Beware spoilers please.
In an age of repeat showing, catch up and on-demand TV, somehow I managed to miss The Night Manager series. The main anecdotal feedback was Hugh Laurie's masterful performance as the main villain and the quality of the drama itself. I finally bought the DVD and sat down to watch what I expected to be a masterpiece.
The Night Manager can be considered a masterpiece if you compare it to most of the dross played daily in multi-channel TV land. But judged alone, it certainly is not a masterpiece, instead it is average at best mainly due to those who managed the creative process.
There are some decent moments; the weaponry display, the Egypt crowd opening and the interplay between Tom Hiddleston and Aure Atika. It is a shame that Atika's character is not developed as she has great screen presence and was a worthy foil for Pine.
The problems essentially stem from the presence of 10 executive producers who have proceeded to produce the inevitable camel instead of the thoroughbred horse. The plot whilst proceeding at a fair enough pace, is full of holes and many times you will need to forget you have an IQ to find watch you are watching believable.
Examples ? Pine returning to the Egyptian hotel where he spent 5 years working at and be recognised by no-one. A heavily pregnant character managing to evade pregnancy flying regulations whilst simultaneously putting her unborn child in mortal danger while carrying a gun she managed to get past Egypt airport security. My particular highlight is that in the digital age, Roper still prefers having print outs of highly sensitive information which would be ruinous for him if discovered, which he then keeps in in a desk drawer in his office.
Hugh Laurie's supposed famed performance provides instead the most frustrating aspect of the series. The mistake made was to not have him do anything bad at the show beginning to establish his villain credentials. Instead, we witness a bumbling fool who will trust a complete stranger over his closest ally. His lines also completely remove any air of menace; the more he witters on, the less chilling he becomes. If the Director had wanted him to purvey menace, she should have watched Michael Corleone in Godfather Part II. Corleone says only the minimum amount required and is all the more chilling for it. Laurie instead waffles on and on. Laurie was not also helped by the script giving him henchman called "Frisky" "Corky" and "Tabby"; names which do not strike fear in the heart.
Tom Hiddleston is not much better; this is the only role I have seen him in and from the look of it, it feels he spent his whole time at drama school perfecting his icy stare. His character also suffers from a lack of a decent back story and which means his motivation to become a Night Manager and to then remember he has Bond like qualities are not explained and therefore not appreciated by the viewer.
Supporting characters do not compensate; Tom Hollander's character delivers lines as though playing a bitchy celebrity hairdresser. He is also supposedly a fearsome operator who then proceeds to lose badly the only fight he enters into. Olivia Colman delivers her lines as if she is playing a West Country School Dinner Lady whose kitchen has run out of carrots. There simply is not any trace of top civil servant in her portrayal. I would have much preferred someone like Anna Maxwell Martin or Vicky McClure in the role.
Given the sheer scale, cost and complexity of the whole series, this really needed a strict Director. Instead we got direction based on long lingering shots of Elizabeth Debecki in various states of undress (odd for a female Director to do) and Hiddleston's supposedly smoldering eyes. Action shots were generally handled well but the party scenes just had that hideous feel of British thespians having a jolly good time rather than receiving tight direction.
The BBC is now under serious competition in the quality drama stakes. The Crown is a great example of what the BBC used to produce but now the independents have stolen their thunder. If the BBC wants to do more Bond style drama then it needs its creatives to be tougher with each other on what is needed to deliver quality output.
In an age of repeat showing, catch up and on-demand TV, somehow I managed to miss The Night Manager series. The main anecdotal feedback was Hugh Laurie's masterful performance as the main villain and the quality of the drama itself. I finally bought the DVD and sat down to watch what I expected to be a masterpiece.
The Night Manager can be considered a masterpiece if you compare it to most of the dross played daily in multi-channel TV land. But judged alone, it certainly is not a masterpiece, instead it is average at best mainly due to those who managed the creative process.
There are some decent moments; the weaponry display, the Egypt crowd opening and the interplay between Tom Hiddleston and Aure Atika. It is a shame that Atika's character is not developed as she has great screen presence and was a worthy foil for Pine.
The problems essentially stem from the presence of 10 executive producers who have proceeded to produce the inevitable camel instead of the thoroughbred horse. The plot whilst proceeding at a fair enough pace, is full of holes and many times you will need to forget you have an IQ to find watch you are watching believable.
Examples ? Pine returning to the Egyptian hotel where he spent 5 years working at and be recognised by no-one. A heavily pregnant character managing to evade pregnancy flying regulations whilst simultaneously putting her unborn child in mortal danger while carrying a gun she managed to get past Egypt airport security. My particular highlight is that in the digital age, Roper still prefers having print outs of highly sensitive information which would be ruinous for him if discovered, which he then keeps in in a desk drawer in his office.
Hugh Laurie's supposed famed performance provides instead the most frustrating aspect of the series. The mistake made was to not have him do anything bad at the show beginning to establish his villain credentials. Instead, we witness a bumbling fool who will trust a complete stranger over his closest ally. His lines also completely remove any air of menace; the more he witters on, the less chilling he becomes. If the Director had wanted him to purvey menace, she should have watched Michael Corleone in Godfather Part II. Corleone says only the minimum amount required and is all the more chilling for it. Laurie instead waffles on and on. Laurie was not also helped by the script giving him henchman called "Frisky" "Corky" and "Tabby"; names which do not strike fear in the heart.
Tom Hiddleston is not much better; this is the only role I have seen him in and from the look of it, it feels he spent his whole time at drama school perfecting his icy stare. His character also suffers from a lack of a decent back story and which means his motivation to become a Night Manager and to then remember he has Bond like qualities are not explained and therefore not appreciated by the viewer.
Supporting characters do not compensate; Tom Hollander's character delivers lines as though playing a bitchy celebrity hairdresser. He is also supposedly a fearsome operator who then proceeds to lose badly the only fight he enters into. Olivia Colman delivers her lines as if she is playing a West Country School Dinner Lady whose kitchen has run out of carrots. There simply is not any trace of top civil servant in her portrayal. I would have much preferred someone like Anna Maxwell Martin or Vicky McClure in the role.
Given the sheer scale, cost and complexity of the whole series, this really needed a strict Director. Instead we got direction based on long lingering shots of Elizabeth Debecki in various states of undress (odd for a female Director to do) and Hiddleston's supposedly smoldering eyes. Action shots were generally handled well but the party scenes just had that hideous feel of British thespians having a jolly good time rather than receiving tight direction.
The BBC is now under serious competition in the quality drama stakes. The Crown is a great example of what the BBC used to produce but now the independents have stolen their thunder. If the BBC wants to do more Bond style drama then it needs its creatives to be tougher with each other on what is needed to deliver quality output.