Kane & Abel

If you take on one of the most successful books ever, there's not much room to mess up. However, this un-even mock-up manages to fall at the first hurdle.

Peter Strauss and Sam Neil fail to portray the two ruthless Financial American giants created by Jeffery Archer. These two are the solid underpinning of the entire story. Yet they can't just can't capture them.

Sam Neiil mostly looks ready to burst into tears. Or uses two other facial expressions - a rather perfunctory smile and an attempt to look serious with a clamped jaw. Acts like a carrot and looks like puffed wheat.

Strauss completely left Archers' well-shaped character character somewhere on a boat. After a while his rigid accent grates as he attempts to mouth a tormented soul.

But if you missed the book, there's enough juicy story lines to carry you through.

As a huge bonus, the visuals are fabulous! Sail away in luxury and furs. Rumble along in magnificent cars.

But don't expect much heavy metal clash of Titans. Such a pity.

a Biblical suggestion. great cast. clever script. and a long battle between two men each with his way. a legendary series who seduce again and again. not only for acting or story but for special care to create its atmosphere. a film about success and self - definition who impose Peter Strauss and Sam Neail in two powerful roles. and the science to explore each detail of character, the air of 1980 years, the music, the dialogs, the costumes, the mark of different societies and the inspired direction are keys for an admirable work who use the drama nuances and the soap - opera tricks, who impose the dream as possibility and transforms the rules of fairy tale. a film about a competition. or a kind of war.memorable scenes and nice memories.

i first saw this in 1992 and was amazed how this series captured what can happen in real life. the past few years i have tried to get a copy of it with out much luck till recently, it cost me a lot but it will always take pride of place in my movie collection.I think the combination of Sam Neil and Peter Strauss was in part the making of this mini series, they are both fine actors and played their parts to perfection, my partner would not have even considered watching something like this normally but sat through it because i had raved about it for so long and when it had finished he had tears in his eyes and said DAM BRILLIANT,he enjoyed it, and was glad that he had taken the time to watch it.

I have read and re-read this masterpiece of a novel many times in the last twenty years. My Mom gave me the book when I was recuperating from a bad car wreck, knowing that I would enjoy a novel that mixed actual world history in the storyline. Living in Lowell, Massachusetts and knowing Boston very well it was entertaining to see such familiar names and landmarks mentioned. Abel's early life in German-occupied Poland was more fascinating. When the miniseries came around I had to see it. Good casting and acting...that is about it, I felt I had an advantage over the casual viewer, having such intimate and detailed knowledge of the book. I could not help but silently critique it, but in the end I felt it was a very entertaining effort and enjoyed it. It was worth the watching, although the reading was better. Isn't it always that way, and rarely vice-versa? I give it a 7-plus out of ten.

I seen the mini series when aired on British TV and i enjoyed it very much.

Sam Neill was brilliant as William Lowell Kane my mother would have to disagree as she liked Peter Strauss as Abel Rosnovski as she had a soft spot for him as an actor.

I have now bought volume 1 & 2 on VHS.

But i can not find the volume 3on VHS any where if anyone knows where i can obtain it i would love to hear from you.

I would also like to find the 3 volumes on DVD also.

As the videos are for my mum who also loved the mini series.

And watch it once again.