Clean Break (TV series)


Clean Break is a drama series commissioned by RTÉ One and produced by Octagon Films. The four-part series premiered on 27 September 2015.

Synopsis

Frank is a car dealer running out of fiscal rope. He kidnaps the local bank manager's family, which gets him into serious trouble.

Plot

Frank has money troubles. He has to leave his house and is afraid that his daughter has to get back to her mother instead of living with him. That's why he starts to make a plan to kidnap the local bank manager's daughter and wife. Frank is working together with two criminals. He also hires the local boxer Danny Dempsey to take part in the kidnapping. At first Danny doesn't like the plan, because he thinks that somebody might get hurt. However Frank convinces him to take part in the kidnapping and tells Danny to make sure that no one gets hurt.
A short time later, Danny and the two criminals kidnap the bank manager's daughter and wife. The plan seems to work out well. Then suddenly Jenny, the bankers daughter, recognises Danny. The other kidnappers hear Danny's name from her. So they try to kill Danny. Danny runs away but gets shot. He hides. The kidnappers take the money and set the family free.
However a short time later everyone suspects that Danny has committed the crime. The kidnappers tell Frank that he only gets his part of the money when he brings Danny to them. Frank realises that they might kill Danny. He also finds out that Danny is his daughter's boyfriend. His daughter, Corrina, is angry that her father asked Danny to take part in this. She doesn't want to tell him where Danny is. The kidnappers however know about Corrina's and Danny's relationship and they want to use her to get to Danny.
In the end it turns out that the kidnapping wasn't Frank's idea, but Desmond Rane's idea, the bank manager himself. He made the plan with one of the kidnappers to abduct his own daughter and wife. Frank suspects this having seen Desmond's name in the kidnapper's contact book during a raid of the kidnapper's hideout but is still not 100% certain. However, Desmond Rane kills the kidnapper Noel and with it the only person that definitely knows of his involvement. He pretends to have acted in self-defence. The police finds evidence that suggests that Frank had the plan for the abduction. Frank gets arrested. Danny leaves the town on a boat and Corrina goes back to her mother.
Desmond Rane takes the money. He has got away with his crime. The only person who could tell anyone about his involvement is dead. Now only his daughter knows what has really happened, but Desmond Rane is sure that she wouldn't tell anyone. Desmond Rane uses the money to buy a valuable and unique stamp. His daughter sees him and runs up to her room without looking at him or saying anything to him. Desmond Rane looks at his stamps and starts to sing. In the final scene, Desmond is calling a live hurling game for a large stadium crowd.

Overview

The series was written by Billy Roche and directed by Gillies MacKinnon and Damien O’Donnell. The story plays in the town Wexford. The series stars Aidan McArdle, Damien Molony and Adam Fergus. Billy Roche began writing the series in 2010. The production of the series started in November 2014.

Cast

Irish Film & Television Award
Writers Guild of Ireland: ZeBBie Awards