Thorne: Sleepyhead (2010) User Reviews

Night Night Sleepyhead !!!

[ajit-jake · 8/10 · 17 September 2011]

Rating - 7.5/10

Way More than an average Thriller, missed by decimals of being a great one. DEFINITE Watch for Thriller Lovers. Others - You won't be disappointed.

Story - Thorne is "the" Detective with "a" Past who while investigating a case of serial killing, struggles to keep from a case in his past . 3 girls have been found dead when the fourth victim Allison Willetts survives a stroke (artificially manipulated through pressure points on head and neck as in the dead victims) and is unlucky to be alive.She is completely paralyzed but can hear, feel and understand whatever goes around her. The police believes that the Killer has made his First mistake by leaving her alive. The Mystery unfolds with time of who this serial killer might be and what happened in Thorne's Past homicidal case.

I didn't really have a very positive feel when i decided to watch it(had not heard much about it) but it turned out to be one of the Good ones. I loved the Depiction of Allison Willetts, who has been paralyzed due to the attack. Thorne was a very convincing character and so were the others. All in all Great Acting with a Nice Cast.

Highly recommended if you are looking for a thriller !!! Just Watch IT.

Very British

[ikanboy · 7/10 · 28 June 2012]

These British shows all seem locked into the same way of presenting their story lines: a good start, a nice development of characters, weak dialogue, ending in ever expanding vast plot sink holes. This one does a nice job of dangling a variety of "suspects" in front of you, but unfortunately falls into the "don't ignore the first suspect" method. It's always nice to see McElhone and Morrissey never bores, but in the end the ludicrousness of the plot twists ever morphing does it in.

***********************SPOILER********************* Tell me how does a non medical individual gather half a million pounds worth of medical equipment, set it up securely in an abandoned slum, set up electricity that would cost a fortune and would alert the authorities, off of a janitor's salary??

Ummm...Mark Billingham was an executive producer..

[GnarlyCar · 3 March 2012]

"I have little doubt that author Billingham would be mortified at what has been done to his brilliant book and beloved characters..."

Before you go all self important with the 'book was so much better' garbage, you may want to get your facts straight. Mark Billingham is listed as an executive producer, which, as I understand it, has an awful lot to do with how a film's made. No, I haven't seen the film, read the book, or even heard of any of it before looking at the review, but it just bugs the crap out of me when people think they own a movie just because they read the book. And to assume that the author might be disappointed without even looking into whether the author had a role in the movie adaptation? I'm pretty sure your review is useless.

locked-in syndrome interesting

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 14 July 2016]

DI Tom Thornes (David Morrissey) is haunted by an incident years ago. He investigates victim Alison Willetts who has been left with locked-in syndrome. She was attacked and injected in the back of the neck. She is aware but unable to communicate or move. She is being treated by Dr. Anne Coburn (Natascha McElhone). There has actually been three previous victims. Kevin Tughan (Eddie Marsan) is Thornes' disbelieving boss and pathologist Phil Hendricks (Aidan Gillen) is suspicious.

The locked-in syndrome is pretty interesting. I like Alison's interior dialog. It's more compelling than expected. David Morrissey is a great actor. The biggest problem for me is the convenient reveal and connection to Thornes' problem from years ago. It's all too connected and I don't like it. There is no real reason for the connection other than it serves the writing.

Went of the rails

[gabimaunz-28629 · 6/10 · 27 April 2021]

This started out really well and then went of the rails rather badly.

Some glaring mistakes, such as lanyards just hanging around for anyone to pick up and use to gain access to restricted areas. Um, just no!

But it was a train wreck I had to watch to the bitter end, especially since I like all the actors involved. Not a complete waste of your time, but take it with a shaker of salt.

A Dandy Little British Television Series

[gradyharp · 9/10 · 17 June 2012]

Now and then during channel surfing late at night there appears something new and unknown that results in making the viewer wish for more. Such is the case for the series THORNE. It is a high tension thriller of a series.

