User reviews

Stephen Graham, give that man an award. Some people are born to act and Stephen is one of them. I am an avid fan of his and have seen most of his work and I can honestly say this is his best yet. Shane Meadows, excellent storytelling as always. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry and it will make you feel unbelievably numb at times. Graham plays the role of an extremely troubled alcoholic in search of answers and he plays it to perfection. The lives of some very dejected and disillusioned people intertwine and lead to a tumultuous emotional rollercoaster. A must watch! Be prepared to be affected by this long after it has finished.

Give Stephen Graham the BAFTA now, what an amazing actor and a powerful series this was. All actors in The Virtues were outstanding but Stephen... just wow

Emotionally draining but the acting was fabulous in this! The early scene between him and son was stunning and honest. Other reviews have criticised the plot but having only seen one episode, I found it perfectly fine. Can't wait for the rest!

I had to watch this series, because Stephen Graham is great to watch. He bought this drama to life presenting such a humble character. It almost felt like watching a documentary in parts and Stephen really made you feel desperately sad for his character, Joseph and even embarrassed for him at times by his behaviour. This drama felt so real and I truly think that is down to a good story line and a first class actor who had given lots of thought how to bring the story to life. Marvellous

It's as if you're watching people in their everyday life, not scripted or rehearsed, just raw, gritty, tough life! Shane Meadows has again bought us something that is emotionally engaging, brutally honest and superbly acted.... Stephen Graham especially. Tears, laughter and sheer terror course through every episode of this quite remarkable and thought provoking series. From hiding behind a cushion to wiping a slightly moist eye, I couldn't stop watching. A complete must see! Be warned though, there are tough and very difficult scenes, which are totally intrinsic to the whole riveting story. Please watch this if you can.

Wow, wow and flipping wow! I have just finished watching the final episode and I have never been more emotionally invested nor transfixed by a tv programme in my life! This is an absolute masterpiece and deserves to win every possible award it can. Every single actor is amazing. The unspoken moments are incredible. The final episode is a rollercoaster, I came straight to bed (at 8pm) to recover! I really do hope there is a second series.

MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL INVOLVED.

This show is gripping from the first minute to the last. The acting from all the leads, but notably Stephen Graham, Helen Behan and Niamh Algar is so real and so raw. Give them all the awards!! Shane Meadows is a genius.

I rate everything I watch but even with a ruck of ten out of tens, I have never felt compelled to write a review. Until now. I might be a Stephen Graham fanboy anyway but I don't have any superlatives left to describe just how brilliant he performs this role with seemingly so little effort. He makes it look so easy I forgot it was acting. I humbly think it is his very best performance which when one considers Combo, Al Capone and DS John Corbett is saying something of considerable weight. One could attribute this to the rebooting of the partnership with Meadows and Thorne. I think the term chemistry might not do it justice.

However to highlight only Graham's performance would be grossly unfair. The cast around him are nothing less captivating and utterly believable. Niamh Algar caught my eye in Pure recently and here she increased her stock tenfold.

This is England, both the film and the series were brilliant, but in my mind this isn't just a Graham and Meadows magnus opus: It might be the most perfect piece of television I've ever witnessed.

My favourite film of all time is "Dead Man's Shoes", got to say Shane Meadows is already up there with the best british directors for British movies. Im also a big fan of Ken Loach, Shane Meadows reminds me Ken Loach, when you watch their movies you actually feel like you are watching a real life event, full of emotion, makes you cry, makes you smile and really makes you think.

Love the realism, love the grittiness, love the acting, love the story and love the directing. Interested to see how it evolves. Well done Shane Meadows, love you always. Brilliant work as always.

I agree with the reviewer who complained about the high scores handed to this series from the very start. The first three episodes felt far too thin in terms of content and really only had occasional moments of brilliance. That said, the final episode is an absolute cracking bit of telly, and is well worth 10/10... and more. I'm so glad we stuck with it, and we only did that because we are big fans of Shane Meadows' work. If you're reading this and you gave up on it early on, it might be worth you giving it another go, the payoff is well worth it.

