IMDb user comments for
"Our Friends in the North" (1996) (mini)

advertisement

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 2:

[1] [2]

Index

18 comments in total

---

15 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the greatest TV Dramas, 3 December 2003
Author: mattjtemp from London

I felt compelled to comment after reading a disparaging comment, I too come from a 'North/South' family with a mix of working and middle class and in no way found this patronising or contrived.

Instead I found a drama that personalised Britain's modern history, which also gave me an anchor of historical facts while watching to really emerse myself in the stories.

I found the characters at times to be self important but this was clearly the intention- Eccleston's character Nicky was self-important and selfish with his views- these are character flaws. This was the brilliance of the length of the series as you become so intimately knowledgeable of the characters. The tragedy of Geordie and the on/off nature of Nicky and Mary's relationship. By the end you feel like you have lived their lives with them, something only achievable with a top notch cast and great script.

I would unreservedly recomend this to anyone, even outside of the UK, as it is quite simply brilliant drama.

---

9 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Remarkable achievement, 22 March 2004
Author: garethm-2

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

*spoilers*

Our Friends In the North is an exceptional drama mini-series that cleverly tells the history of 30 years of British politics through the mid-60's to the mid-90's from the perspectives of four wonderful characters. It is part soap opera but so what? Quality is surely all that matters and, just like the widely regarded Godfather trilogy, this is a wonderful study on family and friends. Regardless, Our Friends cannot be boxed into any one genre because its scope is so broad, encompassing themes that are wide and varied, dealing not only with political milestones such as the three day week and the miners strike but also with police corruption and Soho's pornographic industry. Admittedly there is quite a bit of 'It's year x, so this must be happening' (e.g. '1964? That'll be House of the Rising Sun methinks!') but for the most part I found that, like any history lesson, it was no bad thing as long as it was seamlessly added. Besides, complaining about probably the best ever television soundtrack must rate as one of the all time greatest IMDB nitpicks.

The most important and distinctive aspect of the soap opera elements is that we are not only able to witness the short-term consequences of people's actions but also the long-term consequences. Central to this is how closely all four of the central characters end up resembling their parents whom they had scorned years earlier. Perhaps a more heart-wrenching instance though, despite its inevitability, is the break up of Tosker and Mary's marriage after 15 years, Tosker unable to even muster the courage to tell his own young children why he is leaving.

Another significant difference is that Our Friends boasts some of the finest acting talent around. Christopher Eccleston, Daniel Craig and Gina McKee, all stars in the making, give breathtaking performances. Mark Strong, as Mary's dim but ambitious husband Tosker, drags the side down but only slightly. Eccleston does another fantastic job as Nicky Hutchinson, turning an unsympathetic character (snobby, opinionated, at times uncaring) into one whom the audience really cares for. We recognise his flaws from our own youths and we also empathise with the self-loathing that accompany all those early flaws in later life. The one big difference between Nicky and the others is that he is often aware of his flaws even when they're leading him down the wrong road. Mary (McKee), on the other hand, perhaps because she has a wheelchair bound younger brother, ends up living life as a martyr and it is only in the last episode when her son angrily points it out to her that she finally realises the truth of it. All four are decent in their own ways though and this not only makes their flaws forgivable but it also makes us care deeply for each one of them. That is particularly true of Geordie (Craig). Brought up in a dysfunctional family he nevertheless has an irresistible charm about him but is sadly far too easily led and ends up paying a high price for his naivety in cutthroat London. He never recovers even though, against all odds, he does see the series to its end. His time in Soho is gripping, giving us a rare glimpse into a seedy yet fascinating society ruled by the equally charming porn baron Benny Barrett (Malcolm McDowell). McDowell's character, arguably not only the best of this series but also of his accomplished career, is a fantastic one being totally at odds with the usual foul-mouthed hard man associated with this type of role. He's not the only British veteran to turn in a marvellous performance though. Peter Vaughn plays Nicky's father Felix, once a voice of the people but now cynical of everything associated with politics after years of broken promises. Vaughn is amazing in the early episodes but even more so latterly as an Alzheimer's sufferer. It's a gruesome site, not only witnessing Felix's sad plight but also seeing how difficult it is for Nicky to handle, particularly his sudden realisation that it is already too late to mend a relationship that has never been on the best of terms.

