Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The hard drinking, tough ex cop Jack Taylor (Iain Glen) returns in The Magdalen Martyrs. He is hired by the daughter of a woman who been inmate at the infamous Magdalen Laundry in Galway. Her mother's diary identified a sadistic nun known only as Lucifer who was notorious for her abuse at the pregnant girls staying there.The investigation is hampered as the records have vanished and Jack is warned to drop the case by a local hoodlum.As Jack investigations goes on he finds out that Lucifer has a more personal connection with him. His devout mother always had a cold relationship with him, now as she is ill he discovers that she also stayed at the institution while pregnant out of wedlock and also met with ill treatment.An interesting investigation fleshed out with flashbacks. My word Jack is lucky is with young Kate Noonan. Not only is she good looking, does him favours, a good police officer but also sings in a nightclub.

The script was superb as was the acting. The ending was not ambiguous. Kate sings a song about love which could be interpreted as singing to Jack. However, it's meaning to him evokes a feeling about his mother. He rushes to the hospital and in a gesture of great forgiveness and love, he takes her hand. She has had a stroke and cannot talk, therefore the scene is poignant and touching. Especially as she has been seen in previous scenes as a cold heartless person who has nothing but criticism for her son. After finding out about her experiences in the Magdalen Laundries through the diary of another girl, the way she lived her life makes sense to him. The depiction of the experiences of girls within the Magdalen institution are shown in flashback and are extremely powerful. As are also the funerals of the two boys which show Irish customs perfectly. Iain Glenn's performance is understated, but feels totally realistic - when Cody asks him if he wants to talk about his feelings, he says something like - I'm an Irish male and we use repression.

This is the final Jack Taylor movie with Iain Glen and unlike the first two movies, the final one feels much more personal and emotional. Not only do you get a glimpse at Taylor's personal life but some of the flashbacks in the film are haunting as they are fascinating to watch. It is one of those TV films that has you gaping at the television screen mirroring a certain feeling as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo evokes.The script is wonderfully written and very different from the last two focusing on a crime in the past that has influenced a certain crime in the present. Iain Glen is once again, a brilliant Jack Taylor. This time he reveals a softer side, perhaps a much more vulnerable side that has not been shown in the last two films. The ending I had problems with, it felt rushed and inconclusive. This is especially a great disappointment since it is the last one of the series. The reason for not giving 10/10 stars is because I was disappointed with the ending, though this is not a love story, Noonan's and Taylor's relationship was hinted to be going somewhere especially when they share a special moment, but ultimately goes nowhere in the end. It makes one wonder why the coupling was even implied. The moment with his mother in the end is also ambiguous and unnecessary as they say no dialogue of any meaning pertaining proclaiming closure or finality. Otherwise if you're Iain Glen fan, watch it and you'll like it. Glen is brilliant as always, if you're not, its still a great watch. :)