The Black Donnellys

I thought Crash was a really overrated, false film and was unhappy it won last year's Oscar for Best Picture, so I wasn't tremendously excited about Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco beginning an ongoing TV drama. But The Black Donnellys' debut is pretty good. Not a bad structure--a weasel is interrogated and tells the story of the Donnelly brothers up to now--but it's a bit forced in spots. At least for most of it we forget about the structure and are treated to a kind of Irish GoodFellas that eschews mythical notions in favor of more palatable and accessible family dynamics. In other words, there aren't a lot of pronouncements about duty; the brothers are just there for each other, no matter how fucked up the situation is, because that's just how it's done, and you don't make a big deal out of it. 3 of the 4 brothers register pretty strongly here, and no doubt they'll find more time for the other one, especially as one is going away for awhile. The love interest is of course, model-pretty and obviously could leave her waitress job for a better life any time she wants to, so hopefully they flesh her character out more. I wasn't really looking to add another drama, but it was good.