Our Friends then does at times offer up a pretty depressing view of our own existence particularly as the characters get older. The ideals that most of them harbour in their youths invariably lead to crushing disappointment and subsequent diversion towards the paths of least resistance. To illustrate this point further the conformist majority almost always outgun the likes of P.C. Roy Johnson who retain their principles into old age. So yes, it is a drama that makes it clear that life is tough with no clear-cut resolutions. However if there is one positive aspect to take from this then it is to realise that we should make the most of our times with those whom we love and cherish. Even if it doesn't send that message across to you personally then it shouldn't really matter because, despite its world weary stance, this is nevertheless great entertainment, beautifully told, wonderfully written, fabulously directed and endlessly watchable thanks to having a cast of characters to die for. Far from being the ‘Emperors' New Clothes' of British TV it is actually the knight in shining armour that restored not only my own faith but a lot of other peoples faith in what seemed to be a dying medium.

---

3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Far better than average UK mini series, 20 September 2005

Author: toncasgirl from United Kingdom

Brilliant series documenting 4 Geordie's lives, from young adulthood to middle/old age, and set to a backdrop of politics. More a social documentary than a mini series, not only on our times but on the fallibility of the human race.

The acting is outstanding, particularly from Christopher Eccleston, Daniel Craig and Gina McKee who have all become very successful, in part, no doubt, due to this series.

Combine this with an amazing soundtrack covering over 30 years of great music and it gets even better. The inclusion of Pulp's "Common People" in the final episode is one of the most effective uses of music in film ever! The song builds as the action builds and the crescendo is heartbreaking but so realistic that I challenge you not to cry in despair for our young.

US citizens may find the accents a bit hard to cope with, heck even some Londoner's will struggle, but it is well worth persevering.

Moving, gritty, realistic OFITN is a must-see.

---

6 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Best British drama of the 90's, 9 September 2001
Author: fisty cuffs from middlesbrough UK

This is one of the very few programs in British TV that actually lived up to the hype. It was billed as one of the best TV drama's we would see and it delivered. It is the story about a group of friends from Newcastle and how they grow up from being angry young teenagers to mild middle aged parents. It starts off in the 60's and finished in the 90's. In that time it documents the change that they themselves have and the change that the north east had during the 30 years. The rebellious 60's to the 70's strikes and power shortages and the 80's hard times for working class families dished out by thatcher.

The series culminates in one of the most unforgettable endings in British dramatic history. Never has and Oasis song been more appropriate. I also have to admit that i cried at the end. This truly was top quality drama from the writing to the acting..

---

1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Blurs the line between drama and real life., 22 January 2007

Author: filterlab from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Realistically, words cannot describe just how superbly written and beautifully played this drama is. It grips so tight that it's almost hard to imagine that it is in fact a story and the characters become real people, almost giving the impression that their very existence influenced certain political factors throughout the 1970's and 1980's.

It begins in 1964 with the main character Dominic Hutchinson (Christopher Eccleston) arriving home in Newcastle after a trip to New Orleans, and follows his life and the lives of his three childhood friends. It begins so innocently in fact that it's hard to imagine where the story is heading when one first sits down to view.

It's soon apparent though that the main driving subject of the drama (and in fact the stake that's driven through the friendships of the characters) is the politically uneasy period in British history, and the story is exceptionally deftly woven with real life occurrences, from the electricity rationing and the resulting three day working week to the surge of pornography, strip clubs and Police corruption in Soho, from the uprise of Thatcherism to the destruction of the mining industry.

Everything that happened in this time period in Britain has a showing here, whether it be a main hinge-point of the story or a television programme in the background. And just as it affected our lives at the time (storm of 1987 for example), it affects the lives of the characters in turn. It also highlights the rags to riches to rags nature of life that luckily only taints a few of us, but one poor soul - Geordie - has the kind of life that would send most of us to tears, played beautifully by Daniel Craig in the role he was really made for.

