I'm in North America so I saw the truncated A&E version of this production. It says a lot about the quality of the writing and performances, that I still had a very positive impression. So if that's the one you've got, I think it's still worth watching.
Even if many of the characters aren't particularly sympathetic - Lorimer is deceptive, his colleague Torq is a heartless buffoon, and some of his family are oafish and mean - I found myself becoming interested in these people.
A lot of things are provocative about the plot, which I'm sure other folks have criticized. Just for starters, Lorimer's relentless pursuit of a "happily married" woman (although she hedges a bit on the "happily" part), his collection of ancient armour (at exorbitant prices and possibly from dodgy sources), and his going to extreme lengths, even lying about his family origins, to pass as a member of the British public-school elite. (After seeing the folks he ends up consorting with, it hardly seems worth the trouble.) Despite this I found myself enjoying what was unfolding, especially when it morphed into a noir-ish mystery about high-level financial shenanigans.
This is a great story to watch if you or a friend have started a new job that seems to be everything you'd dreamed of ... and yet, you're starting to suspect that all is not well. It might not be your imagination. I've seen Stephen Rea (who plays Lorimer's savvy boss Mr. Hogg) in a bunch of other things, like V for Vendetta, but his role here is the first thing that springs to mind whenever I see his name ... it's that memorable.
By a weird coincidence I was re-watching it around the time of the 2008 financial crisis, which added a new dimension to Lorimer's ethical dilemma. Judging by what people are saying on this and other forums, it sounds like A&E cut out a lot of good stuff, but there's enough left to make it a pretty respectable movie-length presentation, with (as various reviewers have already pointed out) an excellent soundtrack. Many of the songs are from African artists like Papa Wemba, which seems to be a reference to Boyd's original novel, where Lorimer is working his way around that continent by listening to contemporary music from there. I was able to track down some of the pieces afterwards, thanks to a posting on a James Frain website which has since disappeared ... I managed to save some of the information and made notes about the specific scenes, in case it helps other searchers.
1) African-sounding music, drums/vocal, as Lorimer drives to warehouse -- Yiriyayo 2) beat instrumental, after Rappaport, as Lorimer sees Flavia for the first time 3) en route to sleep lab after company party -- Nature Boy 4) he goes to visit his family, with daffodils -- Wassiye 5) classical music in Fortress Sure ad -- "stay true to yourself" - possibly Bach gavotte 6) electronic beat, en route to Fedora Palace fire site 7) watching TV after awakening, 5) again 8) beat -- getting ready to meet Rintoul 9) Afro-Cuban, as he drives to Silverton house -- M'Beddimi 10) en route to Gale-Harlequin -- vocal and drums - Yiriyayo, repeats 1) 11) en route to meet Flavia -- Africaden 12) pop music playing at taxi office 13) driving to Priddion's Farm -- Ye Ye Ye 14) classical music over dinner 15) classical music, repeat of 14), hurried departure 16) pop instrumental, en route to hotel site (same as 6) 17) Torq moves in -- playing on stereo, Fejigno 18) en route to dinner with Flavia -- N'jarinu Garab 19) dinner -- slow acoustic guitar instrumental 20) after dinner -- piano - Awa Y'okeyi 21) Torq making out -- pop 22) fanfare music at Sherriffmuir party - Harvest of the Steppes 23) sees Flavia again, gives her the house key -- theme from 19) 24) electronic beat -- knocks over flower stall, puts on helmet -- Ladilikan 25) whistleblower montage -- vocal and stringed instrument -- Kothbiro 26) acoustic guitar -- Flavia at the new house -- theme from 19) 27) frantic drive to Heathrow -- Kufilaw 28) repeat 20) - Awa Y'okeyi
Artist and Album (where possible)
1) "Yiriyayo" - Baaba Maal, Nomad Soul (Palm Pictures), 1998 3) "Nature Boy" - Nat King Cole, The Ultimate Collection (originally released 1948) 4) "Wassiye"-Habib Koite & Bamada, Ma Ya (Contre-Jour) , 1998 5) "Gavotte 1 from Suite 3" - Bach, Essential Classics Vol. 1 9) "M'Beddemi" - Cheikh Lo, Bambay Gueej (World Circuit, BMG), 1999 11) "Africaden" - Cheikh Lo, Bambay Gueej (World Circuit, BMG), 1999 13) "Ye Ye Ye" - Geoffrey Oryema, Exile (Real World Gold) 1990 17) "Fejigno" - Maryam Mursal, The Journey (Real World), 1998 18) "N'Jarinu Garab" -- Cheikh Lo, Bambay Gueej (World Circuit, BMG), 1999 20) "Awa Y'okeyi" - Papa Wemba, Molokai (Real World), 1998 22) "Harvest of the Steppes" - Gyorgy Behar, USSR & Eastern Europe; a Traveller's Companion (KPM Music), 1990 24) "Ladilikan" - Djigui, Frikyiwa: Collection [Vol.]1 (Six Degrees), 2000 25) "Kothbiro" - Ayub Ogada, En Mana Kuoyo (Real World), 1993 27) "Kufilaw" - Maryam Mursal, The Journey (Real World), 1998
Also ... possibly these "Cool Ticket" - Warren Bennett & Simon Smart, Essential Rhythm "Clutch" - Shea Seger, Clutch Single (and also on May St. Project) "Optomize (a)" - Richard Cottle, Dance Indie Mix 2 "Boccherini - Minuet" - Boccherini, Essential Classics Vol. 1 "Rondeau from Abdelazer" - Purcell, Essential Classics Vol. 1 "Flight of the Bumblebee" - Rimski-Korsakov, Classical Selection 2 "The Water Music - air Hornpipe" - Handel, Essential Classics Vol. 1 "Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit" - J.S. Bach, Naxos
Even if many of the characters aren't particularly sympathetic - Lorimer is deceptive, his colleague Torq is a heartless buffoon, and some of his family are oafish and mean - I found myself becoming interested in these people.
