STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful
On a fateful night in Ford's Theatre, President Abraham Lincoln (Hamish Linklater), who is about to ratify a law abolishing slavery in the Deep South, is shot dead in front of hundreds of witnesses, by actor and confederacy supporter John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle.) After Booth's escape, his friend, and War Secretary Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies) is tasked with bringing him to justice, but he and his men are obstructed in their path by confederacy supporters, operating on all levels.
With elections coming up on both sides of the Atlantic, and everyone's pulses charged for what the future may hold, a true life political thriller, charting a notable historical event, in the shape of America's first political assassination. Certainly ripe potential for solid, effective drama (and, at the very least, the justification for me keeping my Apple TV subscription!) And so, director Eva Sorhaug delivers this rather perfunctory account of the assassination of Lincoln and the subsequent hunt for his killer and the network that protected him.
As another reviewer has cleverly noted, the series has the feel of a History Channel production, from the dull, grey lighting, to the lack of dynamism, in the writing and, for the most part, the performances. Lead star Menzies has moments of flair, notably when reigning blows down on Booth after committing his deed, but is generally rather bland and unremarkable (and, apparently, doesn't bear a resemblance to the real man!) Boyle as Booth has a little more intensity and spark to him at times (after Bart Simpson played him so well all those years ago!), but can't lift the general material up any more. A support cast including Lovie Simone, Matt Smith and Linklater as the ill fated president add polish, but are similarly ineffective all round. Even worse, the series resurrects the 'reverse storytelling' formula, with events flashing forward and back at various points, which had worn out its welcome a while ago.
To its credit, it has a realistic feel to it, with no overbearing theatrics, and a believable natural progression in the proceedings. But all the same, what could have been an electrifying dramatisation is just a by the numbers effort that leaves little in the way of a real impression. ***
On a fateful night in Ford's Theatre, President Abraham Lincoln (Hamish Linklater), who is about to ratify a law abolishing slavery in the Deep South, is shot dead in front of hundreds of witnesses, by actor and confederacy supporter John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle.) After Booth's escape, his friend, and War Secretary Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies) is tasked with bringing him to justice, but he and his men are obstructed in their path by confederacy supporters, operating on all levels.
With elections coming up on both sides of the Atlantic, and everyone's pulses charged for what the future may hold, a true life political thriller, charting a notable historical event, in the shape of America's first political assassination. Certainly ripe potential for solid, effective drama (and, at the very least, the justification for me keeping my Apple TV subscription!) And so, director Eva Sorhaug delivers this rather perfunctory account of the assassination of Lincoln and the subsequent hunt for his killer and the network that protected him.
As another reviewer has cleverly noted, the series has the feel of a History Channel production, from the dull, grey lighting, to the lack of dynamism, in the writing and, for the most part, the performances. Lead star Menzies has moments of flair, notably when reigning blows down on Booth after committing his deed, but is generally rather bland and unremarkable (and, apparently, doesn't bear a resemblance to the real man!) Boyle as Booth has a little more intensity and spark to him at times (after Bart Simpson played him so well all those years ago!), but can't lift the general material up any more. A support cast including Lovie Simone, Matt Smith and Linklater as the ill fated president add polish, but are similarly ineffective all round. Even worse, the series resurrects the 'reverse storytelling' formula, with events flashing forward and back at various points, which had worn out its welcome a while ago.
To its credit, it has a realistic feel to it, with no overbearing theatrics, and a believable natural progression in the proceedings. But all the same, what could have been an electrifying dramatisation is just a by the numbers effort that leaves little in the way of a real impression. ***