If I hadn't seen the BBC version first, I would have rated this title more highly. It suffers from "cinematic" pretensions. Ray Winstone gives a better performance in the original and the replacement actors are, though fine, a disappointment across the board. This is particularly true with the actor portraying Archer. All of the prison employees are a let down as well. The crappy film stock used in the original is a boon to the realistic ambitions of the film and the more polished look of the cinematic release does the subject matter no favors. The DVD set is excellent; the comparison between the two is very interesting but if you see only one version, be sure it is the original made for TV.
