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I can easily get past the fact that Daniels' portrayal is of Comey as Comey wants to think he is, not of Comey the way he is. The art of having made publishing hay before later revelations surfaced of the abominably flawed, see-nothing know-nothing detachment he inflicted on the most prominent, consequential investigation in any living memory, just the hubristic accomplishment of getting his story into wide circulation before subsequent revelatory reality checks could distill its favorable aroma, all this is to be admired. Early on this production does splendid subservient service to the image he wished to present to the world, that of the diligent honest cop who, having reached the pinnacle of success, keeps constantly reaching for the highest moral ground attainable.

Then, in Part 2, it goes very unserious via an absurdly cartoonish depiction of Trump as a short, fat, hunched, squinting, mumbling, spittle-projecting dwarf who passes all day every day mumbling repetitive phrases either boastful of his greatness or lamenting of his enemies' perfidy as he issues commands for their destruction. Managing to look about 20 years older than the true Trump, Gleeson actually would have made more sense cast as John Brennan, who in real life actually does the no-neck, bent-head, face-scrunching, waddly thing that here he seems to find the essence of Trump.

Production details seem very competent, and pace is good. But all in all, viewers with a more balanced approach to identifying heroes/villains than is employed here will probably give this a "one and done" look, whereas Trump will likely treat it to a quick "How could they ever think I'd be caught dead in such a cheap, sleazy suit?"

Ms. Martini's performance, though fine if considered as a standalone with no reference to the older character made so unforgettable by Helen Mirren, in no way seems to resemble or relate to that human subject before her later career. This actress's facial expressions are so bland, so empty of expression no matter what the moment in time brings her to react to, she seems to be playing a fashion model during a photo session rather than an impassioned, committed, intelligent, probing and ambitious woman entering a demanding and highly absorbing career completely dominated by men. I know it's hard for an actor to take on a prequel-type assignment and produce work that honors prior interpretations while establishing some sense of his or her own individuality, but this time the miss is just much too wide not to be lamented. Had this production not associated itself with such a top-quality prior TV venture, I'd have been able to dwell more on its good sense of period and overall high performance standards in supporting roles.

Never recorded comments at my first viewing but only now after a just-complete repeat on my PBS local station that confirms my first impression.

Streamed this based on a general interest in following Dan Stevens's post-"Downton" career. Owing to this film's totally amateur sound editing, I could not learn critical information about what these characters were like before the health change that became a key trigger for the whole story. Did not know how and why the marriage seemed to work despite hurdles that many would find crushing, or whether the Dan character had ever before shown signs of an aggressive, competitive personality. I just went from one mumbling, whispering personal scene after another to the not only clear but blasting country songs at the dance venue and totally audible phone sales pitches in the workplace. It's only in the indispensable character-developing scenes that this film leaves us high and dry and totally frustrated.

From his IMDb bio page, it looks as if director Ido Fluk has only one 2011 feature-length film to his credit before 2016's "The Ticket," with short films and writing credits (including this film) and assistant directorships in his history. I cannot see how Dan's early (and awkward for everyone!!) departure from "Downton" has led him to projects this lacking in production professionalism and I hope he can right his ship very, very soon. His and Oliver Platt's work is excellent, but how many times can he afford to risk straight-to-DVD oblivion while groping for a long-lasting film career?