Landscape With Weapon

Genre: Drama
Opened 5 April 2007
Written: by Joe Penhall
Directed: Roger Michell
Produced: National Theatre
Cast: Pippa Haywood, Tom Hollander, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Jason Watkins.
Synopsis: To his family's horror, Ned reveals he's the brains behind a new military technology so sophisticated, so extraordinary, it will revolutionise the nature of warfare. It's only when the Ministry of Defence demands intellectual ownership that Ned begins to question himself, resisting the might of the weapons industry with frightening consequences.

What the critics had to say.....
NICHOLAS DE JONGH for THE EVENING STANDARD says, "Joe Penhall requires far too much suspending of disbelief and doubt-swallowing in his adventurous new play about the moral responsibility of the scientist - in this case a weapons designer - or is it moral irresponsibility?" PAUL SHUTTLEWORTH for THE FINANCIAL TIMES says, "Things are never very simple in the plays of Joe Penhall; they always offer a welcome amount of substance to chew on. But he may have bitten off a little too much in his latest work. " PAUL TAYLOR for THE INDEPENDENT says, "Flawed but powerful new play about the arms industry and the moral responsibility of the scientist." DOMONIC CAVENDISH for THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, "A mild disappointment. Centring on one weapons engineer's belated crisis of conscience, and the fall-out from his doubts, it's no dud, but it fails to detonate quite as it ought." MICHAEL BILLINGTON for THE GUARDIAN says, "While I was intellectually gripped, I didn't find the individual psychology wholly plausible." BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE for THE TIMES says, "Finely acted production...absorbing."

External links to full reviews from popular press
The Independent
The Guardian
Daily Telegragh
The Times
The Financial Times