This should have been titled "The life story of Andrew Cunanan" since only the first two episodes (and bits and pieces here and there) focus on Versace, so if you watch it because you're interested in the glamour of the fashion world, you'll be seriously disappointed.
You get glimpses of Versace's world from the scenes in his villa, from Cruz's wardrobe - as Donatella - and in a few, short scenes about his creative process. Some melodrama is provided by Versace's live-in lover, Antonio, who - like all the other Italian characters - is played by a Latino. Weird and questionable choice and not the only one ....
Most of the other episodes and the majority of screen time are dedicated to Cunanan, his life story playing in reverse, from his weird childhood, to his school days and the development of his egocentric, psychotic personality. From male escort and "best friend" of older guys, to his alleged "love story" with David, one of the victims of his killing spree.
A whole episode is dedicated to Jeff, the first victim, a former naval officer who got in trouble with the navy because of his sexual orientation.
The narrative is incredibly ambiguous. On one hand, discrimination against gay men is denounced loudly, on the other the fact that Cunanan was also gay is somehow overlooked. The police gets a bad rap for underestimating Cunanan, because he was killing "just gay men", even if probably there are hundreds of unsolved cases concerning also heterosexual victims.
Finally, Cunanan is presented in the most sympathetic way. You even get a police woman sort of cracking up at the sight of his dead body, murmuring he "was just a boy"... for sure he was not Godzilla, but he killed five people for no apparent reason whatsoever, one of them with a hammer, and another after sadistic tortures.... a boy he was, but definitely not a nice one.
You get glimpses of Versace's world from the scenes in his villa, from Cruz's wardrobe - as Donatella - and in a few, short scenes about his creative process. Some melodrama is provided by Versace's live-in lover, Antonio, who - like all the other Italian characters - is played by a Latino. Weird and questionable choice and not the only one ....
Most of the other episodes and the majority of screen time are dedicated to Cunanan, his life story playing in reverse, from his weird childhood, to his school days and the development of his egocentric, psychotic personality. From male escort and "best friend" of older guys, to his alleged "love story" with David, one of the victims of his killing spree.
A whole episode is dedicated to Jeff, the first victim, a former naval officer who got in trouble with the navy because of his sexual orientation.
The narrative is incredibly ambiguous. On one hand, discrimination against gay men is denounced loudly, on the other the fact that Cunanan was also gay is somehow overlooked. The police gets a bad rap for underestimating Cunanan, because he was killing "just gay men", even if probably there are hundreds of unsolved cases concerning also heterosexual victims.
Finally, Cunanan is presented in the most sympathetic way. You even get a police woman sort of cracking up at the sight of his dead body, murmuring he "was just a boy"... for sure he was not Godzilla, but he killed five people for no apparent reason whatsoever, one of them with a hammer, and another after sadistic tortures.... a boy he was, but definitely not a nice one.