Quite Ugly One Morning

I haven't read the book this is based on, or any others by this author, so came with little expectations apart from the fact that it stars James Nesbitt. Nesbitt delivers as usual and is as charming and amusing as the lame writing allows him to be, although certainly not as charming as he or the scriptwriters think he is.

There are plenty of plot holes and references to events that must have wound up on the cutting room floor, with the effect that all in all it felt fairly anaemic.

Reading the comments of others though, I am now curious to read the novels, which sound like they are far better than this formulaic excursion into TV-land.

I saw this before i had read the book, and James Nesbitt is a brilliant actor. It seemed as though the part had been written for him. And from what i saw it was brilliant. Until i read the book. Whilst staying as close to the book as they could (or tried to) the were some major changes. Rather than ruin it for people i won't say what the changes were, but in my eyes James Nesbitt is perfect as Jack Parlabane (even though the character is from Glasgow). If you've read the book then at least see this to see how it might have looked. If you haven't watch this first then read the book. You shouldn't be too disappointed - even with the changes to the Plot. I'd love to see some of the other books adapted for TV or hopefully cinemas.

this is quite a good and interesting drama starring James Nesbitt.

Nesbitt plays a journalist who has a really bad hangover (the quite ugly one morning in the title) who walks in to a neighbors flat to find him brutally murdered, he then has to find out what happened.

Another sub-plot is the relationship between Nesbitt's character and the police officer on the case, this is a bit distracting from the main plot and doesn't really fit in the story, A good sub-plot is about a hit-man (the one that performed the murder, revealed early in the story) with a missing finger who then stays at a bed and breakfast who kills the owners (annette Crosbie) dog and tries to dispose of it, this is an interesting and entertaining sub-plot that doesn't have relevance on the story.

Nesbitt is fine in the lead role, Crosbie is good as the owner of the bed and breakfast, but this drama is let down by the relationship between Nesbitt and the officer.

Overall good drama, 6/10

If you want an undemanding and reasonably amusing hour or so, then it's OK to watch this. It's not all that bad, really. Yeah, it's got more lapses in logic than I care to describe here and might tax the patience of people - like myself, I have to admit - who are inclined to throw things at the TV on occasion, but it's funny at least. Just because it's not always INTENTIONALLY funny, there's no need to let that get you down.

However, if you've read the book - or any of the other books by Brookmyre - then you'd probably best avoid it. I've read them all and when I first watched this film, I despised it. I've trashed it in detail and at great length on another site, in fact. The TV plot bears practically no relevance at all to that of the book and served only to outrage and infuriate many faithful (and admittedly rabid) Brookmyre fans.

Best bit of advice..? Watch this, then read the book and only THEN make your comparisons and submit your judgement.

Here's a view from someone who hasn't read the book before watching the movie. And I have to say, I can't agree with those who think this is a bad movie.

My TV guide listed this as a detective movie, which it isn't, really. It's just a light-hearted drama, that focuses more on the several sub-plots than on the main story. And there are quite some sub-plots. A clumsy assassin-subplot, an ex-girlfriend-subplot, even the cliché policewoman-falls-in-love-with-the-main-character-subplot.

The main story isn't surprising at all, there are no deep motives or intriguing relations. The main plot is subsidiary to the numerous sub-plots. And that's no problem at all for this movie - the sub-plots are interesting enough by themselves.

Overall I can say, it's quite entertaining for a dull Friday night.