Geordie is the epitome of 'floating down the stream', and literally goes from unemployed Newcastle escapee to Soho Porn King's number 2. His portrayal of the character is absolutely superb, with real attention paid to the nuances one would expect to see in life without noticing.

In fact all the cast play beautifully, the main four being Christopher Eccleston, Gina McKee, Daniel Craig and Mark Strong supported by the acting superiority from the likes of Peter Vaughan, Alun Armstrong, Malcolm McDowell, Donald Sumpter and many others besides.

The one thing that really struck me was in the final episode. There is a momentary glance between all four of the characters when after all the years and all the problems and all the arguments, they've all ended up exactly where they started, it's just 21 years later.

It made me realise (bearing in mind I was only 19 when I first saw it), why people say 'I don't feel as old as I am', and why I now don't feel any older than I did fifteen years ago. It can't be quantified, you'll just have to watch it to understand.

I don't know of any other drama/film/series that could convey so much sense of focus and proportion and really show life for what it is (and what it was in the 70's and 80's), but if there's something out there that does, I'd love to see it.

Just sit down quietly with this drama, listen to every word, watch every scene and concentrate on the social commentary. I swear if this doesn't communicate, you can't be a human.

---

1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the finest productions ever!, 7 May 2006

Author: rosscanada from Renfrew, Scotland

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

When I first saw this a decade ago I was amazed by the excellent performances by the main stars (Gina McKee, Daniel Craig, Mark Strong and the one of the finest actors around today Christopher Eccleston) I knew a bit about the background of Britain and the North East between the 60s and the 90s but was amazed by how realistic it really was. The credit for this amazing production must go to writer Peter Flannery. The story lines which were more personal to me where the ones based on the Thatcher years as this is when I grow up with the miners strikes. It also one of the greatest endings with the use of Oasis' "Don't Look Back In Anger" which was also number 1 when "Our Friends In the North" was shown

---

2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
5 Star Series, 25 September 2005

Author: theinvestigator from United Kingdom

No offence Burrobaggy but the review is stereotypical of people with historical chips on their shoulder the size of Knots Landing. WAKE UP. The north east has changed / is changing/ will keep changing. It is not the outpost of England so "fondly" reconciled by anyone living south of the Midlands.

OK, so it's gritty, grim and depressing at times and the one thing I completely agree with is that the smug McKee is truly vile. But put the history of the program in context - it portrayed things "at the time". And that's exactly what it was - yes - even with the heavy dialogue and accent. Take it for what it was, a portrayal of life when it happened throughout the decades.

I happen to think it was a tremendous series brilliantly created for TV depicting credible characters which you warm to, relate to and sympathise with. Heck you even want to be on the frontline with them battling against the Police for the rights of the Miners (and I never agreed with that dispute!) Having recently rented the series after watching it originally on TV I retained the same feeling on conclusion. It left me feeling sad, fulfilled and wanting more even though that was never going to happen. This is truly an excellent drama. Put aside a weekend, rent it and lock out the world. And whatever you do, don't believe the north east is grim.....

---

5 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
The Greatest TV Serial In History, 4 April 2005

Author: Richard Hart from UK

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Forgive the hyperbole but I want to make it very clear how highly I rate this incredible series.

A little background on the series first: Set from the 60's through to that strange decade the 1990's, Our Friends In The North was at the time, a benchmark series for BBC and was the most expensive drama series produced up to then. Featuring hundreds of characters, a huge and talented cast, good production values and a truly unrivalled script and story, OFITN set the benchmark for a dramatic production that only a few other TV projects have ever matched.

The story sees four characters, linked as a circle of friends at first, go about their lives in England and attempt to make sense of the world. All four are different in their own right and more so than the broad brush strokes that first mark them out. Geordie (Daniel Craig) is sensitive, charming and intelligent and a long time friend of both Tosker and Nicky. He is arguably the most vulnerable of the four and his terrible home life causes him to run away to seamy London. Nicky (Chris Eccleston) is brash, opinionated and full of pretencion but is an optimist and has genuine beliefs. he also sees his father a burn-out who doesn't understand that the world is at a crossroads. Nicky makes the most attempts to change the world by varying means, politics, journalism and even terrorism. By the end, Nicky has seen his dreams utterly destroyed.

