Scanialara
You won't be disappointed!
SmugKitZine
Tied for the best movie I have ever seen
Hadrina
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
John Raymond Peterson
Read the brief IMDb plot summary and check out the, so far, four critics. Perhaps read a few reviews of opposing views and then you may not want to watch it. The only positive indication that this may be a series worth watching is the so far 8.6 rating from IMDb users; my other sources of reference for ratings were not that generous. The best way to determine if it is a series you might like is to watch the first episode and judge for yourself. I was fortunate to do just that; I concluded I wanted to watch the whole thing, and did.Comparing it to anything else is going to mean outlining one's opinion about two reviews , The Black Donnellys and whatever else it is being compared to, hardly conducive to an objective assessment. If the review was to make some scene or feature/key moment comparison, that's entirely different. I prejudged it, and this is no better, because I did not care for the cast to begin with. I also would have bet a fair bet that such a series would not last on an American national network for all the constraints placed upon any series with potential violence. The series stood a far better chance of survival ( for at least two seasons) had this been produced for cable network. The terrific Deadwood, Rome and The Sopranos series could not be shown on American national network, too much of it would have been snipped by the censors for being too violent or politically incorrect; director or actors having to ply their art in that environment will not likely produce their best work. The lead character played by Jonathan Tucker is not as colourful as the other three brothers; whether Tucker's interpretation is to blame or whether it is the part itself doesn't matter. Tom Guiry and the character of Jimmy played by him is the catalyst for all the action. There is plenty of action and, to my satisfaction, it does not feel like it was a mandatory thing, part of a formula TV production; story-wise it was inevitable and that nuance makes a difference for the enthusiasts of the movie genre. The other two brothers in the series help support and move the story along. The series is not ambiguous about its theme, blind brotherly love and family loyalty, and not shy expressing its consequences. What pleased me most about the series was the narration by a character, Joey, very well played by Keith Nobbs, and the pretext for that narration; it's a concept that worked well. I give the series a lesser and fairer rating and acknowledge I liked it, but I won't go out of my way to promote it or recommend it. I recommended the two "Boodock Saints" movies, enough amateur movie critic karma damage for this reviewer.
TheDaydreamer
One day I was surfing the internet, and came across this show. It looked interesting, so I thought I would give it a shot - and BOY OH BOY was I in for a surprise: What followed was, in my opinion the best viewing experience I've ever had from a TV-showIt had everything a good show should contain:A very good plot line - Great locations - Great characters I sat in awe watching the show, and thought to myself "WOW, this is really great!"But then the unfortunate happened = I found out the show was canceled after only 1 season! I looked around, and to my surprise I found out, that a LOT of other people felt the same way I did about this show:There are a lot of shows filling the air, and some get taken of because of low ratings and such, and some of them deserve it - but NOT this oneAll I can hope for, is that NBC will reconsider their decision and bring back the show - because to me, it looks like it has become somewhat of a cult classic!!
chigekko
I was habituated to the time slot and, although disappointed when they put Studio 60 on hiatus, I kind of understood why. Studio 60 was great when it was good but had (has) a lot of spotty points that just don't work. So I tuned into The Black Donnellys out of habit more than a genuine interest in the show.By the first twenty minutes, I knew I was into something good.NBC pulled the plug, unceremoniously and without grace, on the show after only a few episodes. Fortunately, they made the episodes in the can for the rest of its short season available online and I was able to finish out the season and it only makes me more certain of this fact: NBC is the stupidest network on the air today.Donnellys was set up to fail to begin with. It was a mid-season replacement for a faltering show that was overly-infatuated with its own self and only gave the new show five or six weeks before they killed it.The Donnellys is ... was ... could have been ... NBC's Sopranos but it doesn't look like they had a clue about what they had. Frankly, it was better than the Sopranos, I think, and I hope they either revive it or, HDNET picks it up for more episodes, or, best yet, HBO buys the series and really lets it cut loose. HBO--now that's a network that knows how to produce, and support, a series. NBC ... if you're listening ... put the Donnellys on the air in a good timeslot and give it the support it deserves. It was the best, most mature, best-produced and most well-written show you had.On a side note: Haggis is one massively talented writer and storyteller. I'll watch/read/listen to anything he's got to offer from now on. Crash, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Black Donnellys ... geez. Awesome run of late.Enough, even, to actually forgive the Texas Walker Ranger years!
qbkilla311
The Black Donnellys is an extremely engaging new TV series on NBC. The writing is superb and invites the viewer into the lives of four Irish brothers living in the tough streets of New York. Organized crime is a way of life and any disputes are settled out of court (to put it mildly). The plot focuses on developing the theme of family above all else. When confronted with difficult choices, the brothers' faith and trust in one another empowers them to do what is necessary. Overall, the Black Donnellys is an excellent new show that I would recommend to all. At times it's very funny, but for the most part the plot is serious but not so overdone that it becomes unrealistic. Paul Haggis, well done... yet again.