'Thorne' is DI Tom Thorne (David Morrissey) who in the Sleepyhead episode enters an investigation into a mysterious serial killer. His first three victims ended up dead. His fourth was not so fortunate. Alison Willetts (Sara Lloyd-Gregory ) is unlucky to be alive. She has survived a stroke, deliberately induced by manipulation of pressure points on the head and neck. She can see, hear and feel, she is aware of everything going on around her, but she is unable to move or communicate. In leaving Alison alive, the police believe the killer's made his first mistake. And it is this kind of complex story-weaving that makes this a very tense and enjoyable series. Written by Dudi Appleton and Jim Keeble and directed with panache by Benjamin Ross, the large cast includes some very fine actors - David Morrissey is at the top of the list - that includes Eddie Marsan, Sandra Oh, Lily Loveless, Neil Kelly among others. We can only hope that this 2010 series has more parts to it and that those episodes will reach our shores and TV screens. Definitely recommended for lovers of high mystery and thrillers. Grady Harp, June 21

Thorne: Sleepyhead

[joannecarter7-790-754607 · 8/10 · 6 April 2020]

After seeing the author speak at a literary festival I purchased a few of his novels from Audible then decided to listen to 'Thorne: Sleepyhead' and 'Thorne: Scaredycat' prior to purchasing the Blu-rays of the Sky1 dramatisation. David Morrissey was a great choice for the central role and the cast were very talented.

The plot, however was all over the shop.

The Hysterical Detective

[celr · 2/10 · 1 August 2014]

The cops in this British drama don't act like professional policemen but more like mentally deranged teenagers with anger management issues. The main character, DI Thorne (David Morrissey), is not in control of his emotions. His volatility and rage seem to infect the other members of the cast so that in total what we have here is a virtual feeding frenzy of scenery chewing. Cops yell at other cops and cops and medical doctors yell at each other. In one scene one character becomes enraged and punches another character repeatedly in the face for no reason that was apparent to me. DI Thorne seems to believe that he can communicate with a woman in a vegetative state by shouting at her. Other times he seems depressed and on the verge of suicide. The plot is senseless and contrived. Nobody appears to behave rationally. A woman doctor, when she finds out that her daughter has been kidnapped, just freaks out and starts screaming uncontrollably and Thorne freaks out too, running around like a chicken with its head cut off. So who's minding the store?

I don't generally like procedurals that feature serial killers, and especially serial killers with weird and perverted MOs, and especially serial killers who have an obsession with the primary investigator, sending him taunting messages. These are tired, boring clichés. That's my prejudice. But I must admit that genre could be done well in the right hands. This one is just awful. Don't waste your time.

Very good

[ronbell-23984 · 8/10 · 2 April 2021]

Gritty, realistic and excellent. The plots solid and acting excellent all round.

Contrived and obvious, almost a parody of the genre

[steven-222 · 5/10 · 22 June 2012]

Here we have a three-ring circus PLUS the kitchen sink. This show is so chock-a-block with clichés, red herrings, obvious plot contrivances, and all the current motifs of crime TV that it's hard to imagine what they left out. (We have the renegade cop always in trouble but with infallible instincts, the cold female boss, the seemingly genius serial killer that no one can catch no matter how many clues are strewn about in plain sight, the 'orrible, 'orrible crime, the cop himself and/or loved ones drawn into danger, dubious psychology made up on the fly, etc., ad nauseum.) The show is all so blatantly contrived that it seems to veer into self-parody on numerous occasions, totally undercutting whatever dread or deep engagement we're supposed to be experiencing. Sadly, with so much fine British TV to chose from, never seen on these shores, this is a show that Encore chose to bring over to the US. No thanks.

One of the best

[Pradeep6097089 · 10/10 · 21 May 2023]

I saw the first season (3 episodes). This is one of the best series I have ever seen. If you are uncomfortable with non-linear stuff, it might be confusing for you. The story, the acting and the plot is captivating form the beginning to the end. I would like to read the novel and watch the series again.

