This crime series has a score of characters who all seem to have relationships to many other characters. The plotting is not very good. but to reveal why might spoil it for you. The cops seem totally ineffective throughout the series and the plot feels like a soap opera with endless minor dramas surrounding the central crime. The acting is good and the series is realistic. It could have made a enjoyable two hour story, as is, I lost interest well before the finale.
5 Reviews
I'm with the second and last viewer
Headturner130 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I just love Irish series and have ran out of them so I tuned into this last night. Was surprised to see the guy who plays Frank( as I just saw him for the first time on the screen in striking out). He's a much better actor in this. The acting was good all around. I liked the little girl and Danny the best. I have to say that chumps wife was pretty and seemed like her and Frank had a thing before how the heck did she end up with that bollocks of a man?!? He had zero personality and it was no surprise what he ended up doing and in front of the daughter. I did find it odd tho that she didn't scare and stood and looked right at him. ( little psycho in the making?) It was very convoluted. They pull of what they did and then from there it just became about finding Danny. What actually happened with Franks land? Where is the money? Why did that bollocks of a man spend all that money on a damn stamp! and
SPOILERS: Why didn't they show hi daughter kill him in the end or the wife?!? That was the ending is the second worst next to Amber. You could see he didn't kill in self defense. He hit him like 20 times or more with that thing! Why wasn't he ever questioned? I doubt they thought it would be back for another season because what more could you do with it really. It looked as of someone was watching him in the end so I'll make up my own ending. Oh and first viewer NO not all shows from the UK are without endings and convoluted. I watch mostly all UK series and no. That is all.
SPOILERS: Why didn't they show hi daughter kill him in the end or the wife?!? That was the ending is the second worst next to Amber. You could see he didn't kill in self defense. He hit him like 20 times or more with that thing! Why wasn't he ever questioned? I doubt they thought it would be back for another season because what more could you do with it really. It looked as of someone was watching him in the end so I'll make up my own ending. Oh and first viewer NO not all shows from the UK are without endings and convoluted. I watch mostly all UK series and no. That is all.
A huge gaping hole in the story
todd-ramirez15 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I only subscribed to Acorn to see this show because of my love for Amybeth McNulty. Her brilliant and masterful performance in 'Anne With An E' earned her the Best Actress trophy and the show the Best Drama in the Canadian Screen Awards. And it made me a huge McNulty fan. I'll be posting my review of that award winning show soon.
Here is my beef with Clean Break: the police detective said he would have to bring Jenny in for an interview. Whatever happened to that interview? Besides Desi, Jenny knew the most about the case. And if she talked - and she would because it would have become clear to her that "dad" doesn't care about her or her mom one whit - the case would be completely solved, even without implicating Danny. I thought there should have been an Episode 5 to make this little girl the big hero she so deserved.
As big an issue as that is, the show is decent enough. Good cast, acting, and flow. And for me at least, McNulty.
Here is my beef with Clean Break: the police detective said he would have to bring Jenny in for an interview. Whatever happened to that interview? Besides Desi, Jenny knew the most about the case. And if she talked - and she would because it would have become clear to her that "dad" doesn't care about her or her mom one whit - the case would be completely solved, even without implicating Danny. I thought there should have been an Episode 5 to make this little girl the big hero she so deserved.
As big an issue as that is, the show is decent enough. Good cast, acting, and flow. And for me at least, McNulty.
Enigmatic Heist Mini-Series
thegulls15 September 2016
Caught this on Acorn TV, who collect and present various European mini-series, particularly Brit mysteries. Hence, you don't expect formulaic plots or clear, happy endings.
That is certainly the case with Clean Break, a 4-parter set in a seaside Irish town with diminishing economic prospects. Enter Frank Mallon, who operates a small, 'classic' car dealership - not very successfully. He has a broken marriage and a 17-year old daughter with poor taste in boyfriends. Soon, Frank is being pressured by a sullen banker, Desi Rane, who seems to have built his personality on a merge of Darth Vader and Ebenezer Scrooge, although, on the surface, he has a nice home and family, plus the love and respect of his employees and community.
Frank panics and plans a heist, but things go awry, as they often do in the post-modern film-noir world of European media. (This ain't the post-1934 Code films made in the USA, wherein the bad guys, by convention, had to get caught and punished for their crimes). Gradually, the layers are peeled back and we see who really inspired this robbery, and who is left holding the bag. I guessed correctly part of it, but some details were obscure in the concluding episode.
If you are the kind who needs everything wrapped up cleanly or you go crazy, I would pass on this one. I have adapted to these semi cop-out type of conclusions - so, I will survive. It's not the way I would have ended it. The 'process' was compelling, however.
That is certainly the case with Clean Break, a 4-parter set in a seaside Irish town with diminishing economic prospects. Enter Frank Mallon, who operates a small, 'classic' car dealership - not very successfully. He has a broken marriage and a 17-year old daughter with poor taste in boyfriends. Soon, Frank is being pressured by a sullen banker, Desi Rane, who seems to have built his personality on a merge of Darth Vader and Ebenezer Scrooge, although, on the surface, he has a nice home and family, plus the love and respect of his employees and community.
Frank panics and plans a heist, but things go awry, as they often do in the post-modern film-noir world of European media. (This ain't the post-1934 Code films made in the USA, wherein the bad guys, by convention, had to get caught and punished for their crimes). Gradually, the layers are peeled back and we see who really inspired this robbery, and who is left holding the bag. I guessed correctly part of it, but some details were obscure in the concluding episode.
If you are the kind who needs everything wrapped up cleanly or you go crazy, I would pass on this one. I have adapted to these semi cop-out type of conclusions - so, I will survive. It's not the way I would have ended it. The 'process' was compelling, however.
Dark drama is difficult.
gnatsong11 May 2022
But when acted and directed with skill, it can be a fascinating genre. The characters are well written, the plot moves at a steady pace without gotcha moments. It's difficult to find anyone to clear for, but the villains ooze character. This was a fine little series in every respect.
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