Perhaps the most gripping British drama that I can remember of recent times. Many scenes are harrowing and you'll be crying a lot. But you'll be laughing at other times too. But mostly, you'll be holding your breath because of the sheer weight of the increasingly intense drama that unfolds. Stephen Graham has never been better and the writing is perfect for his incredible acting chops. And frankly, on this form, who's better than Graham? This is what TV drama is all about. Truly unforgettable.

I loved the early films of Shane Meadows, with their grim but humane portrayals of everyday life. Recently, however, especially with his 'This is England' series for Channel 4, I've felt that his ability to ultimately deliver big emotional set pieces has come to overwhelm his other qualities; and that there's a self-conscious emoting that ends up dominating the work. 'The Virtues' tells the story of a man whose life falls apart, and who heads back to the place he grew up to confront the demons of his past. It's at first a low key story, with lots of believable interactions between people who appear to be in some ways broken, albeit for reasons that we don't entirely understand. For three episodes the story doesn't really go anywhere, before finally everything kicks off in episode four. Almost all of its scenes are individually well done, yet Meadows seems to be trying too hard, and telling us a story in a very uneconomical way. The final conclusion has been signposted far too clearly throughout. Stephen Graham is predictably good in the lead role, but I preferred him in 'Line of Duty', where his role had less of a one-note quality. I would still rush to watch anything new by Meadows; but judged purely as drama 'The Virtues' tells a weighty tale but is crying out for a balancing, lighter touch.

This could've been great but it was spoiled by its slow pace. I respect that it's based on a true account (and it's well told), it has a great cast and superb acting (although a lot of the snot and drooling to make it look real, didn't quite cut it for me) but on the whole, it felt a little rough and unfinished. A waste of a good cast, really. Someone trying to rediscover their creepy past is always a great ingredient for a good watch but, my goodness, the dialogue is stretched too far and the scenes are so dragged out. I understand this is to tell a gripping story and add to the atmosphere but, personally, I just wish the pace was picked up in order to squeeze some more detail. Dinah, a potentially great character but the writing just made her pointless in the end. In hindsight, the advert was a better watch. In fact, the more I write, the more faults I discover so I'll stop here.

A masterpiece. Shane Meadows is an exceptional story teller and directorial visionary.

The Virtues tells the story of Joe (a career-best performance by one of the finest actors alive today, Stephen Graham), a recovering alcoholic working as painter and decorator in Liverpool. With his ex-girlfriend, their son, and her new partner heading to Australia to start a new life, although they have promised Joe he's welcome to visit, he's having a hard time coping. Heading to a nearby pub, he goes on an almighty bender, awakening in his dingy bedsit the next morning covered in vomit and with virtually no memory of the night before. And, as you do in such situations, he impulsively takes a ferry to Belfast. Walking across the border into Louth, he arrives at the house of Anna (Helen Behan) and her husband Michael (Frank Laverty). Dishevelled and vaguely threatening, although he insists she knows him, she's adamant she doesn't, and just as Michael looks as if he's about to get physical, Anna suddenly recognises Joe as the brother whom she thought dead for the last thirty years. To reveal too much else about the plot would constitute a spoiler, but a few important characters are introduced in the second episode, who will come to have a vital role in the ensuing story, namely Dinah (Niamh Algar, in what will hopefully be a breakout role), Michael's tough-as-old-boots sister, and Craigy (an almost unbearably heart-breaking Mark O'Halloran), one of Michael's employees. As Joe sets about re-establishing links with Anna, we are slowly filled in on why they were separated, why she thought he was dead, and why he is so mentally fragile. At the same time, we learn that just as he is haunted by a trauma from his past so too is Dinah; and although her demons are of a different nature, they are no less emotionally crippling.

