Category Archives: Crime Family

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Road to Perdition (2022)

From IMDB:

A mob enforcer’s son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.

From Netflix (and Kanopy) you can stream this 1 hour 57 minute Irish mob classic film which  earned five Academy Awards  nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for Paul Newman. Originally the story was a graphic novel.

Tom Hanks bemoans the seeming obscurity of the film. He is quoted as saying  “For one reason or another, no one references Road to Perdition, and that was an incredibly important movie for me to go through.”  In fact, it was just his comment that motivated me to watch the film.

Consider the outstanding actors involved:

  • Tom Hanks plays the enforcer and father Michael Sullivan. At the time of filming he was 46.
  • Tyler Hoechlin plays the endangered son Michael Sullivan Jr. At the time of filming he was 15.  Later he played superheroes.
  • Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the mother Annie Sullivan.
  • Paul Newman plays the mob family head John Rooney. This was his  final live-action theatrical film acting role at which time he was 77. Newman died in 2008,
  • Daniel Craig plays the out-of-control son Connor Rooney. At the time of filming he was 34. Craig began filming at age 24.
  • Ciarán Hinds plays the witnessed murdered man Finn McGovern.
  • Stanley Tucci plays the Chicago mobster Frank Nitti.
  • Jude Law plays the psychopath Maguire who photographs his victims’ corpses. At time of filming he was 30. He began filming as a child actor of age 16.
  • Anthony LaPaglia was cast as Al Capone and filmed a single scene, which was omitted from the final cut  and can be found in the DVD’s deleted scenes.

Of course, it is a violent gangster film, but a tasteful one (if that is possible).  At the center of the film is the son Michael who is an essentially good kid that worships his father and whose salvation is at stake.

DO NOT MISS!

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Silk (2011)

From BritBox:

Martha Costello is a brilliant barrister who is about to embark on the next step of her career and apply for ‘Silk’. 

From BritBox you can stream 3 seasons of this superb British legal series.  Each season consists of 6 episodes. Each episode lasts about one hour.

If you wish to subscribe to BritBox (entertainment from only members of the British Commonwealth) , then subscribe through Amazon Prime. In that way all the BritBox offerings will appear under the Amazon Prime collection. Accessing BritBox shows becomes that much easier.

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QUEEN’S COUNSEL (SILK)  (quoted from Wikipedia)

Queen’s Counsels are appointed by letters patent to be one of “Her Majesty’s Counsel learned in the law”. They are not a separate type of lawyer. They are more than long serving lawyers, because their status is given by the Crown and recognised by the courts.

Queen’s Counsel have the privilege of sitting within the Bar of court, and wear silk gowns of a special design (hence the informal title Silks). The special robes are the reason why becoming a QC is often called “taking silk”.

In order to “take silk” a lawyer usually has to serve as a barrister or a Scottish advocate for at least 10 years. Recently solicitors have also been appointed Queen’s Counsel.

A QC’s status means they generally charge higher fees than ordinary barristers, and always have another barrister as an assistant. This assistant is called a “junior” even if the junior has been a lawyer longer than the “silk”.

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In a certain sense the plot format resembles the American “Law and Order”.  Personal drama and office maneuvers lead to one or several trials. Although the trials do not span episodes,  the drama and intrigue is an ongoing soap opera.  No trial issue is trivial and often brutally engaging.  Be prepared for some difficult viewing.

After you have watched British TV drama for awhile,  you will see the same excellent actors over and over.  Since there are too many to mention, just a few are listed as follows:

  • Maxine Peake plays the series lead Martha Costello. Her courtroom skill is astonishing. Think of Martha as “the good guy” versus the “bad guys”.
  • Rupert Penry-Jones plays Martha’s rival Clive Reader, a handsome cad of a ladies man.  Recall him as DI Joseph Chandler in Whitechapel or Adam Carter in MI-5.
  • Neil Stuke is the ever conniving office boss Billy Lamb. Recall him as Chief Inspector Cooke in Silent Witness.
  • Alex Jennings plays Alan Cowdrey QC. Recall him as Andrew Aldridge in Four Weddings and a Funeral or as Dr. Tim Finch in Unforgotten.
  • Phil Davis plays Mick Joy. Recall him from just about everywhere, for example as DS Ray Miles also in Whitechapel.
  • Nina Sosanya plays Kate Brockman. Recall her as Kate in Last Tango in Halifax.
  • Indira Varma plays George Duggan. (Yes, the female character’s first name is George.) Recall her as Ellaria Sand in Game of Thrones.

Relentlessly engaging. DO NOT MISS!

 

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Before We Die: Season One (2021)

From PBS Masterpiece Streaming,

Determined to solve her lover’s murder, Detective Hannah Laing persuades one of his confidential contacts to help her. But when Hannah discovers the informant’s identity, she realizes there is far more at stake than bringing the killers to justice.

From PBS Masterpiece Streaming you can stream the 6 episodes of this tense British thriller. Each episode last about 45 minutes.

Lesley Sharp played DC Janet Scott for 33 episodes of “Scott and Bailey” from 2011 to 2016. In 2011 she was 51 year old  In the 10 year span from 2011 to the filming year 2021 she has aged  considerably and to her credit sits for many thoughtful and still screen shots despite the wrinkles.  Brits seem to value the acting skill above any appearance.

In this series Lesley plays  detective Helen Laing and the mother of Christian Radic (played by Patrick Gibson). Her sidekick in an off-the-books investigation of a unscrupulous and violent family of Croatian criminals is Billy Murdoch (played by Vincent Regan). Vincent played DCS Dave Murray in the same “Scott and Bailey) series.

From the very beginning Christian volunteers to be part of the murder investigation by inserting himself into the crime family. In doing so he invites great risk to himself and causes great anxiety for his detective mother.

Season one ends in such a way as to lead into season two. However season one is complete in itself with an almost satisfying ending.  But conspiratorial villains remain undetected.

WARNING:  In the beginning of the story there are scenes of torture (another family  specialty) that are hard to watch.  In the reminder of the episodes there is much tension but no torture.

Tension plus a really clever plot twist at the end make this series a

DO NOT MISS!