I love the Jack Irish novels but I was worried the TV adaptation wouldn't do Peter Temple's writing justice. I was so glad to see my fears were unfounded. The show captured the feel of the book perfectly, from the Fitzroy 'youth club', to Charlie the carpenter, to colourful racing identities and hapless and not so hapless crooks. Loved Guy & Martha's crackling chemistry. Guy's portrayal of Jack was just flawless - a slight sense of tragedy an more than a little darkness but not shutting out the world like some other tortured crime novel protagonists. There's a real sense of the Australian male: somewhat stoic, no-nonsense, capable, not beholden to rules but not rebellious for the sake of it, with a good dose of humour thrown in. What's not to love? It doesn't hurt that Guy is getting more sexy as the years go by.
More than any other book I've read, Peter Temple's writing seems to capture the mood or feeling of Melbourne perfectly and I was so happy to find the same sense of place in this production. I can't wait to see more and will. Be re-watching this. This is such great television.
More than any other book I've read, Peter Temple's writing seems to capture the mood or feeling of Melbourne perfectly and I was so happy to find the same sense of place in this production. I can't wait to see more and will. Be re-watching this. This is such great television.