The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Season Finale

Nine weeks ago, FX premiered the second season of their anthology crime series, American Crime Story. The first season touched upon the sensationalized O.J. Simpson trial and it lured in millions of viewers who are still fascinated by that media circus some 20+years later. While the first season was compelling television, the element of surprise was missing. Anyone with an iota of memories has some knowledge of the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman and the subsequent trial that interrupted regularly scheduled programming for weeks. Ryan Murphy, the mastermind behind this series, is at his best when making television based on salacious headlines and his attention to detail did not disappoint. That being said, Murphy and his team could only do so much to tell us things we didn’t already know and that element always made it seem like the show was recreating acts we have already seen so many times before.

The second season of American Crime Story took a different approach. The crime in question dominated headlines in 1997 but unless you are a true crime junkie, it’s one of those stories that faded into the background. The July 15, 1997, murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace shocked the nation at the time because it was so brutal and so sudden. Soon the world knew that the man who took his life was 27 year-old Andrew Cunanan and so many theories abounded as to why he did it. Was it random? Was he an obsessed fan? A case of mistaken identity? These were questions taken to Cunanan’s grave when he committed suicide on July 23.

Or so that’s how it seemed to the general public. Bits and pieces of Cunanan’s road to murder were revealed on news outlets but the FBI knew so much more about Cunanan’s journey. Versace wasn’t his first murder, in fact over a three month period, Cunanan took the lives of four other people: naval officer Jeffrey Trail, lover David Madson, Chicago real estate developer Lee Miglin, and caretaker William Reese. The beginning of these murders put Cunanan on the FBI’s Most Wanted List (in fact he was the first person to be put on the list as the Internet became a more significant tool to utilize this method) but Cunanan didn’t achieve the headlines he longed for until he gunned down Versace and the world really wouldn’t know anything about his prior victims until various documentaries and news programs decided to fully delve into the case.

The sense of mystery surrounding Cunanan and his motives is why the second season of American Crime Story has been compelling television from start to finish. The season began with the murder of Versace but subsequent episodes worked in reverse and essentially explained how we got to that pivotal moment on the steps outside of Versace’s Miami mansion. Because Cunanan was known to present a different version of himself to those who knew him, a lot of the series is based on speculation and tidbits from those who crossed his path throughout his life. A lot of what we saw over nine weeks is largely fictionalized but the heart of the story has an undeniable ring of truth.

The biggest complaint by most watching the series as we headed to the finale, which aired last night, was that for a show called The Assassination of Gianni Versace, there was very little about Versace or his inner circle. This was clearly Cunanan’s story but as a viewer, I can understand the slight misdirection. Versace is the name the public knows and his murder is the crime that most remember. This is the name that will make people watch. Ryan Murphy has also said that it was heavily considered to put Cunanan’s name in the title but it was ultimately decided that this would glamorize him and that’s something they did not want. For me, the most significant reason to use the Versace name and then tell a larger story beyond the fashion designer’s life and murder is that it brings awareness to the victims that didn’t make all the headlines. The episodes detailing naval officer Jeffrey Trail and David Madson and their fatal encounters with Cunanan were the best the series had to offer because it finally humanized these two men who simply were an afterthought in the media coverage. The episodes went into more than how they met Cunanan and how they were murdered, they made the people you cared about and that made their demise at his hands all the more tragic. You felt as you watched their episodes, which spanned more than a single arc, that these guys finally got their voice. The depiction of their murders was brutal but more poignant and memorable was the depiction of how they lived.

The Versace aspect was never frivolous, however. There were a few times that the Versace story would run parallel with Cunanan’s journey. One episode dealt With Donatella Versace’s unease and rise in her brother’s industry as it explored Cunanan’s rise as a kept man in the world of rich men. Cunanan came from money but his father ultimately abandoned the family, leaving his kids with their mother in less than favorable conditions. Versace’s story showed how he got to where he was based on hard work while Cunanan’s showed that he wanted the things Versace had but didn’t feel like he had to put in the work to do so. This is a man who thought something was owed to him and his descent into madness escalated as the world and character he created for himself began to fade away.

For those who wanted more Versace, the season finale took us back to the events of July 15, 1997. Having explored Cunanan’s road to murder, the finale deals with the manhunt for Cunanan and the eight days he spent in hiding as the media firestorm erupted from his murder of Gianni Versace. The frantic final days of Cunanan’s life, again, are largely fictionalized because the one person who knows how they were exactly spent was Cunanan and he subsequently took his life alone on a houseboat and with that act, achieved the infamy he so desired.

