Flesh & Blood [DVD] [2020]

Let me begin by saying that I am in total agreement with the other reviewers - this movie is superbly acted. The writing is crisp, and keeps you guessing until the final few scenes. It is beautifully filmed, and even the background music is excellent. I thought we had chosen a keeper for our collection. Sadly, we were disappointed. Why, then.First, I think the character of mystery lover-man, Mark, is terribly miscast. I don't know what happened to Stephen Rea, but he is awful in this. He seems just loopy, moves like he's drunk. No passion. Unconvincing performance. But the rest of the cast was excellent. I think Russell Tovey is one of the best out there - would love to see him in larger roles.Second, the plot is, as others have noted, a very typical story - older widow meets rich, successful, stranger. Falls in love. Adult children suspect him of not being who he claims to be. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Gold Digger. The Good Liar (again, a shout out to the brilliant Russell Tovey!). Even Imelda Stanton's "Mary" reminded me of Judy Dench's character in Notes On a Scandal. So this had the feel of many other movies that have been done before.Third, and perhaps most won't agree with me on this, was the final shot. Even if Rea was more interesting or engaging, I STILL would have hated the ending. As I noted, the writing was very, very, good - but to then end with Mark opening his eyes? Could this have been any MORE of a cliché? Quite honestly, for me, I didn't care that he had awakened. Even putting the cliché aside, I thought to myself, "who cares?" he was not a good character. And what - is Viv going to stay with him after all of this? Further, given that most of the other storylines were resolved, it just isn't worth a second series. Sure, Nat is possibly pregnant, but we already know how her lover will respond. Jake is going to be divorced (probably), but is his getting together with Stella, or another woman, really important? I suppose that if this were a Kay Mellor or Jimmy McGovern series, I'd be really invested in the characters and their ongoing lives. In this case, I just don't care. It's too bad, since this had so many other things going for it.So, all in all, a very good thriller until the end. Solved too much before the ending to warrant a second series that would be capable of holding its own. And Rea's performance, distracts, rather than adds, to the story.

Francesca Annis is amazing in her maternal role with slightly dysfunctional adult children which involves human frailty and jealousies; the twist in the tale catches one unawares, leaving you to wonder at the approaching final scene - whereas her close friend, equally amazing Imelda Staunton, plays a shady role. Psychological drama at it's best I thought, but of course, the pedigree of the writers (Vera and Shetland) is it's own recommendation. I loved it!

Great acting, stunning locations.... an all-round good watch.

Nice to see his program again.

I recommend it good story

A very good tv series I am glad I purchased it on dvd

Arrived on time and was in good condition.

An entertaining drama on the 'gold digger' theme. It is almost a dark comedy, almost a psycho drama and almost a soap opera but it works well and holds its interest right through to the unexpected ending just before the credits roll - don't take your eyes off for a second right at the very end.. It is a big mix of affairs, infidelity, family anguish and naivety. The elderly mother of four adult children becomes involved with man who claims to be a doctor and who quickly wants to whisk her away on holidays, buys her a flash sports car and wants to get a ring on her finger, all to the angst of some of her children who have mixed fortunes and clearly have one eye on their inheritance which seems to be about to slip away. It is fun to watch the various themes unfolding and even though it is a familiar plot, it plays out well.