[Brighton] Roy Grace coming to ITV next year

[Easy 10]

It's a strange one. I wonder if the TV show actually has more appeal to those that haven't read the books for just this reason?

I recall watching the Reacher films with Tom Cruise and not being able to get past the fact that Cruise is about as far from Reacher as you can cast without changing race of gender. I just couldn't engage with anything because I found it so distracting. On re-watching it recently, it's actually a decent thriller who's main character happens to have the same name as a guy in some books I like, but it's taken 10 years to get to that point.

Now the Reacher TV series... That's how you do a proper adaptation.

I haven't read any Reacher books, but I saw the first Reacher film so I had no prior expectations, if thats the right word. I just throught it was a bang-average thriller, utterly forgettable and almost had quite a dated feel to it. That wasn't because of Cruise being miscast IMO, it was just...dull.

 

[The Clamp]

This series goes to show, if the source material is poor it doesn’t matter how many A list actors or how much money you bung at it, it’s not gonna work.

 

[jcdenton08]

This series goes to show, if the source material is poor it doesn’t matter how many A list actors or how much money you bung at it, it’s not gonna work.

Fair enough. I disagree as I love the books as an easy read, but I definitely agree that if the central premise and the plots from the books don’t appeal broadly speaking, then the show is unlikely to. Take your point about casting though absolutely - you could have a world class cast in something like “Twilight” and it wouldn’t rescue the screenplay.

 

[Titanic]

Sam Hoare is entirely unconvincing as Cassian Pewe... very strange casting.

And I totally agree about the stage plays... truly dismal affairs from start to finish.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I’ve seen dozens - hundreds probably including movies - of book adaptations having read the novel. There are good adaptations and less good ones. I would have to agree that this adaptation isn’t the best.

I wonder if that is because each story is only one episode. I’m not sure that can do a book justice. The typical format for most dramas is around 6 episodes, to develop characters and plot.

 

[jcdenton08]

I wonder if that is because each story is only one episode. I’m not sure that can do a book justice. The typical format for most dramas is around 6 episodes, to develop characters and plot.

I think they did enough in the first few episodes to get the characters across, what they didn’t really do was develop thing in the episodes since. Grace isn’t a maverick, he’s a tough copper but real. I just feel the show, particularly SIMM’s performance, is leaning too heavily into something I don’t recognise in the character.

 

[jcdenton08]

Sam Hoare is entirely unconvincing as Cassian Pewe... very strange casting.

And I totally agree about the stage plays... truly dismal affairs from start to finish.

Cassian Pewe was indeed dreadful.

 

[The Clamp]

Fair enough. I disagree as I love the books as an easy read, but I definitely agree that if the central premise and the plots from the books don’t appeal broadly speaking, then the show is unlikely to. Take your point about casting though absolutely - you could have a world class cast in something like “Twilight” and it wouldn’t rescue the screenplay.

There must be something in the books because plenty of people like them. Just not for me. Great when you find a series of books or films etc that you’re into. Rare these days.

 

[Easy 10]

There must be something in the books because plenty of people like them. Just not for me. Great when you find a series of books or films etc that you’re into. Rare these days.

My parents absolutely LOVED the Reacher books, but the films have left them cold. Nether of them could get past Tom Cruise as Reacher.

There was clearly a market as the books have been massive. But the first Reacher film scored a lukewarm 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the sequel scored 38%. I've not bothered with JR2 as the first one was so insipid.

As you say, its very rare when books convert well to the big screen.

 

[jcdenton08]

There must be something in the books because plenty of people like them. Just not for me. Great when you find a series of books or films etc that you’re into. Rare these days.

I appreciate they aren’t high literature or anything. Just a “beach read” rather than a Pulitzer nominee! Sometimes you just want a crime thriller, and I love the Brighton aspect, even though some of his geography is very suspect.

He is several steps above Dan Brown, but when I’m reading a Grace story I’m not expecting masterpiece…

 

[BN9 BHA]

My parents absolutely LOVED the Reacher books, but the films have left them cold. Nether of them could get past Tom Cruise as Reacher.

