Clean Break

Caught this on Acorn TV, who collect and present various European mini-series, particularly Brit mysteries. Hence, you don't expect formulaic plots or clear, happy endings.

That is certainly the case with Clean Break, a 4-parter set in a seaside Irish town with diminishing economic prospects. Enter Frank Mallon, who operates a small, 'classic' car dealership - not very successfully. He has a broken marriage and a 17-year old daughter with poor taste in boyfriends. Soon, Frank is being pressured by a sullen banker, Desi Rane, who seems to have built his personality on a merge of Darth Vader and Ebenezer Scrooge, although, on the surface, he has a nice home and family, plus the love and respect of his employees and community.

Frank panics and plans a heist, but things go awry, as they often do in the post-modern film-noir world of European media. (This ain't the post-1934 Code films made in the USA, wherein the bad guys, by convention, had to get caught and punished for their crimes). Gradually, the layers are peeled back and we see who really inspired this robbery, and who is left holding the bag. I guessed correctly part of it, but some details were obscure in the concluding episode.

If you are the kind who needs everything wrapped up cleanly or you go crazy, I would pass on this one. I have adapted to these semi cop-out type of conclusions - so, I will survive. It's not the way I would have ended it. The 'process' was compelling, however.

This crime series has a score of characters who all seem to have relationships to many other characters. The plotting is not very good. but to reveal why might spoil it for you. The cops seem totally ineffective throughout the series and the plot feels like a soap opera with endless minor dramas surrounding the central crime. The acting is good and the series is realistic. It could have made a enjoyable two hour story, as is, I lost interest well before the finale.

But when acted and directed with skill, it can be a fascinating genre. The characters are well written, the plot moves at a steady pace without gotcha moments. It's difficult to find anyone to clear for, but the villains ooze character. This was a fine little series in every respect.