The North Water

Very engaging period sea drama starring Jack O'Connell and Colin Farrell. Both are excellent here, Farrell is fearsome.

The plot follows a troubled ship's surgeon (O'Connell) on his first voyage aboard a whaling ship in the mid-19th century. He encounters some unsavoury characters with their own agendas.

The plot is good, the acting excellent, it's very realistic with the setting and style (and even a lot of the plot) being much like the series 'The Terror'. Worth a watch.

As soon as I watched the trailer I knew it would be good and it hasn't disappointed me. The settings are breathtaking, the acting is excellent and the plot is engaging.

The harsh environment, the gloomy cabins and violent scenes interspersed with ominous dialogues blend together perfectly in this interesting piece of television.

Definitely a must-watch.

This is a top-notch historical saga about a group of savage men hunting for whales in the Arctic, where they become stranded due to a deliberate act of treachery. While the entire effort seems virtually flawless, I write to commend one standout performance among a stellar cast: Colin Farrell!!

Holy whalebone! His is a menacing character indeed! Thoroughly vile and unrepentant. The only thing worse is his dysfunctional relationship with every other character in the plot - the way a foul stain spoils an entire tapestry, his portrayal of Drax stirs a dark mood into every element of this story.

He is so believable that you won't even recognize him for the first half-episode, because he plays his role in a way that is utterly believable but at the same time completely different from every other role that I've seen him portray. Wow!

Watch this show for an excellent bit of historical drama. Enjoy it for Mr. Farrell!!!

A dark and twisted tale with some fine acting and good production taking place in the cruel world of whale/seal hunters in the mid of the 19th century. Lots of blood, sweat, grease, crime and violence. A show for a mature audience without any unnecessary gimmicks - recommended if you like such shows like Taboo or The Terror, or movies like In the Heart of the Sea, the classic Moby Dick, The Revenant (DiCaprio), The Vanishing (Gerard Butler) and so on.

The North Water - based on a book by academic and author Ian McGuire - is a dark and fairly uncompromising quest into the dark heart of humanity aboard a doomed whaling ship in the arctic wastes. A flawless cast (with a mesmerically beastly Colin Farrell), beautiful location shooting in Svalbard (and some of the furthest North for television) and the esoteric soundscapes of Tim Hecker make this a seriously riveting watch. The pace can sometimes slow to a crawl and the heady themes may get a little muddled along the way, but the whole is atmospheric and intoxicating. Seriously good TV - one of the highlights of the year for me.