Tom Thorne reminds me of Liam Neeson in the Taken series. He is a serious guy. I like British TV series. In a way, Thorne and this series also reminds me of River, another fantastic British TV series that did not go beyond a season, though this has one more season.

One thing that surprised me - I am seeing this in 2023 and this was shot in 2009 or 2010, but it doesn't look like it is old.

Great book - rubbish adaptation

[j-cameron22 · 2/10 · 28 December 2011]

There is a reason that Mark Billingham's original novel Sleepyhead was such a huge Bestseller when it came out. Watching the TV show version you would be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss was about. The novel was an ripping edge-of-the-seat page turner with twists and turns that would make your head spin. This is the most unfaithful adaptation imaginable, with terrible writing and clichéd characters and a completely re- written and boring plot. The book does make brief mention of one of DI Thorne's previous cases, a gay serial killer. The TV show decides to expand this mention while simultaneously reducing the story from the book to virtually nothing. The resulting story is a deeply confusing hotchpotch of incongruous ideas and fumbled attempts at carving a new direction. TV SHOW ENDING SPOILER: The killer from the book is completely different to the show with a genius MO missing from the show version. I have little doubt that author Billingham would be mortified at what has been done to his brilliant book and beloved characters.

Crap

[mformoviesandmore · 4/10 · 30 July 2013]

Just watched the first one of these shown here on local telly.

Don't know what it was called and couldn't care anyway.

Pretentious garbage. Cut and paste of so many clichés. Average acting with the lead playing his role like a Liam Neeson clone.

Not sure what else I can say other than, don't waste your time.

Seriously, don't waste your time.

This line is just for IMDb.

So is this.

Well OK, I can say that it also uses those stupid camera sequences where things share and images swap - like a cheap Japanese horror movie. As I said - pretentious.

Coulda, shoulda, woulda.

[ronaldalamascus-90506 · 5/10 · 14 November 2019]

This could have been excellent or at least better than it was in the end. Too many flashbacks, confusing characters and dialogue. And the messy conclusion did nothing to advance the cause of any sort of resolution or closure. And to begin to suggest the end result of the "victim" was ludicrous. I am not familiar with the author's work but he cannot possibly be pleased with this presentation.

This Stank

[bthwaithe · 2/10 · 4 April 2020]

This was so bad ....it was like a joke it was so bad. It was last season of Dexter bad. It was Arya Stark killing the Night King bad. There was all this yelling & screaming. I can't imagine what life would be like if the police were as hysterical-screamy as the cops in this show. They'd all be crying & peeing themselves before getting out of the briefing room. It was obvious who the killer was as soon as his name was mentioned. Maybe if the cops weren't so wrapped up in their angsty yelling & showing their teeth to the camera they might've figured it out sooner.

Big disappointment

[sivbum · 3/10 · 11 September 2013]

Forgettable performance by the main characters of a London crime unit in the investigation of two serial killer cases; plots, hats off to the writer Mark Billingham, were complex and wonderful but often mangled in a choppy pace with one too many tired social drama or work place politics. Thorne came across as an insensitive self-centered bully in the first case and a sophomoric know-it-all copper in the second. No wonder it got only 1.5% viewer share per Wikipedia:

"Running on a Sunday evening in the prime 2100 slot on satellite against strong terrestrial competition from the popular Julian Fellowes' period drama series Downton Abbey, the first episode of four-part drama Single Father starring David Tennant, and a reshowing of the Dan Brown thriller The Da Vinci Code, the show drew 402,000 viewers and 1.5% audience share, according to preliminary BARB figures."

Massive Disappointment!

[goddessblackroses-64062 · 2/10 · 2 June 2017]

I read the book first, which if I hadn't wouldn't have made this too bad of a movie...but since I had read it, the movie was an extreme disappointment!

You expect some minor changes in the plot to fit movie time etc, but after the first 1/3 of the movie it wasn't anything like the book at all. It became a whole other story. After that point, neither the interactions between the characters or who the killer was were in the book at all, and key figures in the book, especially who the killer was and how some of the characters died were missing or totally changed...