Written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne, and directed by Meadows, The Virtues is loosely inspired by an incident from Meadows's own childhood (to say too much about this would be a spoiler). And as with everything Meadows does, the show is exceptionally well made and effortlessly naturalistic. The milieu of his This is England franchise is a brutal place of violence, racism, and rape, a place controlled by hyper-masculine types, the kind of men who believe the term "toxic masculinity" is an oxymoron (or they would if they knew what an oxymoron was). The Virtues isn't set in entirely the same thematic universe (the female characters are far less passive, the male characters aren't afraid of showing their emotions), but the bleakness is the same; both worlds are occupied by broken people, the only difference is that in The Virtues, they know they're broken.

Aesthetically, The Virtues is impressive without being showy. Bringing his usual sense of cinéma vérité, Meadows does allow himself a couple of flourishes, although they are always justified by the narrative. For example, he shoots Joe's drunken quest for a kebab in the first episode using a fish-eye lens attached to Graham's chest. This creates the sense of a distorted world, without the character ever leaving the frame (or indeed, the very centre of the frame, as the world seems to literally pivot around him). Even the aural design of this scene is different from that of the surrounding scenes, tying us tightly to Joe's compromised perceptions. Another good example is that throughout the first two episodes, Meadows intercuts what seem to be old home movies shot on VHS, before revealing in the third episode that we're actually seeing something quite different.

Structurally, the show is quite unusual. The first episode features next to no plot, serving only to introduce us to Joe. The second doesn't feature a huge amount either, instead focusing on introducing Anna, Michael, Dinah, and Craigy. It's only in the third episode that a recognisable plot with forward-momentum starts to emerge. As unusual a structure as this is, it works well because of the acting, and because it allows Meadows to focus on conveying Joe's repressed pain without the need to worry about narrative beats.

However, the pièce de résistance from an aesthetic point of view is definitely the last 20 minutes of the final episode. To explain what's happening would be to spoil things, but essentially, it's a masterclass in how to create tension with very simple parallel editing. Thanks to the time he has taken to really set up the characters, this final sequence is insanely powerful, nullifying any perceived drag in the first two episodes. Sure, the change in pace could be argued to veer into thriller territory (there's even a race-against-the-clock vibe, and a voiceover of one character desperately trying to get another to answer their phone), whilst the parallel editing could be seen as a concession to artifice, but really, the transition from the documentarian to this more obviously directorially manipulated section is so organic as for the whole thing to work beautifully. In weaker hands, this shift could easily have destroyed the integrity of the piece, but Meadows turns it into one of the most intense passages you'll see all year, not just in TV, but in all filmed drama.

Thematically, the opening scenes of the first episode establish Joe as weary and exhausted as he slumps in a van returning home from work. We don't know anything about him yet, but it's immediately apparent that all is not right with his character, that there's a dead weight. Indeed, emotional weight is one of the show's main themes; not just Joe's but so too Anna's, Dinah's, and Craigy's - all are haunted in one way or another, all are seeking redemption, and if they can't find it, then they seek to escape. For Joe, that involves alcohol; for Dinah, it's violence and hooking up with questionable men. Joe doesn't know why he is so mentally scarred, he just knows that he is, that he is corroding from the inside, and that pain is about the only thing he feels anymore (except when drunk).

Speaking of Joe's drinking, the first episode scene in which he visits a pub is exceptionally well put together, realistically showing us an alcoholic deeply at war with himself. Initially ordering a soft drink, he hesitatingly then orders a beer, makes several attempts to drink, before taking a sip, grimacing, then another, and finally a gulp, giving himself over to the alcohol. All of this is done with virtually no dialogue. What follows is a series of vignettes each set about 15 minutes apart, charting Joe loosening up, ordering more pints, then pints and chasers, then speaking to anyone and everyone in the bar - the sullen loner becoming the life and soul, his mood lubricated by the double vodkas he's downing like water. By the time he's expelled from the bar, he's a mess, falling down drunk, fighting an invisible enemy in the street. It's an extraordinary sequence, with a tour de force performance from Graham, and perfectly modulated rhythm from Meadows and editor Matthew Gray.

