Lorna Doone Reviews

Romantic and thrilling, this A&E version of Richard Blackmore's classic has wide-ranging appeal for men and women — it's a swashbuckler with heart. In the West Country of late 17th-century England, lawlessness reigns supreme. As the populace quakes in their boots, the Doones, a family of aristocratic black sheep who live in an impenetrable forest fortress, call the shots. During one raid, outlaw Carver Doone (Aidan Gillen) slays an innocent farmer named Jack Ridd (Neil Finnighan) in cold blood. Carver lies to his leader, Sir Ensor Doone (Peter Vaughan), claiming that he was provoked. Because of the Doones' connections within the judicial system, the Ridd family can get no legal redress, so Jack's young son, John (Jack Baverstock), vows revenge. During a scouting mission to Doone territory, John meets an enemy lass, who shows him an escape route. Years later, this girl — Lorna Doone (Amelia Warner) — and John Ridd (Richard Coyle) meet secretly and fall in love. Their union can only yield rancor: John's family despises the Doones, and Sir Ensor has promised Lorna's hand in marriage to Carver. But Sir Ensor, who's nursing an old grudge rooted in his ostracism by fellow nobles, knows many secrets, including one about Lorna's heritage. While John and his relatives look for chinks in the Doone clan's legal armor, Carver lies in wait for John's next foray into Doone turf. Can the course of true love run smooth or will John and Lorna wind up re-enacting "Romeo and Juliet" on the moors? Excitingly staged and dazzingly well acted, this epic is like a Masterpiece Theatre production in testosterone overdrive. Director Mike Barker's background in contemporary crime movies like THE JAMES GANG and BEST LAID PLANS gives a fresh perspective to this 17th-century tale about the ultimate criminal outcasts.