Mary (Gina McKee) is the adult character, being that she has a tough family to deal with (her brother is disabled) but she makes the most of things. She is Nicky's girlfriend at first but it isn't to last as she has plans that don't include saving the world. Mary has to deal with being a young mother in a crumbling tower-block before her husband makes good of himself. Tosker (Mark Strong) gives the most unsympathetic performance as the rather basic Tosker. He seduces Mary away from Nicky and gets her pregnant. He is hell-bent on his plan to get rich and despite many different methods, A fruit and veg van, real estate and a restaurant, it seems that Tosker is destined to always just fall short of his aims. And in love he also fails to win over Mary as the two contest a loveless marriage.

Over the series it covers myriad issues, from Poverty to Organised Crime and Police Corruption. The entire storyline with the criminal world of London is the most exciting but equally gripping is Mary's struggle to raise her son and make something of herself which she does ably. Nicky goes through a rough ride with his parents but ultimately finds a redemption. Geordie however is almost totally destroyed by following the wrong people the wrong way and ends up in prison. For Geordie, the system has no time for him.

The four lead performances are varied but all very good. Gina McKee gives the best all round performance across the series but Chris Eccleston is typically fiery. Daniel Craig has perhaps the easiest role to play but does it brilliantly. Mark Strong has less to work with but does well with the rather weak Tosker.

The supporting cast is a packed house of likable and hatable and inbetweens. Daniel Webb is great as honest cop DS Ron Conrad, equally David Bradley is superb as grass roots Labour politician Eddie Wells. Malcolm McDowell gives an epic performance as vice kingpin Benny Barret and Tony Haygarth is brilliant as optimistic old cop Roy Johnsen. There really are no poor performances and the whole story passes by like a real life watched in intervals.

The project isn't perfect, but as a piece of evolving art is quite without comparison. Over the 30 years of the story, people come and go, die and are born, grow up and fall apart, love and lose love and all end up being badly hurt by the system and when their beliefs are challenged. Nicky learns that the world is a hard place to change, Mary that she has become a martyr to her family, Geordie that if you fall through the cracks you are left behind and Tosker, perhaps he learns that sometimes it is right to be satisfied with what you have.

The stand out scenes in this epic are many, from young Anthony cox's crazy ride into Geordie's past, to the shocking double cross in London, to the sad collapse of Nicky's father to the beautiful ending where the four share a moment of pathos and are "in the moment" together, perhaps for the last time.

In all of TV history, only HBO's phenomenal Band of Brothers even comes close to this level of excellence. Not to be missed.

10/10

---

5 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Pure genius., 10 July 2001

Author: gaz_murfin from Newcastle, UK

OFITN, is quite simply brilliant. It is well directed, well filmed and well acted. Basically, combine this with the all star cast it has and you can`t go wrong - definately recommended! I paid over £50 for the originals - and I`m glad I did! :)

---

0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Gutsy story with raw emotion, 4 July 2006

Author: qv1879 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

When I watched it the first time I didn't know what to make of it. I'm from the US, but I come from an area that could be considered corrupt. Even the governor of the State of New Mexico has developed his own agenda.

"Our Friends in the North" centers on a young man, Nicky and his 3 friends. Nicky had just returned from the US during the Civil Rights Movement. He is fired up to destroy corruption in his little part of the world. He discovers that his hero, isn't a hero after all. Nicky goes from one end of the spectrum to another as do his friends. Over the 30 years that the story represents, the one constant in his life is his estrangement with his father and after 30 years of estrangement, the one emotion that develops for his father is pity.

This movie was recommended to me by a friend. It was a good recommendation and I recommended it to anyone who wants to take a chance. But be warned, though it has cursing, it's the story that may make you flinch. It's the story of real people.

---

---

Page 1 of 2:

[1] [2]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Ratings	Awards
External reviews	Plot keywords	Main details
Your user comments	Your vote history