Much of the episode dealt with Cunanan becoming increasingly more emotional and hopeless as he took shelter in a houseboat, watching Versace’s larger than life Italian funeral on television and reminiscing about his time with the designer. This is another bone of contention, especially with the Versace family. They vehemently deny that Versace knew Cunanan at all while others who had some knowledge of Cunanan’s life, believe they crossed paths at some point. One motive for Cunanan’s rage against the designer was that maybe he tried to get into Versace’s inner circle at some point and was denied. Cunanan apparently held on to grudges when it came to those who wronged him on some level and that makes this Versace speculation have some air of truth.

Another interesting aspect of the episode had nothing to do with Cunanan. The relationship between Versace’s grieving sister Donatella and his lover, Antonio D’Amico has been explored sparingly throughout the series and what we gathered is that these two didn’t like each other. This seems to be more on the end of Donatella who circled the wagons and ultimately pushed D’Amico out. He was promised the Lake Como property by Versace himself but Donatella and the board don’t allow this to happen. The scenes are played to emotional perfection by Penelope Cruz and Ricky Martin and while both performers were a bit underused over the nine episodes, they did get a few moments to shine and I think they will ultimately be remembered come award’s season. To do what they did with so little by giving so much is a testament to their talent.

Before we get to how this story ends, it’s important to touch on the cultural significance of this story and its views on society as a whole. The People v. O.J. Simpson dealt with race relations and its impact on the trial during season one, while this season zeroed in on the complexities that the gay community weathered in the late ’90s, and how homophobia continues to pervade society. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the pointed speech delivered by Ronnie (Max Greenfield) to the Feds after they bring him in for questioning over Cunanan’s whereabouts. Wiry and HIV-positive, Ronnie berates them for their insensitivity and idiocy in not catching Cunanan sooner while he was in plain sight in Miami. The one thing that most know who followed this story is that it’s largely believed to be one of the biggest FBI fails of all time and a lot of it has to do with how they perceived the murders before it was too late. This was a gay man killing other gay men and that became the narrative rather than simply finding a growing spree killer before he took more lives. Ronnie’s line in last night’s episode sums up their approach best:

“The other cops here, they weren’t searching so hard were they, why is that? Because he killed a bunch of nobody gays?…You know what the truth is, you were disgusted by him, long before he became disgusting. You’re so used to us lurking in the shadows. Ya know, most of us, we’re obliged! People like me, we just drift away, we get sick, nobody cares, but Andrew was vain. He wanted you to know about his pain, he wanted you to hear, he wanted you …he wanted you to know about being born a lie. Andrew is not hiding. He’s trying to be seen.”

Throughout the series, we have seen some compelling performances. Finn Wittrock gave humanity to naval officer Jeffrey Trail that would likely make those who knew him proud, while Cody Fern gave you poignant insight into Cunanan’s most personal victim, David Madson. The namesake of this series can’t be ignored either. Edgar Ramirez has turned in fine work as Gianni Versace, portraying him as driven but ultimately a sensitive soul who was proud of his accomplishments. Whether it was pushing his sister Donatella, or tender moments with Antonio, Ramirez hit all the right notes in the role and gave the character much more depth than was probably on the page.

That being said, the real MVP here is Darren Criss. From start to finish he has delivered on all fronts as Andrew Cunanan. This isn’t an easy role to portray. Cunanan was a known liar and manipulator but for awhile he was able to get people to buy what he was selling. He was charming but, as we know now, largely unhinged. Criss balances all of these aspects of his personality with the greatest of ease and he makes it so seamless that it’s pretty scary to watch. To be likable on one level and out of your mind insane is no easy feat, but Criss makes it look effortless. Glee made Criss a household name but this is the kind of role that makes you a star. If he doesn’t sweep all the awards for his portrayal here, it would be a travesty of epic proportions.

As we reach our conclusion, the series ends with one of those parallels I touched on earlier. Cunanan ultimately shoots himself and, after the events take place, a final scene juxtaposing Cunanan’s unremarkable final resting place and lack of mourners with Versace’s opulent mausoleum and Donatella’s palpable grief is a tragic but fitting into the themes that the series explored. Cunanan wanted the things Versace had but couldn’t obtain them. Whether it was love, wealth, fame or admiration, Versace earned those things based on his character and the world mourned him. Cunanan tried to achieve these things based on lies and deception and he ended up dying alone. Cunanan was voted in high school to be “most likely to be remembered” and in a way he was, but that final image of him, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound through his mouth as he laid there a former shell of himself, is probably the last way he wanted to be seen.


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About Gaius Bolling 3795 Articles
At the age of five, I knew I wanted to write movies and about them. I've set out to make those dreams come true. As an alumni of the Los Angeles Film Academy, I participated in their Screenwriting program, while building up my expertise in film criticism. I write reviews that relate to the average moviegoer by educating my readers and keeping it fun. My job is to let you know the good, the bad, and the ugly in the world of cinema, so you can have your best moviegoing experience. You can find more of my writing on Instagram @g_reelz.