Father & Son is a taut, street-smart drama written by the late Irish writer Frank Deasy, who died last year from liver cancer.
Dougray Scott plays former drug/robbery gang leader Michael O’Connor, who is trying to stay out of trouble after a long spell in an Irish jail.
But then his 15-year-old son, Sean (Reece Noi), is charged with the shooting in Manchester of a gang member that he didn’t commit. Michael has to leave his pregnant girlfriend, Anna (Flora Montgomery), and confront his dangerous predicament.
How can he protect imprisoned Sean from gang vengeance without resorting to the criminal brutalities he has walked away from?
Mean, ruthless Dougray Scott
Scott has played light romantic lead in The Truth about Love (alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt) and the code breaker in Enigma (with Kate Winslet), but can he cut it as a mean, ruthless gangster?
Well, just about. With his heavy brow and lined features, he does have presence and when the action kicks off he looks convincing. But Scott is also particularly good at nailing the more emotional moments, particularly when he looks round his estranged son’s bedroom, the pain of trying to become acquainted with distant Sean etched clearly on Michael’s face.
It is the strength of Deasy’s four-parter, shown on consecutive nights by ITV1, that it is the plight of the characters, rather than convoluted plot twists, that engages the viewer . Deasy won an Emmy for writing Prime Suspect: The Final Act, and here he again shows his skill at creating rich, complex characters.
Stephen Rea
Sophie Okonedo plays Sean’s aunt and guardian, who also happens to be a police officer. Ian Hart plays her colleague, DI Conroy, who hates Michael. Terrance Maynard is Barrington, Michael’s old partner in crime, who is still inside and offers to protect Sean – for a hefty price.
And Stephen Rea, whose career has ping-ponged from The Crying Game to Saturday Night Live and V for Vendetta, is deadly serious here as the manipulative Augustine, the criminal powerbroker who agrees to help Michael meet Barrington’s price. It’s a rich stew of intrigue that swirls with the aroma of betrayal.
Tough streets of Manchester and Dublin
When gimmicky novelty cops (such as the time travellers in Ashes to Ashes or the genius Luther) are thick on the beat, it is great to see a powerful drama with its feet firmly set on the tough streets of Manchester and Dublin.
Deasy, who was just 50 when he died, managed to create an intelligent series in which the deadly fallout from global crime syndicates and gun culture is seen to reverberate through lives on the street. Great stuff.
- Father & Son, ITV1 Monday 7th June 2010, 9pm
Robin Jarossi - London-based journalist and editor specialising in TV, sport and books. I was the editor of 'Cable Guide' and have worked at 'Radio ...
