Award winning drama is Manchester’s answer to Carlito’s Way
Written by Frank Deasy, Directed by Brian Kirk. Starring Dougray Scott, Sophie Okonedo, Stephen Rea, Ian Hart and Reece Noi
This award winning drama written by Frank Deasy, stars Dougray Scott as Ex Manchester gangland boss Michael O'Connor. He is happily settled in rural Ireland with his pregnant girlfriend when his son is accused of shooting a gang member. He finds himself compelled to return to his former life to protect his son Sean (Reece Noi). As it turns out the true culprit was the boy’s girlfriend who is involved with Michael’s old partner Barrington Smith. He has set the whole incident up to lure the ex gangster back to England to help him escape from prison. Sean has refused to talk to his father since his mother was killed in a seeming revenge murder.
Ian Hart plays DI Tony Conroy who is heading up the investigation but who has history with Michael He is assisted by Sophie Okonedo who plays Sean’s Aunt Connie also a police officer on the Manchester gun unit. Stephen Rea is suitably austere as Augustine Flynn a facilitator of Anglo-Irish negotiations. Predictably O’Connor finds himself dragged back into the world that he helped create. Plot twists include; creative money laundering, his own father’s betrayal, his girlfriend’s entrapment by the Garda, the introduction of Connie and Sean into witness protection programme, the birth of his baby boy and the revelation of the true villains.
This four part thriller never lets up. Tense from the start, Scott complete with wavering accent is believable as the bad man trying to be good. An excellent supporting cast is led by Noi as the man child caught in a world of gangland violence from which he has previously been sheltered. Father & Son sadly depicts a world where teenage tearaways turn into lifelong offenders. However the subjects get a very human treatment and the ending sees O’Connor finally fulfil his paternal role but at a price; very much Manchester’s answer to Carlito’s Way.
http://www.itv.com/drama/contemporary/fatherandson/default.html
Mandy Williams
