It's how long?

Rating: 6/10 (10 July 2011)

I'm not exactly sure whether this should have been a film or a mini-series, either way, I am left with the felling that I've missed something. Yes, there where great actors, a great director, props, costumes, so on and so forth... but where is the glue that holds it all together? At a distance, it is the story of a boy seeking vengeance for the murder of his father and the inhumane treatment of his countrymen, yet it is also about war, racism, poverty, romance, and the list just goes on and on. I understand the significance of all of these factors, but I want vengeance. Did I want to watch two and a half hours of him climbing up the social ladder, just to fall all the way off, then two seconds of vengeful fury? Not really.
It is the kind of film that a remote control was made for. I am not saying at all that it was bad, I just lost interest. Yes, anticipation is what the audience needs to so they will be captivated, but when the story is all over the place and the original plot gets lost in the mix, it's just disappointing. I also have to ask, what happened to the countrymen? That was the cause that his father gave his life for, so why isn't as equally important to the son? Of course he had to shame the Irish to get close to the enemy, but there were no personal signs that he even cared about his countrymen, save for a mumble here or there and a donation to a homeless man. It lacked the spirit and enthusiasm to go with the overall drama and action.