I'm a huge fan of Maxine Peake - and have enjoyed everything I've seen her in, regardless of genre. This is the exception that proves the rule, I suppose, because her excellent acting couldn't salvage much here.
The horror and injustice of Hillsborough and the difficulty the victims and their families had in getting justice seems like a great topic for a mini-series, but nevertheless, it's a terrible mini-series. The script is flat, leaving the actors little to work with. Too much time is given to Anne's extreme distress in the first episode at the expense of any other dramatic action. Stephen Walters, as Anne's husband, also makes an excellent job of his characterisation - as far as the script allows it - but the poor guy doesn't really have much in the way of lines, or scenes, to work with. It's like the age of silent film all over again.
The film drags from episode to episode with many slightly under-lit scenes where everything seems gray, but the script is still the dullest thing in the room.
The horror and injustice of Hillsborough and the difficulty the victims and their families had in getting justice seems like a great topic for a mini-series, but nevertheless, it's a terrible mini-series. The script is flat, leaving the actors little to work with. Too much time is given to Anne's extreme distress in the first episode at the expense of any other dramatic action. Stephen Walters, as Anne's husband, also makes an excellent job of his characterisation - as far as the script allows it - but the poor guy doesn't really have much in the way of lines, or scenes, to work with. It's like the age of silent film all over again.
The film drags from episode to episode with many slightly under-lit scenes where everything seems gray, but the script is still the dullest thing in the room.