The Hack (ITV Drama)
Discussion
Well, we have done three episodes, and i don't know if it is the way the story is being told, how it's filmed, or what we were expecting, but overall disappointed so far, and not really sure if we will finish the series.
Shame really, as there are quite a few celebs popping up here and there!
Shame really, as there are quite a few celebs popping up here and there!
I’ve just seen the first couple of episodes.
I expected, hoped in fact, this would be a series shocking enough to mirror the destruction of so much of the credibility of Fleet Street, not that it was much of an impregnable edifice even before Murdoch and his ilk. Perhaps my expectations were unreasonable.
The phone hacking scandal exposed the endemic corruption in much of those in power in the UK. The press, the police, the courts, the government, the whole damn lot, did nothing to support Davis and The Guardian. Mind you, the police and government attacked them. What was surprising is that no one was surprised. Journalists could regularly break the law with impunity because the police would do nothing. In fact, didn’t do anything. They sat on evidence. They were reluctant to upset the rich and powerful: the Murdochs and other newspaper proprietors, and that's not to mention the government.
The series is packed with experienced actors, some at the top of their game, promising so much. And what did we get at the start? A rerun of Allen’s Manhattan. About as hackneyed an opening as it is possible to get. Oddly enough, the cover blurb for Rusbridger's otherwise excellent (well-recommended) book, Breaking News is:
We are living in a modern world where falsehood regularly seems to overwhelm truth. The ability of billions of people to publish has created a vast amount of unreliable and false news which now competes with and sometimes drowns more established forms of journalism. So where can we look for reliable, verifiable sources of news and information? What does all this mean for democracy? And what will the future hold?
I mean, that's the opening scene!
OK, so the start was poor. Easy to overlook. Then we got the humour, the domestic problems. Talking to camera could be a useful technique in what is, essentially, a documentary, but to use it for cheap laughs? No. Poor choice.
It’s not a documentary.
It lacks impact as a simple drama. It misses the importance nationally for an expose, the second in recent times, of such high level corruption. Whatever, it’s well-acted, the script is quite well written, but the screenplay, as least so far, has far to go. Tennent was lacking, almost at a walking pace. Toby Jones played the traditional hard put-upon newspaper editor almost as a caricature. Both wasted. It's no All the President's Men.
Shame. I admire Rusbridger and expected something of the gravity he brought to The Guardian. (And took away at the end of his 20 years.)
I'm hoping episodes 3 onwards are better.
I expected, hoped in fact, this would be a series shocking enough to mirror the destruction of so much of the credibility of Fleet Street, not that it was much of an impregnable edifice even before Murdoch and his ilk. Perhaps my expectations were unreasonable.
The phone hacking scandal exposed the endemic corruption in much of those in power in the UK. The press, the police, the courts, the government, the whole damn lot, did nothing to support Davis and The Guardian. Mind you, the police and government attacked them. What was surprising is that no one was surprised. Journalists could regularly break the law with impunity because the police would do nothing. In fact, didn’t do anything. They sat on evidence. They were reluctant to upset the rich and powerful: the Murdochs and other newspaper proprietors, and that's not to mention the government.
The series is packed with experienced actors, some at the top of their game, promising so much. And what did we get at the start? A rerun of Allen’s Manhattan. About as hackneyed an opening as it is possible to get. Oddly enough, the cover blurb for Rusbridger's otherwise excellent (well-recommended) book, Breaking News is:
We are living in a modern world where falsehood regularly seems to overwhelm truth. The ability of billions of people to publish has created a vast amount of unreliable and false news which now competes with and sometimes drowns more established forms of journalism. So where can we look for reliable, verifiable sources of news and information? What does all this mean for democracy? And what will the future hold?
I mean, that's the opening scene!
OK, so the start was poor. Easy to overlook. Then we got the humour, the domestic problems. Talking to camera could be a useful technique in what is, essentially, a documentary, but to use it for cheap laughs? No. Poor choice.
It’s not a documentary.
It lacks impact as a simple drama. It misses the importance nationally for an expose, the second in recent times, of such high level corruption. Whatever, it’s well-acted, the script is quite well written, but the screenplay, as least so far, has far to go. Tennent was lacking, almost at a walking pace. Toby Jones played the traditional hard put-upon newspaper editor almost as a caricature. Both wasted. It's no All the President's Men.
Shame. I admire Rusbridger and expected something of the gravity he brought to The Guardian. (And took away at the end of his 20 years.)
I'm hoping episodes 3 onwards are better.
Elderly said:
I really don t like the use of the fourth wall in this particular production,
and my wife who worked as a TV make-up and hair designer
said that the wigs were among the worst she d ever seen.
What is the fourth wall?and my wife who worked as a TV make-up and hair designer
said that the wigs were among the worst she d ever seen.
I missed the first episode, watched the second episode last night. I will have to do some catching up.
Enjoyable. The private detective murdered in a pub car park was good to watch. I thought there was more to come, but it seems that is the end of that particular crime.
C69 said:
So far, it's highly recommended. Certainly has the potential to be this year's Mr Bates vs. The Post Office.
Having now watched all seven episodes, I've changed my mind: it's not highly recommended and it's not this year's Mr Bates.It was okay, but overall I thought that it was a missed opportunity given the strong cast and the interesting storyline. The Nick Davies character came across as rather irritating and unlikeable, too.
cuprabob said:
Mezzanine said:
biggbn said:
Thought this was very good. Dougray Scott as Gordon Brown was a standout performance. I hadn't realised he was such a good actor!!
He s really good in Irvine Welsh s Crime which is on ITV X.Gassing Station | TV, Film, Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff