Category Archives: Crime thriller

McCallum (1995)

From IMDB:

From deep within the morgue at St. Patrick’s Hospital in London’s East End, Dr. Iain McCallum and Dr. Angela Moloney along with a team of brilliant pathologists and detectives help the dead tell their stories.

From Acorn TV you can stream two seasons of this pathologist crime series.  Season 1 has 4 episodes and Season 2 has 5 episodes. Each episode lasts about 1.5 hours.

Gory, riveting, and clever are a few apt adjectives for this engrossing series. Personal relations among the constant set of characters are as important as the plots themselves. Most episodes are complete crime and solution stories.

John Hannah, who plays Dr. Iain McCallum, was 33 years old at the time of filming.  Now (2020) he is still going strong at the age of 58.

Unfortunately season 2 episode 5 is a disappointing episode. At that time in the series, Iain and Angela have emigrated to Canada and are no longer in the episode.  For some strange reason this fifth episode introduces new characters and offers a bizarre almost silly plot. You might want to skip this last blunder of a story.

Otherwise — DO NOT MISS!

The Hunters (2018)

From IMDB:

Erik returns to the northernmost of Sweden after a lifetime with Stockholm police [seeThe Hunters (1996) and False Trail (2011)]. Retirement doesn’t become him so he helps his nephew Peter, a rookie at the local police.

From MHz Choice:

Rolf Lassgard stars as a retired Stockholm cop drawn into a mystery in Sweden’s far north.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 6 episodes of this Swedish detective thriller. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.  Swedish sound track with English subtitles.

Evidently (from IMDB) “The Hunters” was a Swedish TV series that began in 1996.  Rolf Lassgard has played the same Stockholm cop in other installments.  His role as Erik Bäckström is played superbly.

THRILLER is an understatement. You have the privilege of being able to stream all the episodes as fast as you wish, where I had to wait not so patiently for each Tuesday’s new episode to be available.

But then I am always a sucker for plots in which the villain (or in this case villains) is so smoothly corrupt and knows how to seduce others into his corruption while framing others for the crimes. By the time I watched the last episode I was literally shaking with anticipation. Up to the very last moment the bad guys seemed to be winning.

DO NOT MISS!

 

The Silence (2010)

From Acorn TV:

Deaf teenager Amelia (Genevieve Barr, Liar) wants to adjust to the hearing world and escape her overprotective parents (Hugh Bonneville & Gina McKee). But when she witnesses a murder, it jeopardizes the career of her homicide-detective uncle (Douglas Henshall, Shetland) and endangers her whole family. “A stunningly well-made thriller…taut, suspenseful and earth-shatteringly well written” –Express.

From Acorn TV you can stream the 4 episodes of this Irish thriller. Each episode is about an hour.

Talk about tense! In Shetland Douglas Henshall’s character DI Jimmy Perez is calm, thoughtful, persistent, and competent.  In “The Silence” his detective character Jim (characters as found in IMDB have no last names) is persistent, competent, not corrupt, however anything but calm.  And no wonder! His deaf niece Amelia witnesses one corrupt cop murder another cop by running her down with an automobile.  Jim is faced with protecting her while fighting to convince his fellow officers that there are clever, bent cops in the precinct who murder and are drug dealers.  Moreover, because of his exasperated demeanor those bent cops can easily persuade Jim’s  colleagues that Jim has mental problems, which reminds us of Trump’s method of discrediting anyone who disagrees with him.

You will probably recognize some of the other actors such as:

From IMDB we learn some personal facts about the deaf actress Genevieve Barr:  Genevieve Barr was born deaf and normally uses hearing aids. For her role as Amelia, who has just had a cochlear implant fitted, she was required to remove her hearing aids. She also had to learn sign language which she had never done before because she had always relied on her hearing aids supplemented by lip reading.

You might be astounded, disappointed, angry, puzzled, or all of the above after the last (fourth) episode finishes. But that is a notable feature of British plots:  why waste time on the details of an expected warm-feeling finale?  You can figure out for yourself what will happen next. However, if it makes you feel any better, rest assured there are many “outraged” reviews. Here is just one such review from IMDB:

What a Shame!

jeanjeannie3815 July 2010
I watched this, potentially brilliant, mini serial for each of its four days. Each day I really looked forward to the next episode. However, having now watched the whole series, I have reached the conclusion that the drama should have continued for five days instead of four. The fourth episode could very easily have concluded with a cliffhanger concerning the main character. This would have enabled the drama to end in a much more satisfying way. Instead, after watching four days of a truly gripping thriller, the ending was very disappointing. I don’t think merely leaving your audience with a good idea of the probably outcome of a drama is a patch on concluding with a fully rounded ending. Instead of the series concluding in a way that left me pleased I have invested my time and energy in it, I was left feeling it had been cut short because the writer (or director) had simply run out of steam. On the plus side the acting, especially of those playing the two leading characters, was first class.
Don’t listen to them. This is one really good thriller!
DO NOT MISS!