Of course, the acting is immense throughout. Graham is all repressed pain and stiff upper lip; Algar is the opposite, wearing everything on her shelve and prone to violent outbursts; Behan (a part-time nurse) is all guilt and remorse; and O'Halloran's soft-spoken Craigy is pain personified, looking for someone, anyone, to help him lighten the burden of living. A scene when Joe and Anna get reacquainted is especially brilliant, with its false starts, overlapping sentences, phrasal repetitions, and thematic circling; the kind of things you often find in emotionally traumatic real-life conversations, but rarely see done well on screen. A simple scene shot in a master and two close-ups, the nearly nine-minute sequence is as awkward as it is heart-breaking, and is followed by an equally awkward, although slightly funnier scene in which Anna and Michael try to explain to their children why they thought Joe was dead. On paper, Dinah runs the risk of becoming a clichéd feisty Irish lass. But in the hands of Algar, she's someone whose pain is no less pronounced than Joe's, someone whose behaviour is based wholly on her mental instability. Liam Carney also gives a terrific performance as Damon, a pivotal one-scene role, deeply pathetic but exuding menace and unrepentant sadism, as does Aisling Glenholmes as Apphia, Michael and Dinah's mother, all prime, moralistic, condescending religiosity; the worst type of Irish Catholic. Both are loathsome, but both are portrayed brilliantly.

The Virtues is an exceptional piece of work by an exceptional filmmaker. Undeniably bleak, it will undoubtedly be too much for some. However, this is not misery porn, not even close. In Meadows, misery is never gratuitous, because he never loses sight of a sense of catharsis, which is so vital for work of this nature. It starts exceptionally slowly, with little plot in either of the first two episodes, but the astonishing central performances carry it, and it reaches a crescendo of unprecedented power in its final episode. Disturbing, harrowing, bleak, but extremely impressive.

Great first episode, Stephen Graham is an amazing actor that can pull you right into a story from the get go. No it's not all sweet and fluffy but that's the point. It's tragic and very realistic. Looking forward to the next episode

Shane meadows nails it, yet again! Just like this is England, so hard to watch, but so believable. Genius work! Great acting, relatable story line.

An impressive return by Shane Meadows, keeping things gritty, but less local.

Steven Graham was outstanding in this actor driven series, a performance that left me gobsmacked and totally absorbed in the character he created. You think that would leave the other actors standing, but every actor brought everything to each of their characters.

This is the equivalent of a joke being 'it's the way you tell 'em'.

Easily watchable in one sitting!

This has been so good to watch Stephen is a brilliant actor. I like the fact that the series covered so many topics that the audience could relate to in one way or another. He never disappoints whatever he's been in. I'm excited to see what comes next

The first and last episodes were both excellent. The middle two were ponderous and silly almost. I love Meadow's work, but i found this was far too drawn out. Too much walking with sad acoustic music and too much repetition in the script in certain scenes. I also had to turn it right up and stick the subtitles on! Stephen Graham excellent as always as it the rest of the cast. Overall, it should have just been condensed into three 1hr parts.

It really annoys me when reviewers say negative things about a programme without understanding the context. It is hard hitting and difficult to watch because it is portrayed as real life. This show is going to be great, the acting is superb and the emotional Stephen Graham is a softer side I have not seen before. I liked the way you were drawn into the story, and it felt real, not everyone lives a perfect life and some people struggle to cope, especially when they have a terrible past. Give it a chance to get going....it scored high on IMDB (currently 8.4) because it is already considered a great programme.

Stephen Graham's acting was brilliant and made me watch this until the end but the plot is so draggy. Until episode 3 it doesn't pick up at any moment, way too much draggy dialogues.