The story in the book is so much better than the screen adaption and I cannot believe a good book has become boring apart from Alan Cumming.
angelfizz
i am so glad that people have written on here what I am thinking, I am so appalled that a great book like the Runaway has been turned into this tripe. alan Cumming is brilliant as Des, but I am fuming!!!!!!!! How can they totally go against the book??
Normally I don`t enjoy gangster type books, but I make an exception when it comes to those written by Martina Cole.
To answer bazillis question, yes, they are all based on gangster life styles, but not glamourised, and they show how the families, and people around them, are affected as well.
I thought the adaption was awful to be honest, and if I had never read any of her books, that would have put me off for life...
I`m afraid I don`t agree with a couple or so, posters about her writing, but then, if we all enjoyed the same thing, wouldn`t life be boring!
True enough. After all, in Runaway world London only has one street.
The ending was ridiculous. Why on earth did the police say that Eamon was useless to them after he gave them that bomb warehouse that was important enough to be mentioned on the news?!!!!
lol good call about the single London street! I don't about the ins and outs of police resources but maybe they said that because they weren't going to much more out of him as they knew they weren't going to give him what he wanted or that once they did, he wouldn't to work with them after getting what he asked for. Goodness knows!
On a whole the Runaway was ok, having not seen or read any of Martina Cole's work before. Admittedly the draw to watch this one was Alan Cummings and, as others have said, to see olde London town and the dresses, customs and issues around those times.
The last episode was a bit 'meh', I was hoping for a less straightforward ending as a good fictional drama for me would have some twists in it to have me hanging off the tv but I guessed some of the things that was going to happen. One thing I didn't understand is after hanging him by his feet and beating him for thinking he was a grass, why did the IRA let Eamonn go when they still thought he was lying? And why didn't the IRA move their equipment if they thought he had grassed on them?
^ Like I said before the portrayal of the IRA was utterly unrealistic. They were / are a very paranoid bunch and do not hesitate to 'execute' anyone suspected of doing far less than liaising with the police. Also, they would have killed him not blown up the coffee shop, the IRA worked to an agenda, they didn't plant bombs in public places order to hopefully kill one astray member.
Just watched the final episode and, I hate to say it, but it was a load of dross. I wanted to slap Cathy for the way she was treating Dez who had literally picked her out of the gutter and all for that pretty useless Eammon :mad: Sorry, but I never bought their love/obsession with each other, there was just no on-screen chemistry or spark between the actors at all IMO. I was also distracted by the fact that they never aged Cathy and Eammon at all. They looked the same all the way through with just a change of hairstyle and clothes! And what was the soppy montage at the end all about? Seemed to be totally at odds with the previous 'gritty' tone of the series. I suppose it was to show their 'love' for each other (where's a vomit smilie when you need one?)
It's a shame because it did have an excellent start and I had high hopes but the series suffered once it lost big personalities like Ken Stott and though I'm surprised to say it Keith Allen, so after they had been killed off it just limped along for me. The two main actors just didn't have what it took to carry a series . If it hadn't been for the magnificent Alan Cumming I would have probably stopped watching. He not only made a good woman but also showed a depth to his acting which sadly showed up the inadequacies of the actors who played Cathy and Eammon. They needed two actors with real punch for those roles, who stood out from the crowd so IMO the casting department failed abysmally.
I enjoyed it against my better judgement. The actress playing Cathy did that wobbly head acting too much; Jack O'Connell used Steptoe Junior as the base for his accent but I still found them oddly engaging on screen.
As everyone has said Alan Cumming was amazing, and it helped he played the single "good" and kind character in it.
I know little of such things but the IRA didn't seem very convincing and there were gaping holes in the script (presumably filled in in the books?) It wasn't clear Tommy died - I only realised it from the "coming shortly" montage of Desiree going to his grave after footage of him going on a bender; how did Eamon get involved with the IRA in America; what happened to the bent copper etc etc.
Comments
Nora-Jane Noone
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1172901/
Normally I don`t enjoy gangster type books, but I make an exception when it comes to those written by Martina Cole.
To answer bazillis question, yes, they are all based on gangster life styles, but not glamourised, and they show how the families, and people around them, are affected as well.
I thought the adaption was awful to be honest, and if I had never read any of her books, that would have put me off for life...
I`m afraid I don`t agree with a couple or so, posters about her writing, but then, if we all enjoyed the same thing, wouldn`t life be boring!
lol good call about the single London street! I don't about the ins and outs of police resources but maybe they said that because they weren't going to much more out of him as they knew they weren't going to give him what he wanted or that once they did, he wouldn't to work with them after getting what he asked for. Goodness knows!
On a whole the Runaway was ok, having not seen or read any of Martina Cole's work before. Admittedly the draw to watch this one was Alan Cummings and, as others have said, to see olde London town and the dresses, customs and issues around those times.
The last episode was a bit 'meh', I was hoping for a less straightforward ending as a good fictional drama for me would have some twists in it to have me hanging off the tv but I guessed some of the things that was going to happen. One thing I didn't understand is after hanging him by his feet and beating him for thinking he was a grass, why did the IRA let Eamonn go when they still thought he was lying? And why didn't the IRA move their equipment if they thought he had grassed on them?
It's a shame because it did have an excellent start and I had high hopes but the series suffered once it lost big personalities like Ken Stott and though I'm surprised to say it Keith Allen, so after they had been killed off it just limped along for me. The two main actors just didn't have what it took to carry a series . If it hadn't been for the magnificent Alan Cumming I would have probably stopped watching. He not only made a good woman but also showed a depth to his acting which sadly showed up the inadequacies of the actors who played Cathy and Eammon. They needed two actors with real punch for those roles, who stood out from the crowd so IMO the casting department failed abysmally.
As everyone has said Alan Cumming was amazing, and it helped he played the single "good" and kind character in it.
I know little of such things but the IRA didn't seem very convincing and there were gaping holes in the script (presumably filled in in the books?) It wasn't clear Tommy died - I only realised it from the "coming shortly" montage of Desiree going to his grave after footage of him going on a bender; how did Eamon get involved with the IRA in America; what happened to the bent copper etc etc.
I liked the Ken Stott character but the only character I could really warm to was Desrae played brilliantly by Alan Cumming.
What happened to the bent Inspector. Do we know?
Why did TPTB not just arrest Kathy for the GBH on the caretaker
Why did Special Branch cut Eamon loose. Wouldn't they want him to give evidence?
I still found it worth a watch though:)