This BBC comedy crime drama was on the Guardians' best of 2023 list, despite appearing quite late in the year. I've been working my way through that countdown and landed on this a few weeks ago. It's a funny but dark series with a tone that reminds me of the Coen Brothers work.
Two strangers, Janet (Daisy Haggard) and Samuel (Paterson Joseph) discover a boat washed ashore on the coast of the town they live in. It contains two bodies and a large amount of cocaine. Despite being singularly unsuited to a life of crime, the pair agree to take the drugs and sell them, splitting the proceeds. Whilst the police are an immediate issue for them and trying to work out how to conduct a deal and who with, of bigger concern is French Gangster 'The Tailor' (Tcheky Karyo) owner of the drugs, who sends his hitman, Guy (Craig Fairbrass) locate them.
Despite being quite a stylish production, with its self-aware narration and meta 'play within the story' device, the key to the success of "Boat Story" is probably the casting of Haggard and Joseph as the two leads. Both play their roles as normal people who make an extraordinarily bad decision and keep their characters likable, but always with an edge that they might betray each other at any point. Craig Fairbrass is good too, with his beavy/hitman a bit deeper and more unusual than he might otherwise have been, there's an air of Martin McDonagh's writing in him - and his desire to make vases and go the Chinese restaurant with his coupon.
I suspect that you're either going to like the style of this series, with its chapter headings, flashbacks, allusions to an old French movie, ultra violence and humour, or you're going to hate it and whilst it's a novel change for the BBC, truth be told there's not much that original about it.
I found it fun though, carried along on a strong cast doing good work. It makes me want to start "The Tourist" now.
Two strangers, Janet (Daisy Haggard) and Samuel (Paterson Joseph) discover a boat washed ashore on the coast of the town they live in. It contains two bodies and a large amount of cocaine. Despite being singularly unsuited to a life of crime, the pair agree to take the drugs and sell them, splitting the proceeds. Whilst the police are an immediate issue for them and trying to work out how to conduct a deal and who with, of bigger concern is French Gangster 'The Tailor' (Tcheky Karyo) owner of the drugs, who sends his hitman, Guy (Craig Fairbrass) locate them.
Despite being quite a stylish production, with its self-aware narration and meta 'play within the story' device, the key to the success of "Boat Story" is probably the casting of Haggard and Joseph as the two leads. Both play their roles as normal people who make an extraordinarily bad decision and keep their characters likable, but always with an edge that they might betray each other at any point. Craig Fairbrass is good too, with his beavy/hitman a bit deeper and more unusual than he might otherwise have been, there's an air of Martin McDonagh's writing in him - and his desire to make vases and go the Chinese restaurant with his coupon.
I suspect that you're either going to like the style of this series, with its chapter headings, flashbacks, allusions to an old French movie, ultra violence and humour, or you're going to hate it and whilst it's a novel change for the BBC, truth be told there's not much that original about it.
I found it fun though, carried along on a strong cast doing good work. It makes me want to start "The Tourist" now.