An excellent adaptation of Clavell's epic novel. True, the story told in the mini-series deviates that told in the the novel, but the changes make the mini-series much more accessible to a general audience (Clavell often rambles on about the nuances of Communist espionage which was likely far more pertinent and interesting when he was writing in the 1960s.). While the whole package consists of three maxed out VHS tapes, the fast pace of the story combined with the well-crafted romantic sub-plots (something lacking in the novel) keep you riveted and hardly wanting to take the time to rewind the tapes. In general, some of the acting performances are a bit rough, particularly from the female roles which is likely due to the fact that the series was never meant to be scrutinized by dorks on the internet (i.e., it's just a mini-series, we're not talking Oscar material!). However, the solid performances by Pierce Brosnan, John Rhys-Davies and Ben Masters (as the classic-80s millionaire playboy) more than make up for it. Overall, Noble House is immensely engaging and, due to the on-location shooting in the Pearl River delta, a great opportunity to take an armchair vacation to Hong Kong in its 1980s heyday.
Review of Noble House
