Stonemouth

Stonemouth

Reasonably good drama set in Scotland, I can quite put my finger on why it isn't better.

Its lack of narrative drive probably rests in the weakness of the crime and the weakness of the investigation and it just descended into a kitchen sink, soap like morass.

The actors were good but the script banal.

Pretty people acting badly... pretty much sums this up. The director seems to be working from Directing for Dummies as we get the various "art" shots so he he can add them to his resume, followed by directing 101shots so we can watch the bad actors trying to act. Then we get voice-overs .. and MORE voice-overs ... and .. well you get my point. Because how else can you explain the plot and characters? ... oh wait that's right .. by acting and directing properly!

When the British get crime drama right, no one does it better, and this is an excellent example

Brian Gleason was great, as well as all the older, veteran actors (save the mum). Storyline wasn't fleshed out nor was it compelling, and a better love story would have been Ferg and Stewart. Wouldn't rewatch, but I think I'm glad I did.

It's difficult to relate this to any kind of novel. If it is, the screen adaptation is just poorly done. The terrible acting does not help redeem the series at all. The first episode is just a mass of confusion, and the second episode is put together with no continuity or care for credibility. People just seem to show up in places at the right times to make the story keep moving, totally ignoring the need the need for logic. One could excuse that lapse if the show were an entertaining one but since it's at the level of a university drama project, that is not an option at all. Overall, a really horrible series with no redeeming factors at all....other than beautiful people doing what they do best...looking beautiful!