John Ibrahim’s Last King of the Cross: Fact or Fiction?

Being more familiar with the machinations of Sydney’s Ibrahim family than most, senior reporter Brenden Hills dissects the first two episodes of John Ibrahim’s TV show.

Did you hear John Ibrahim shot a guy?

Well, he didn’t in real life. And there is not a suggestion that Mr Ibrahim has committed a criminal act (Sorry, it’s a force of habit these days).

But he did in the show!

So what gives? The former nightclub boss turned-author-turned-TV biopic producer’s new TV show, The Last King of the Cross, is not a gritty real life confessional?

Afraid not.

It’s a fictionalised version of Ibrahim’s life and times as the Lebanese immigrant whose ambition saw him rise to the top of the Kings Cross nightclub game.

So what do we make of it?

Actor Lincoln Younes plays John Ibrahim. Picture: Daniel Asher Smith

The real John Ibrahim.

At its best, the show is extremely watchable. It’s well acted, the pacing is slick and Tim Roth steals the show as the fictional crime boss Ezra.

At its worst, it’s Ibrahim making a hero pic about himself that’s fictionalised and isn’t a reliable account of his life.

So watch it because it’s really good. But don’t go presenting it as a factual account to your mates at the pub.

The main characters are John and his older brother, Kings Cross muscle and eventual bikie, Sam. They are based on real life characters.

But much of the rest of the cast are fictionalised versions who are either based on real people, like the Kings Cross crime bosses.

Then there are characters who represent larger groups of people. Like the two corrupt cops.

The show opens with a powerful scene where John is rejected by his father who is on his death bed. Instead, his father sends John out of the room and asks for Sam.

Claude Jabbour plays Sam Ibrahim. Picture: Daniel Asher Smith

This differs from the account in John’s book where he wrote: “I have no strong feelings about my father’s death.”

There’s a long list of other things, but we won’t buck spoiler conventions by revealing them.

But the point is, why is the show such a fictionalised version of John’s life when we have already had previous attempt at the same story in Underbelly: The Golden Mile in 2010?

And why deviate from the version presented in John’s autobiography?

Ibrahim was heavily involved in the making of the show and reportedly had the power to give final approval.

So we have to assume it strikes a line between the version that John wants the public to see and how the professional TV show creators deemed the plot should be presented in the interests of making the show a watchable winner.

Both interests are served in the first two episodes.

John is presented as the hero. He’s a likeable character. But the show almost works too hard at times in an attempt to make us love him.

Numerous scenes can be filed under: 1990s action movie character development — We get it, he’s the hero.

These include the scenes where John doesn‘t flinch when Sam repeatedly punches him in the face in the rain, the mini montage where John gets huge pumping iron and the lengthy T&A extravaganza sex scene that grinds the plot to a halt to illustrate that women throw themselves at John. We get it!

Tim Roth plays fictional crime boss Ezra. Picture: Daniel Asher Smith

Another explanation could be that the producers of the show may have opted for a fictional version to avoid the legal dramas experienced after the publishing of John’s book.

Sydney identity Tom Domican received a $100,000 payout after settling his defamation case over his portrayal in John’s book.

The Ibrahim family have been in the public eye for less than flattering reasons in recent years stemming from an attempt by John’s younger brother Michael to smuggle about two tonnes of drugs into Australia.

The police investigation gave an unprecedented insight into the family and its often combative politics.

It will be interesting to see if any of this makes it into the show.

Three stars, Margaret.

Originally published as John Ibrahim’s Last King of the Cross: Fact or Fiction?