Crá

Crá (Torment) is an intriguing gripping atmospheric crime drama.

Set in the dramatic rugged wild Atlantic comes a story of murder, deceit and redemption helmed by talented bunch of writers and an equally talented cast and crew.

Where this show triumphs over other standard fodder is the world building aided by the fantastic music and cinematography.

Trying to keep this spoiler free. The story moves at a steady and assured pace giving the required nuggets of information so that we the audience and the main characters are discovering the story together.

I'd highly recommend this show and it's available worldwide on TG4 website.

Only six forty-five minute episodes, so it is easy to watch.

It kept me interested, kept me guessing until the end.

The acting seems somewhat wooden at times. Direction is zippy enough.

The series would have worked just as well had the dialogue been in English, although sub-titles would probably still be needed for many to understand the accents.

The plot is somewhat laboured, with a somewhat improbable end that I did not guess, although there are faint clues.

The bleak scenic coastline and langscapes of Donegal adds atmosphere and interest.

The wardrobe budget must have been small, the Dónall Ó Héalai gets a single pair of trousers! But he goes get some lovely wool sweaters :-)

I'll start by saying the scenery was beautiful. The atmosphere was perfect but the story disappointed me. I won't criticize the acting but some actors were much better than others. I didn't guess who the murderer was right away but it was so clumsy with the suspects. You know who didn't do it but it try's to make the characters suspects which is tedious. Characters are so stereotypical. The renegade, the clown, the dumb pair that insist they know who is it and refuse to investigate anyone else, The journalist was not likeable. I could label each character. It's an easy watch for sure. I enjoyed the language. I loved the gorgeous scenery.

A very well written and acted murder mystery set in the stunning landscapes of north-west Eire. Dialogue is in Irish Gaelic with subtitles, which gives it a certain authenticity and makes it seem even more physically remote. I tried out the first episode, and quickly got hooked and two days later had finished the series. It's a really good choice for a binge watch. The similarities to Shetland are fairly obvious - both are set in remote communities where everyone has a past and that past is known to everyone else, but beneath the surface there are secrets too, waiting to be revealed. This series avoided the obvious and kept me guessing until the final scenes. Congratulations to the BBC for being brave enough to screen this. Thoroughly recommended.

I loved the setting and the idea of the murder being set in an insular, inward-looking community. However, the series was marred by somewhat wooden acting and implausibilities.

As always, we have to ignore the person the episodes were strongly signalling was the guilty one. It was completely obvious from episode three who we were meant to imagine had "dunnit". So we had to look elsewhere. I must admit I didn't guess who the real assassin was partly because it was such an improbable plot twist. There were other irreconcilable anomalies too. Martin was a thoroughly unpleasant character but why he should have been singled out for a beating by Connall is a mystery to me. We were meant to work out the reason why but I don't know what it was about (not a spoiler - this is the very first scene in the series).

Barry's involvement in passing on information didn't ring true either. He was such a wimp and jobsworth that I found it hard to believe in this facet of the story.

I watched it all. The final fifteen minutes were disappointing. The fate of Conall's dad is unknown but with court cases pending, would such extreme measures have been taken? And the decision to keep quiet about the conclusion of the case and leave an innocent reputation sullied didn't ring true either.

After reading back over the review, I've downgraded to a four from five stars.