Perhaps the book should be re-released to reflect the movie since the author approved the movie,as totally different to the book he wrote to begin with.

Melodramatic mess

[bookaholic · 5/10 · 7 December 2018]

Several very good performances, which almost redeem the bad writing.

As others have said, the police characters are often simply not credible in the way they behave, and the medical professionals are pretty bad too.

I don't expect complete accuracy or realism in crime fiction, and I know that lead characters often do more in an investigation than someone in their role actually would, but why on earth would a forensic pathologist be observing an interrogation of a suspect?

And would a detective really get away with treating a suspect like that? Was he under caution? Okay, maybe you don't show the proper procedures because this is a thriller and you want to keep the pacing tight, but why wasn't anyone else in the room? Why would other police just stand in the observation room watching a colleague losing it like that?

The relationships between the characters weren't particularly convincing either.

When the mother said her son died under a train and all she had left to bury was mush, I had a fair idea where the story was going. Not sure why I kept watching.

Lucky me, I watched to the end, through all the flickery flashbacks, and got to see that nit with the tongue at the end. Wtf was that? Did he have a razor blade in his mouth through the shouty interrogation? Surely he can't have just bitten it off!

Confusing

[jhr2012 · 1/10 · 30 March 2018]

I watched this entire movie but fell asleep during the last 5 minutes. That wasn't the only time either; I struggled to stay awake the entire movie! Having invested that much time in it, I wanted to see how it ends and who did it. As it is, I don't know how it ends, and what's worse? I don't care. I found this movie boring, confusing, and quite slow. I kept hoping it would hurry up and end, but it kept dragging along. I have no idea how this rates a 6.8? It's a 1 at best. You may be tempted to give it a try. Save yourself a couple hours and pass on this turkey.

Frustratingly stupid

[subdriver-98180 · 1/10 · 19 June 2021]

Any detective as emotionally weak and naive as Thorne should not even be in the job.

Another bad police drama

[markmcdonald-81182 · 4/10 · 12 March 2021]

Why oh why do all these British police dramas have very poor police advisors. From my understanding they have ex officers on set advising ,this one clearly didn't or it was a old desk jockey cop with little policing experience. As soon as the actors start pretending to be police,it just all goes to pot. I'm still waiting for a decent 'real life' police drama

Not Very Good

[johnseegers · 3/10 · 27 April 2021]

Sorry - but just plain bad story telling.

Seems like a rushed, slapped together student project.

If you enjoyed the book - skip this series.

[martinrlewis · 3/10 · 29 April 2021]

I guess it was well made. I mean the camera's were all focussed, and the actors, well they acted okay. Everyone learnt their lines and I didn't notice any glaring continuity errors or anything.

I read the book. As far as this TV series is concerned, that was probably a mistake. I enjoyed the book. Like, really enjoyed it. So I thought I would enjoy watching it on the telly box. Oh. My. Freaking. God.

Now, this Morrissey fella can act , no doubt. But he just wasn't Tom Thorne. And that wasn't Hendricks. For a start he was short. And Irish. Sorry, wait what? Irish?!? The big Mancunian pathologist is being portrayed as a short Irish bloke? What's the point of that? I'm not even going to bother going into the cast and characters of his colleagues. Some are a different gender, some are a different ethnicity. Why? Why do that?

Sigh.

So - onto the plot. The book is good. It is an intertwined and complex plot that keeps the reader entertained. The TV series is also complex and intertwined - just not anything like the book. Yup. Not a damn thing. The killer is different. The whole Calvert back story, so frequent in the Thorne novels, is, well, wrong. The most recent novel, a prequel to the first novel, fleshes out the Calvert business, and it does not match this TV series at all.

The TV series, if taken in isolation, is a good yarn. But it isn't Thorne: Sleepyhead. So, if like me, you read and enjoyed the book, then maybe don't watch this.

I've given it a 3/10 for a well made telly programme. It loses 7 points because it butchered the book. Don't like that? Don't really care.