Chris Haywood, Simon Westaway, Belinda McClory and Tracey Mann, this final volume of Janus features the last 13 episode instalment of this much lauded series.