A lot of things are provocative about the plot, which I'm sure other folks have criticized. Just for starters, Lorimer's relentless pursuit of a "happily married" woman (although she hedges a bit on the "happily" part), his collection of ancient armour (at exorbitant prices and possibly from dodgy sources), and his going to extreme lengths, even lying about his family origins, to pass as a member of the British public-school elite. (After seeing the folks he ends up consorting with, it hardly seems worth the trouble.) Despite this I found myself enjoying what was unfolding, especially when it morphed into a noir-ish mystery about high-level financial shenanigans.
This is a great story to watch if you or a friend have started a new job that seems to be everything you'd dreamed of ... and yet, you're starting to suspect that all is not well. It might not be your imagination. I've seen Stephen Rea (who plays Lorimer's savvy boss Mr. Hogg) in a bunch of other things, like V for Vendetta, but his role here is the first thing that springs to mind whenever I see his name ... it's that memorable.
By a weird coincidence I was re-watching it around the time of the 2008 financial crisis, which added a new dimension to Lorimer's ethical dilemma. Judging by what people are saying on this and other forums, it sounds like A&E cut out a lot of good stuff, but there's enough left to make it a pretty respectable movie-length presentation, with (as various reviewers have already pointed out) an excellent soundtrack. Many of the songs are from African artists like Papa Wemba, which seems to be a reference to Boyd's original novel, where Lorimer is working his way around that continent by listening to contemporary music from there. I was able to track down some of the pieces afterwards, thanks to a posting on a James Frain website which has since disappeared ... I managed to save some of the information and made notes about the specific scenes, in case it helps other searchers.
1) African-sounding music, drums/vocal, as Lorimer drives to warehouse -- Yiriyayo 2) beat instrumental, after Rappaport, as Lorimer sees Flavia for the first time 3) en route to sleep lab after company party -- Nature Boy 4) he goes to visit his family, with daffodils -- Wassiye 5) classical music in Fortress Sure ad -- "stay true to yourself" - possibly Bach gavotte 6) electronic beat, en route to Fedora Palace fire site 7) watching TV after awakening, 5) again 8) beat -- getting ready to meet Rintoul 9) Afro-Cuban, as he drives to Silverton house -- M'Beddimi 10) en route to Gale-Harlequin -- vocal and drums - Yiriyayo, repeats 1) 11) en route to meet Flavia -- Africaden 12) pop music playing at taxi office 13) driving to Priddion's Farm -- Ye Ye Ye 14) classical music over dinner 15) classical music, repeat of 14), hurried departure 16) pop instrumental, en route to hotel site (same as 6) 17) Torq moves in -- playing on stereo, Fejigno 18) en route to dinner with Flavia -- N'jarinu Garab 19) dinner -- slow acoustic guitar instrumental 20) after dinner -- piano - Awa Y'okeyi 21) Torq making out -- pop 22) fanfare music at Sherriffmuir party - Harvest of the Steppes 23) sees Flavia again, gives her the house key -- theme from 19) 24) electronic beat -- knocks over flower stall, puts on helmet -- Ladilikan 25) whistleblower montage -- vocal and stringed instrument -- Kothbiro 26) acoustic guitar -- Flavia at the new house -- theme from 19) 27) frantic drive to Heathrow -- Kufilaw 28) repeat 20) - Awa Y'okeyi
Artist and Album (where possible)
1) "Yiriyayo" - Baaba Maal, Nomad Soul (Palm Pictures), 1998 3) "Nature Boy" - Nat King Cole, The Ultimate Collection (originally released 1948) 4) "Wassiye"-Habib Koite & Bamada, Ma Ya (Contre-Jour) , 1998 5) "Gavotte 1 from Suite 3" - Bach, Essential Classics Vol. 1 9) "M'Beddemi" - Cheikh Lo, Bambay Gueej (World Circuit, BMG), 1999 11) "Africaden" - Cheikh Lo, Bambay Gueej (World Circuit, BMG), 1999 13) "Ye Ye Ye" - Geoffrey Oryema, Exile (Real World Gold) 1990 17) "Fejigno" - Maryam Mursal, The Journey (Real World), 1998 18) "N'Jarinu Garab" -- Cheikh Lo, Bambay Gueej (World Circuit, BMG), 1999 20) "Awa Y'okeyi" - Papa Wemba, Molokai (Real World), 1998 22) "Harvest of the Steppes" - Gyorgy Behar, USSR & Eastern Europe; a Traveller's Companion (KPM Music), 1990 24) "Ladilikan" - Djigui, Frikyiwa: Collection [Vol.]1 (Six Degrees), 2000 25) "Kothbiro" - Ayub Ogada, En Mana Kuoyo (Real World), 1993 27) "Kufilaw" - Maryam Mursal, The Journey (Real World), 1998
Also ... possibly these "Cool Ticket" - Warren Bennett & Simon Smart, Essential Rhythm "Clutch" - Shea Seger, Clutch Single (and also on May St. Project) "Optomize (a)" - Richard Cottle, Dance Indie Mix 2 "Boccherini - Minuet" - Boccherini, Essential Classics Vol. 1 "Rondeau from Abdelazer" - Purcell, Essential Classics Vol. 1 "Flight of the Bumblebee" - Rimski-Korsakov, Classical Selection 2 "The Water Music - air Hornpipe" - Handel, Essential Classics Vol. 1 "Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit" - J.S. Bach, Naxos