This made-for-TV movie (or 'feature-length drama' as we call them in England) has a seemingly special place in the hearts of the nation and I fully appreciate why this might be. As a sweetly sentimental piece of family entertainment starring the undoubtedly popular John Thaw, it could hardly fail. Yet, curiously, fail it does on a number of levels.
Partly there is a problem with the cast, but I really don't think the fault is Thaw's. He was an actor of considerable merit and ability whose death elevated him to unofficial sainthood - making criticism of any work featuring him rather a tricky task as one might appear churlish. However, I rather enjoyed his gentle and satisfyingly nuanced performance in the curmudgeonly-yet-softhearted titular role. He certainly did well with the material to hand, and the story offers some potentially weighty issues which ought to be grist to any competent actor's mill.
Other characters, as has been correctly observed by various reviewers, are less satisfyingly fleshed out. This may be due in large part to their being allocated such little screen time & dialogue as to prevent the actors developing them to any degree. Even then, this might not greatly undermine the drama and it's worth noting that two supporting roles (the village woman who gently ribs Tom and the ARP warden in London) are well matched against Thaw.
The greatest fault lies with the scenes involving young William. There is a total lack of characterisation from the young actor and it's just the death-knell for the whole enterprise. As an example, when Will's best friend Zach has to leave (because his dad's been critically injured), Will just stands still with a blank expression on his face as though he can't remember if he's supposed to feel anything or respond or whatever. Who knows, maybe that was the best shot they could get out of him? Yes, the boy's meant to be emotionally damaged, but he barely displays any hint of genuine fondness for Tom. He smirks when he ought not to, he appears distant when he should be warm and human, and that's just me generalising. The intimate effect is very jarring and takes one out of the drama.
Thaw's acting might still have carried the day, if it weren't for the toe-curling shattering of mood in two scenes. I refer, of course, to the nightmare scene and to the cycling scene at the end. In the former, bad direction and poor acting combine when the boy sits bolt upright and yells wide-eyed to the camera as it zooms in; meant to be shocking but so unintentionally embarrassing that it becomes pure 'narm'. That I no longer believed in William as a character was merely reinforced right at the end in a final moment of narm when his cries of "Yaaay" as he cycles down the hill toward the great emotional climax come spilling out his mouth as though recited in a first year Latin class; it's certainly not from the heart.
In the end, the boy just couldn't act and it torpedoed the whole damn thing for me. It's pity; I might have really enjoyed it too.
Partly there is a problem with the cast, but I really don't think the fault is Thaw's. He was an actor of considerable merit and ability whose death elevated him to unofficial sainthood - making criticism of any work featuring him rather a tricky task as one might appear churlish. However, I rather enjoyed his gentle and satisfyingly nuanced performance in the curmudgeonly-yet-softhearted titular role. He certainly did well with the material to hand, and the story offers some potentially weighty issues which ought to be grist to any competent actor's mill.
Other characters, as has been correctly observed by various reviewers, are less satisfyingly fleshed out. This may be due in large part to their being allocated such little screen time & dialogue as to prevent the actors developing them to any degree. Even then, this might not greatly undermine the drama and it's worth noting that two supporting roles (the village woman who gently ribs Tom and the ARP warden in London) are well matched against Thaw.
The greatest fault lies with the scenes involving young William. There is a total lack of characterisation from the young actor and it's just the death-knell for the whole enterprise. As an example, when Will's best friend Zach has to leave (because his dad's been critically injured), Will just stands still with a blank expression on his face as though he can't remember if he's supposed to feel anything or respond or whatever. Who knows, maybe that was the best shot they could get out of him? Yes, the boy's meant to be emotionally damaged, but he barely displays any hint of genuine fondness for Tom. He smirks when he ought not to, he appears distant when he should be warm and human, and that's just me generalising. The intimate effect is very jarring and takes one out of the drama.
Thaw's acting might still have carried the day, if it weren't for the toe-curling shattering of mood in two scenes. I refer, of course, to the nightmare scene and to the cycling scene at the end. In the former, bad direction and poor acting combine when the boy sits bolt upright and yells wide-eyed to the camera as it zooms in; meant to be shocking but so unintentionally embarrassing that it becomes pure 'narm'. That I no longer believed in William as a character was merely reinforced right at the end in a final moment of narm when his cries of "Yaaay" as he cycles down the hill toward the great emotional climax come spilling out his mouth as though recited in a first year Latin class; it's certainly not from the heart.
In the end, the boy just couldn't act and it torpedoed the whole damn thing for me. It's pity; I might have really enjoyed it too.