There was clearly a market as the books have been massive. But the first Reacher film scored a lukewarm 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the sequel scored 38%. I've not bothered with JR2 as the first one was so insipid.

As you say, its very rare when books convert well to the big screen.

I have read and enjoyed all the Reacher books, can’t say I loved the films because of Tom Cruise being short and Reacher is supposed to be huge.

I really enjoyed the Reacher series on Prime, Alan Ritchson is more like I imagine what Reacher looks like.
Have you seen the series on Prime?

 

[Easy 10]

I have read and enjoyed all the Reacher books, can’t say I loved the films because of Tom Cruise being short and Reacher is supposed to be huge.

I really enjoyed the Reacher series on Prime, Alan Ritchson is more like I imagine what Reacher looks like.
Have you seen the series on Prime?

No not got round to it yet, but I may well give it a go. I'm balls-deep with A Town Called Malice atm though, and the doris is ploughing through Silent Witness, so there's only so much screen time available. Sadly I'm not unemployed.

 

[BN9 BHA]

No not got round to it yet, but I may well give it a go. I'm balls-deep with A Town Called Malice atm though, and the doris is ploughing through Silent Witness, so there's only so much screen time available. Sadly I'm not unemployed.

I definitely recommend the Reacher series, once I started watching it was difficult to not binge watch the whole lot.
I’m looking forward to A Town Called Malice

 

[vegster]

Yeah - last nights didn't really grab me either tbh....not the best. Really enjoyed previous episodes, but it all seemed a bit too far fetched yesterday.

And I know it shouldn't - but it still really bugs me that they use aerial shots of cars going eastwards on the A259 towards Rottingdean, then they magically appear next to the pier again in the next shot. I swear at one point last night they even mirrored the shot so it looked like they were going westwards past Roedean back towards Brighton, but the cars were all on the wrong side (ie lane furthest from the cliff side?)

I remember in one episode the bad guy tried to flee in his speedboat in the canal at Shoreham ...no panic I thought, just pick him up at the lock gates.

 

[Silverhatch]

I definitely recommend the Reacher series, once I started watching it was difficult to not binge watch the whole lot.
I’m looking forward to A Town Called Malice

Reacher series is great - as is Alan Ritchson; not 6’5” and 230lbs but pretty close and so much better than the Cruisemeister.

 

[GT49er]

Tried watching a couple of episodes - but no, nothing, zilch for me. Haven't even stuck them out to the end. Maybe I should try reading one or two of the books - so many TV adaptations/films are so much better (e.g. Harry Potter, Sharpe, LOTR, etc.) if you've read the books first. So much in all those that I wouldn't have known what was going on (in depth) if I hadn't read the books.

 

[FindonFan]

Tried watching a couple of episodes - but no, nothing, zilch for me. Haven't even stuck them out to the end. Maybe I should try reading one or two of the books - so many TV adaptations/films are so much better (e.g. Harry Potter, Sharpe, LOTR, etc.) if you've read the books first. So much in all those that I wouldn't have known what was going on (in depth) if I hadn't read the books.

You’ve missed nothing. I have read several of the books and thought they were all just average police procedurals. The current ITV series is, in my opinion, just awful. Very poorly scripted and very poorly acted.

 

[GT49er]

You’ve missed nothing. I have read several of the books and thought they were all just average police procedurals. The current ITV series is, in my opinion, just awful. Very poorly scripted and very poorly acted.

So, you're recommending I give the books a go, then?

 

[Binney on acid]

It's all done by smoke and mirrors. The average viewer is so busy marvelling at the shots of Brighton, that they are oblivious of the fact that the story lines are mostly implausible, and that the acting is poor. Peter James is a very clever bloke, but he'd probably make a better accountant than author.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

I wonder if that is because each story is only one episode. I’m not sure that can do a book justice. The typical format for most dramas is around 6 episodes, to develop characters and plot.

The one that is closest in format, 2 hours long and a new story each time, is Vera.
I wonder whether the Geordies critique that as we do Grace?

I've found some of the 6 or 8 week, 1-hour dramas seem to drag too much?