A waste of 90 minutes of my life

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I watched most of Series One and Two before a self-driving week in Ireland with my husband which included two nights in Galway and a day on the Connemara Loop. That was 2 months back and I've just concluded a second viewing, including the final episode I'd not seen fully the first time round. I have to admit my primary motive was to revisit the landscape and do some place-spotting but the quality of the drama kept distracting me from my touristic infatuation with the Republic of Ireland generally and Connemara, specifically. At times villains of the stories can be a bit over the top, but for the most part I thoroughly enjoy the writing, the acting and of course, the setting. If this series wasn't so hard to get hold of here in Canada I'd be recommending it to people I know.I enjoyed seeing Charlie Murphy, again, who did a fine job in the mini series Rebellion about the Easter Rising that laid the groundwork for the foundation of the Irish Republic. She's a good actress who adds substance and credibility to the final story, A Cold Heaven, in her mixed-up adolescent role. One of the most interesting parts of the series overall is the father-son struggle that lingers even once Jack Driscoll's father is out of the picture, literally. His ghost is a brooding presence over all of Connemara, in this drama, and sparks lots of tension between Jack's second-generation policeman character and his mother. Police corruption or wrongdoing is an issue that makes this ten-year-old series seem fresh and topical.

/refers to all 4 seasons/In my country, there are not too many series-films available, but it is always nice to have some change from time to time. As I am fond of UK and Scandinavian crime series, I did not expect something "out of the way" - and so it was. Poor climate with harsh, yet oddly beautiful landscape, relations among people used to live in underpopulated areas and work hard for daily living, small community vices and virtues - all this is properly depicted in Single-Handed as well. True, there are several protracted scenes, the cases are often subordinated to personal issues, and some supporting/infrequent cast (particularly Stephen Rea in The Lost Boys) overshadows the main one (although e.g. Owen McDonnell seems appropriate for the role).Thus, the series in question is no Luther or What Remains, for example, but brings realistic moments in front of TV and decent familiarisation with life and people in distant Ireland.

Husband and I were really looking forward to the rerun of Single Handed. We set to tape and only got 2 programmes. What is all that about. Brilliant actors, especially Owen McDonnell (obviously). This guy was so obviously made for the part, as was his mother. It was great. Scenic and well acted, dialogue great, WHERE IS THE REST? We have so few good police based shows on British television, unlike America, and when we get a good one it disappears in a puff of smoke. 55 dgrees North was another basic policeman show. What happens to them? If you can't think of any story lines give me a call, ran an Irish club for 6 years - I'll give you a few.

Surprisingly addictive.Ugly humanity set against beautiful landscape.The stories are almost unrelentingly bleak. People here don't magically turn around and do the right thing when push comes to shove. Instead they continue to show their true colours. No neat endings either. Welcome change from most dramas where writers always try to force redemption etc down your throat with all the subtlety of a shotgun blast to the face.No car chases, no csi voodoo, no sped-up hand to hand combat or parkour.Just a cop trying to do his job and still have something resembling a personal life. Sounds boring and yet the characters are so engaging it's hard not to get caught up in their struggle.Wish them well.Thank you.