Having also recently seen the british BBC TV version (6 episodes) this film is really poor in comparison.
I urge you guys to watch this, it really was fantastic. Paul Abbott involved with both but the film doesnt do the story justice at all.
I think most of have seen both will agree?
Of course the BBC version is better.
It has John Simm in it.
The TV series was horrible riddled with plotholes, bad shots and bad acting. First shot, killer shots his target, follows the witness on scooter and kills him right in the middle of the road with at least two cars. What?
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This comment was typed in front of a live studio audience.
I'm neither a Brit nor an US-American, and having seen both versions I have to agree the BBC TV version is really fantastic while the movie is... well mediocre to say the least.
Not only the story but the acting and casting as well.
I have to admit I don't really like Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck (I can't think of any movie with them which I actually liked, I think they are both quite unimpressive and IMHO not even good-looking), while I like Bill Nighy and absolutely love to watch John Simm who IMHO is one of the most gifted actors around.
Just seen the film in its entirety. Falls really flat compared with the excellent BBC version. Russell Crowe is surprisingly good though he's not John Simm. Ben Affleck as Stephen Collins is just wrong. He's far too young-looking compared to Russell Crowe. Doesn't work in a million years.
Liked seeing Helen Mirren but I prefer Bill Nighy.
Rachel McAdams is just too pretty to be convincing.
And does it really surprise anyone that suddenly the bad guys aren't oil companies? American producers too scared of the oil lobby? Mmmm...
It just lacks spark...totally...particularly miss James McAvoy. He was brilliant in the BBC version!
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Strange this is the rare example when I must disagree. Paul Abbott is a great writer but I felt he was trying to make a show as good as Edge of Darkness in 1985. There is just not enough plot to sustain the running time. The US version is superior because it condensed the story to its base elements and is tighter. The gay informer, (which takes up a whole hour episode on the bbc version) is a better character in the US version and brilliantly played (don’t know the actor). Almost always the US version is a disaster but here I think it takes the edge.
shareThis is a pretty decent remake to condensce the TV series, which I was a big fan. Not keen on the leads but the story was well handled and would be on the edge of my seat if hadn't seen the TV.
shareI second this opinion. The BBC version is incredible.
shareWhoa! I do agree with OP!! Just watched both back-to-back, which probably ruined the American movie completely. If I hadn't seen the BBC miniseries I wouldn't have known how great the story could be...there is no comparison in any way! The BBC version was enthralling, start to finish, and the movie was awful! Despite starring actors I normally love, there was nothing about the movie that could hold a candle to the miniseries. If you haven't seen the miniseries, watch it, it's amazing! Every actor is just perfect. Wow I love James McAvoy, Kelly McDonald and David Morrisey! I have never seen John Simm in anything but he is excellent in this.
I wanted the miniseries ending not to be true; in the movie I didn`t care what happened. Great entertainment as usual....bravo BBC!
The film is pretty bad but the BBC series is dragging on waaaaaay too long just to delay the final twist that becomes predictable about halfway through, for all the meandering about.
For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco
I watched both in the same week, the US version mainly as a comparison to the UK version. Yes, I enjoyed the UK version more, but maybe because that was the version I watched first, but also it had 6 hours of tele-play against the 2 hours of film?
There was, in the British version, more time to develop the characters(eg the politician / wife / journalist relationship), more sub-plots (eg the politician boss' involvement; the threatened newspaper injunction; false drug accusations; the sassy newspaper PA)) and it seemed less conspiracy-plot formulaic.
Also, the believable acting of Nighy and Morrissey in the UK version left the acting of Mirren and Affleck for dead (maybe because there was more time for character development in the UK version?).
But I think the Foy character was better rendered in the US version and there seemed to be a gaping plot hole, or unresolved plot point, when the murderer is killed in the British version.
And why the 'bogeyman' in the British version is an oil company and the 'bogeyman' in the US version is a military contractor probably reflects the cultural differences between the two countries (although I found the military contractor angle tied in better with the overall story line).
John Simm Russell crowe
Kelly Macdonald Rachel mcadams
Bill Nighy Helen mirren
David Morrissey ben affleck
Polly Walker robin wright
james mcavoy ? ? ?