Better Man is based on the true story of Van Tuong Nguyen, a 25-year-old Vietnamese-Australian man who was arrested in Singapore, convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to death in 2005. The series follows the story of a young man who had a tough but loving upbringing with his twin brother and devoted mother. The story culminates in an extraordinary three-year legal battle to save the life of Nguyen, led by Julian McMahon, a Melbourne lawyer, and Lex Lasry, a Melbourne barrister.
Better Man was researched and developed by Stephen Corvini, Khoa Do and Timothy Hobart for over three years prior to the series’s production. Van’s lawyer Julian McMahon was a consultant on the miniseries as were Van’s closest confidantes prior to his execution, his best friends Kelly Ng, Bronwyn Lew, and Goldgan Ng. All four had been present during Van’s final visit. Better Man was written by Do based on extensive interviews, Van’s personal letters, court transcripts, his arrest statements and his clemency appeal.
Production and filming of this mini-series was not without controversy. Van Tuong Nguyen's family had stated that the movie had "reopened old wounds", and his mother, Kim, had declined to contribute to the development of the project and called for the film maker to drop the project. Additionally, Lex Lasry, who acted as a lawyer for Nguyen prior to his execution in 2005, condemned the series, calling it an "untruthful soap opera" and saying that it continued to cause stress to the family. Subsequently, SBS inserted a disclaimer stating that the Nguyen family "had no direct participation" in filming of the movie.
Reception
Better Man received glowing reviews, with critics commenting on the exceptional performances of the cast and the gripping nature of Do's storytelling. David Knox in TV Tonight called the show "the best local drama of the year", Dianne Butler in The Herald Sun praised it as "the most gripping TV drama of the year", The Australian's Lyndall Crisp selected Better Man as its "pick of the week" and mentioned that Better Man was "harrowing but well worth watching". The Sydney Morning Herald's Gordon Farrer also selected Better Man as its "Show of the Week" and praised the production, stating that Better Man's "script is sharp and moving; the direction is confident and effective. This is a moving story that gains power from the telling. Compulsory viewing". TV Tonight also listed Better Man in its "Top 5 Shows of 2013", and ranked it number one in Australian television shows for the year.
