It looked like a really good one-off drama, and I was impressed to learn after that one of the star's wrote the play and screenplay. Basicially, it is 1913, and Britain has declared war against Germany (World War I), and the British Empire's greatest apologist, Rudyard Kipling, the writer of The Jungle Book (played by the writer, Four Weddings and a Funeral's David Haig) is at the peak of his literacy fame. The story mainly concerns his only son, 17-year-old John/Jack (Daniel Radcliffe, in a good break away from Harry Potter) who is ambitious and determined to get into the army. Unfortunately, his need for spectacles/poor eye sight are causing problems for his eye tests, and this is holding him back. Eventually though, his father manages to persuade a member of one of the forces to let him try out for a position, and risk the spectacle problem, and it seems to pay off in tests. Finally, Jack is now a fully trained leader of soldiers, and with a grown moustache can fool anyone as an older man. The father, mother Caroline (Sex and the City's Kim Cattrall) and sister Elsie Kipling (Carey Mulligan) are very proud of him, but worry will come later. When Jack finally gets to the trenches, and the day of his 18th birthday, soon he is reported missing, believed wounded, and this is what finally causes argument in the family for allowing him to go. Two years later, a fellow soldier finally shows up to tell what happened to Jack, and Rudyard struggles to confront the guilt and loss, but at the same time, he knows it was Jack's decision and bravery. Also starring Nick Dunning as Ferguson, Peter O'Meara as Capt. Viney, Peter Hanly as Col. Sparks, Robbie Kay as Arthur Relph, Laurence Kinlan as Guardsman Doyle, Julian Wadham as King George V, Martin McCann as Guardsman Bowe, Rúaidhrí Conroy as Guardsman McHugh, Jason Maza as Reporter, Bill Milner as Peter, John-Paul Macleod as Ralph, Peter Gowen as H.A Gwyne, James Holmes as Photographer, Richard Dormer as Corp. O'Leary, Adam Goodwin as Capt. Bruce and Fred Ridgeway as Hobdon. A very good drama with some good acting, and a good biographical story. Very good!
Review of My Boy Jack
