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24 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
On yer bike, Charley..., 29 Sep 2008
Oh, Charley, Charley, Charley...
Where's it all gone wrong? The beginning of these epic journeys, Long Way Round, was an unforgettable experience, a real portayal of the daily grind across the world on two wheels with two friends and a minimalist crew behind them.
Long Way Down was more of the same - it bit more commericalised, clearly an easier ride for them, but still great fun, and Africa was brilliantly portrayed. Despite the rift created by Ewan's wife, LWD was still good.
But what's this? Charley Boorman, travelling from Ireland to Sydney 'By Any Means'?
My reaction to this is: why? Where's the friction of the journey, the troubles and breakdowns, the sense of achievement? Whereas travelling such vast distances on motorbikes is impressive, anyone could do what Charley is doing. While this has it's advantages (it mixes up the travel a bit, and you could envision yourself doing this), watching it is a dull experience. Gone are the tense moments of cars toppling over or bikes giving up halfway up a mountain or being held at gunpoint; the nearest this gets to that is Charley running back to a train before it leaves, sandwiches in hand. Yep, been there, done that. 'By Any Means' comes across too much as a holiday slideshow, with too much 'here we are' and 'we're on our way to...'. It moves so quick from place to place, too: in one episode we move from Paris all the way to Iran. Too rushed.
Clearly I prefer the duo and chemistry of Charley and Ewan, as I'm sure most will. While some may say that Charley lacks the on-camera polish and charisma of his partner-in-crime, I think this makes him more charming and likeable: if anyone had tried such a show, it would've fallen flat on it's face. But Charley carries it off, and he alone gives this show an extra star.
But it's not such much Ewan's absence that stings as it is the presence of that stitch-in-the-side Russ. He wipes the picture clean of any fun when he's around. He's the irritating bossy-boots of the holiday, who wants to do nothing but push on. Schedule and Itinerary are his middle names. I haven't liked him on any of the other trips, and his heightened presence has made things worse.
So, 'By Any Means' isn't awful: it's perfectly watchable and makes for easy viewing in the evening. But this is no Long Way Round or Down, not by a long way. On yer bike, Charley...
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