Thank you, BBC America, for bringing American audiences "The State Within." As Sharon Gless was quoted in one of the preceding reviews, you really won't know what is going on until the end of the mini-series.
The plot is Byzantine is its endless twists and turns. The viewer is never sure who the heroes and villains are until the end-- several characters reverse themselves more than once. The relevancy to current and recent American, British, and Middle Eastern politics makes the action even more compelling.
The writing is top-notch--the viewer must keep his eyes and ears open; "The State Within" isn't written for a large segment of today's TV/film audiences. What a joy to watch this mini-series unfold and present a challenge and a treat for the mind.
Acting is uniformly excellent. American views will be most familiar with Sharon Gless, more-or-less playing Dick Cheney (you'll understand this when you see her) totally without vanity but with complete believability. Jason Isaacs is outstanding in the lead male role, which largely mirrors Tony Blair. Looming large--very large--over everything is a sinister global corporation accurately based (I think) on Halliburton.
The production values are superb. I have no idea what the budget for the series was, but every dollar is on the screen. The unfolding of a terrorist plot in the opening minutes is exceptionally well-done, as are numerous other sequences throughout the plot.
To sum up, the acting, writing, direction, and production values are on a par with virtually any major-studio production, unlike most television programming.
I have deliberately skimped on plot details--the less you know going in, the more you'll enjoy waiting for all the riddles to be solved. And the ending is a provocative one. Margaret Mitchell would have approved!
The plot is Byzantine is its endless twists and turns. The viewer is never sure who the heroes and villains are until the end-- several characters reverse themselves more than once. The relevancy to current and recent American, British, and Middle Eastern politics makes the action even more compelling.
The writing is top-notch--the viewer must keep his eyes and ears open; "The State Within" isn't written for a large segment of today's TV/film audiences. What a joy to watch this mini-series unfold and present a challenge and a treat for the mind.
Acting is uniformly excellent. American views will be most familiar with Sharon Gless, more-or-less playing Dick Cheney (you'll understand this when you see her) totally without vanity but with complete believability. Jason Isaacs is outstanding in the lead male role, which largely mirrors Tony Blair. Looming large--very large--over everything is a sinister global corporation accurately based (I think) on Halliburton.
The production values are superb. I have no idea what the budget for the series was, but every dollar is on the screen. The unfolding of a terrorist plot in the opening minutes is exceptionally well-done, as are numerous other sequences throughout the plot.
To sum up, the acting, writing, direction, and production values are on a par with virtually any major-studio production, unlike most television programming.
I have deliberately skimped on plot details--the less you know going in, the more you'll enjoy waiting for all the riddles to be solved. And the ending is a provocative one. Margaret Mitchell would have approved!