Flat dialogue risks killing off crime drama
'I’d be agreeably surprised if Acceptable Risk were to take a turn for the better and, with four more episodes to go, it would certainly need to'
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Sometimes, amid all the dreck, when actors inhabit their roles, live and breathe them, television comes alive. This is the case with RTÉ One’s Mr Mercedes, in which not only does Brendan Gleeson truly inhabit the character of ex-cop Bill Hodges, but every other character is solidly, convincingly portrayed.
You could compare Mr Mercedes, a US television series for Audience Network, withAcceptable Risk(RTÉ) an Irish-Canadian production, heading for its third episode this evening. So far, this has been a depressingly lacklustre affair with which I’ve found almost impossible to engage. Neither the script nor the direction gives the actors much of a chance. By the end of the second episode, it was clear that increasing complexity is no substitute for dramatic energy.
