Pay attention there, you 'orrible little man
Chris Ryan's Strike Back hit all the right targets for an SAS drama.
Writer Chris Ryan, a military hero himself, left the adaptation of his book to the scriptwriters.
The result was the best of both worlds.
It was still Ryan's story, still his baby, but with added bells and whistles which added to his original story.
And what a story it was.
It had all the necessary bits and pieces that make good hard-hitting drama.
Richard Armitage played John Porter: disgraced soldier left in the lurch by his bosses, his comrades, and his family.
He sees a chance to return to military service when a hostage situation develops in Iraq.
It turns out one of the kidnappers owes him a debt of honour which must be repaid.
So far, so cliched.
Add in the political manoeuvring, a redemption, and lots of manly posturing.
There was nothing really new in Strike Back but, pay attention at the back and sit up straight, it was all done so well.
I know Ryan was pleased with Richard's performance as Porter and he's right.
His Porter is a far cry from his rather wet Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood although there was a rather tender moment when he went all girly with the hostage.
You get the impression it was there for the few women fans who like this sort of thing.
By and large, though, this was a man thing. Boys (and the token she-soldier) with their toys, running around with their guns and gadgets, going to world flashpoints, meeting people of different cultures, and killing them.
There were a few social commentaries thrown in: the way in which Porter was abandoned by the military and his wife while he suffered borderline post-traumatic stress, the way in which he was forced to make a living as a security guard, and the way in which he could only find himself again by going back to the Army.
It's all been done before but it was done with style.
The result was an entertaining opener for an adaptation from one of the North East's best storytellers.
Catch the rest if you can. Sky1 on Wednesdays.
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Total cliched rubbish, and demeaning to women; but they`re not the target audience. Watch with your brain sucked out.Armitage is always this wooden and pompous.
This is a cliched pile of rubbish.Armitage has cornered a market in mumbling bores with issues.If he was ordinary looking, he wouldn`t get as much attention.The writer of Bodies wrote this; he should be ashamed; then again he had a useless airport novel to work from.Fit only for 15 yr old boys, as the women characters are demeaning and given little to do except prop up the lead character`s macho creds.
Ooh, Sandy/Anonymous (it seems to me that you are the same person) you're taking it all much too seriously!! Must you be so pompous!
I'm a woman, and I absolutely loved Strike Back (and I know for sure that I'm not the only one). Yes it's not the best written piece of TV ever, but it's entertaining and exciting nonetheless.
I sat thru this, cos I`ve got a Sky sub and I wanted my moneysworth.For your information,Betty dear,there are alot of negative reviews about this show.I`m surprised that there will be another series because the viewing figures were poor, compared with the likes of Going Postal.If you find macho cliches acceptable, suit yourself.But I`m with the naysayers on the Amazon board.
Woah nelly, how about them aplpes!
That's not just the best answer. It's the bestset answer!