User Reviews

I had no idea what this was about, I didn't read any press, or see any reviews beforehand. My heart sank in the first few minutes as I realised the tragic content. It's a story that is so relevant for 2019, we have the Hollywood star, who up until this point had been bulletproof, and we have the lesser known contentious topic of NDA's.

Young Max Fincham is terrific, Isaac is an amazing character, he is a tremendous young talent. The acting in general, terrific, but he stood out.

It's a winner, but harrowing. 9/10

Really great story that grips and has deep meaning. Great cast and camera work a real modern masterpiece.

Writer Levi David Addai admits he got lucky with the timing of Dark Money. Although commissioned well before the exposure of Harvey Weinstein as a serial sex pest who used non disclosure agreements (NDA) to hush things up. Its broadcast makes the subject rather topical with the behaviour of Hollywood producers in the spotlight.

In the first episode. Manny (Babou Ceesay) and Sam (Jill Halfpenny) are proud parents as their 13 year old son Isaac (Max Fincham) landed a part in a big Hollywood movie. When Isaac returns to the UK with his chaperone, he seems distracted unable to deal with the adulation of family and friends.

Isaac had been abused by the producer Jotham Starr, he managed to make a recording of the incident and shows it to his parents who are horrified. They contact a British lawyer and Manny also phones a journalist. Eventually the parent's deal with Starr's people who make an offer of money to hush things up.

The episode did not dwell too long with Isaac's predicament. He very much tells his parents early on of the abuse. It was all very perfunctory and I doubt the NDA would even be legal as the parent's had no recourse to a lawyer who after all are signing an agreement in England on behalf of their underage child.

Manny is a bit dim. He cannot even wait after he has seen a lawyer before he rings a journalist up. I expect this will throw a spanner on the works.

I really thought the writing in the first episode was rather by the numbers. It had no style to it and the direction was also plain. It needed some elan rather than just be jittery.