The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe
Overview
The extraordinary and compelling story of how John Darwin faked his own death to claim life insurance and avoid bankruptcy will be told in The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe. The drama relates how Anne Darwin's husband, a prison officer, came up with the hare-brained scheme to defraud insurance companies, unbeknownst to their two sons.
Cast
Eddie Marsan
John Darwin
Monica Dolan
Anne Darwin
Mark Stanley
Mark Darwin
Dominic Applewhite
Anthony Darwin
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Peter McGinn
I have seen Eddie Marian a few times in supporting roles, so I was glad to see him as a lead character. The mini-series is based on an actual case and judging from a general perusal of that case, they seem to have stuck pretty close to actual events.
It is not mesmerizing viewing but it held my interest well enough. Marsan’s character is portrayed as being rather irrersistably charming, or close to it. I guess there is no accounting for people’s tastes. Obviously his wife could have done better, but her self-esteem is low.
The main character is clearly located somewhere on along the mentally ill arc or narcissist or sociopath. He only thinks of himself and feels no guilt or much sense of right and wrong. His mental state really isn’t dealt with in this program, though, except in simple terms of how his family is affected by his behavior. Needless to say, we don’t ever see any character growth in his like we do with his wife and sons.
I enjoyed thje show enough to be getting on with,but I can’t see myself watching it again. There are too many other things out there I need to watch.
