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Don't listen to the negative reviews

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Sadly, some of Colin Firth's best work is hard-to-impossible-to-find in any format. This is one such film and it is such an exceptional piece of work on all levels. It needs to see the light of day on DVD.The cast is wonderfully realized by all involved. Ditto the plot with a head-turner of a twist ending.Firth is such an amazing actor and nuance is extremely important to this film. He succeeds in this, but it is no surprise if one has seen any of his earlier, also sometimes obscure, work. He conveys more in a look than most actors can in dialog and over-the-top emoting.I will have to add to these comments kudos to the exceptional Katy Murphy who shares the spotlight with Firth at the center of this story.This is a modern day telling of the Don Quixote story, but also much more. It is also about triumph and will and, ultimately, great poignancy.I would recommend seeing this film if at all possible, if it can be found. Firth was and is such a versatile actor, long before he became a leading man. Tumbledown, Hostages, A Month in the Country, Donovan Quick -- must-see films if you truly want to see the range of the man who has since received the accolades for being the actor he always was.

To begin with Donovan Quick is Don Quixote, albeit a modern Don Quixote in a thoroughly modern setting with a modern corporate enemy (Windmill Transport). Donna Franceschild (who also did the tv adapation of Eureka Street by Robert McLiam Wilson) captures something of the dreamer-influencing-reality spirit of the original book in her screenplay for this telemovie. I found myself entranced by the production, going from desperation with the circumstances of of the Pannick family (Katy Murphy turning in a wonderful performance as Lucy Pannick, caretaker of her mentally disabled brother and senile grandmother, girlfriend to the somewhat abusive Clive) to the belief in the grand schemes of Donovan Quick (Colin Firth). What occurs in the confrontation between Donovan and Windmill Transport and what happens in the final twist ending I won't reveal here - go out, find a copy of this telemovie and see it for yourself.(And for Colin Firth fans - this is a must! As Donovan Quick, Firth gives a brilliant demonstration of his abilities as a character actor, not just as a handsome leading man.)

Apart from the currently fashionable under-lighting which puts some scenes in near total darkness this is a most enjoyable & involving drama with ever-smouldering Colin Firth the stranger in town with a past and Katy Murphy (what a wonderful face!) the damsel in distress who he comes to rescue. Her distress involves a mentally-retarded brother, a manipulative, selfish lover, a pile of bills and a Mother who wanders round the house dressed only in her slip.Donovan buys an old bus and sets up in opposition to the villain of the tale, a monopolistic bus company, Windmill Transport (Geddit?) and battle is joined.I found one short, violent scene unnecessarily graphic but the plot is beautifully resolved with a most satisfying - and surprising - final scene.