Codename Hunter (2007)

From IMDB:

An intense hijacking of a prisoner transfer van which leads to a formation of a secret police unit called HUNTER. The officers in this specialized group don’t always go by the book but they often get solid results. The leader is Dan W. who says he is just an analyst…but he is very smart and has a nickname of ‘sniper’. Also in the group is an undercover cop who is good with details and a good kick boxer. Six episodes cover one complete story through lots of action and complicated political characters and criminal elements.

From MHz Choice you can stream 2 seasons of this Norwegian crime thriller.  Each season contains 6 one-hour episodes.

So far the Norwegian offerings from MHz Choice have been excellent, including this exciting story.

Probably the lead male character is Bjorn Ronningen (played by Mads Ousdal). Throughout season 1 his wife is about to give birth while Bjorn is sent to many countries tracking down the gang.

Undoubtedly the lead female character is the undercover agent Kikki (played by Ane Dahl Torp) who spends the entire season 1 in great danger as she infiltrates the gang and falls in love with one of the criminals.

Enough excitement and complications to keep us interested.

Beck (1997)

From MHz Choice:

He’s got no style, he’s got no flash and he’s squarely in middle age. But Swedish detective Martin Beck is good at one thing: methodically catching criminals so that they can be put away… for a long time. His tightly-wound partner, Gunvald, is his opposite: an impulsive man who cuts a dashing figure, is in no way politically correct and who never met a boundary he didn’t leap across.

MHz Choice lets you stream 5 seasons of the Swedish detective series “Beck”.  All seasons offer 8 episodes except Season 4 which only offers 2 episodes. Each Episode is approximate 1.5 hours.

Harsh and sometimes hard-to-watch, the episodes are well done. If you want something less tense, try the MHz Choice series “Magellan”.

Through the 5 seasons Beck’s physical appearance does not change much. But the difference between the Season 1 Gunvald and the Season 5 Gunvald is striking in the way that the actor has aged.

Part of the appeal of the series is that the personal lives of the characters continue from episode to episode. Therefore it is best to view the episodes in order. However the mystery story for each episode is self-contained.

When you browse to MHz Choice, just enter “Beck” in the search box. Then you can see all the seasons and episodes listed. If you pause over one of the episode boxes, you get a short description of that episode.

Choosing categories for this series is difficult because after 34 episodes, there is hardly an untouched category.

Never boring, never relaxed viewing.

Annika Bengtzon (2012)

From MHz Choice:

Based on author Liza Marklund’s best-selling crime novels, Annika Bengtzon is a journalist and working mother of two struggling to raise her family. Fearless in her search for the truth, she won’t take no for an answer from anyone: not from prestigious academicians or drug dealers or from colleagues inside her own profession.

MHz Choice streams this Swedish TV crime series (with English subtitles) in two seasons. Season 1 includes 6 episodes all of which were made in 2012. Season 2 includes only 2 episodes made in 2001 and 2003.  First watch Season 1 in which Annika is played by the beautiful Malin Crépin.  Season 2 contains “Paradise” which is a prequel that tells how a young Annika fights to be a reporter, and “Deadline” which takes 2 hours and features Annika as a second-in-command at the newspaper. All the other 7 episodes last about 1.5 hours. In season 2 Annika is played by Helena Bergström who is extremely different in appearance from Malin Crépin. Visually, for example in the physical appearance of actors, season 1 is more of a crowd pleaser.

As is the case with many crime shows featuring a woman doing the sleuthing, the theme is how the woman must battle male prejudice while trying to balance her obsessive drive to do her job (here to deliver news stories)  with the demands of her family (here husband and two children). Quite a bit of really NOT boring film footage is devoted to jealous bickering in the newsroom.

Only one episode was somewhat boring. In every episode, however, the suspense is palpable, especially because  Annika’s life is usually in danger.

If you like an intense rush, try these two series.

Suspects (2014)

From Acorn TV:

Suspects is a “fresh, very different, and absolutely cracking drama” -Daily Mail (UK). With improvised dialogue and using filming techniques and a directorial approach usually associated with factual programming, this unique procedural crime drama follows D.I. Martha Bellamy (Fay Ripley, Cold Feet) and her team as they investigate hard-hitting crimes in contemporary London.

From Acorn TV you can stream 5 seasons, each with more or less 5 episodes. Each episode lasts approximately 45 minutes.

Granted that 27 episodes is a lot to watch. However, the story line is compelling and kept Kathy and me eager to see the “next” episode. Scenes change so rapidly that you have to pay attention. But that speed is what keeps the plot zipping along.  Episodes continue from one to another, but each season is a self-contained story. For my money the last season was a knock-out.

Characters are important:

  • Damien Molony plays DS Jack Weston who is somewhat of a lone wolf trouble maker. Because he is not a team player, he often does damage to an investigation.
  • Clare-Hope Ashity plays DC Charlie Steele (yes, she is a woman) who spends a lot of energy trying to keep Jack Weston in line, usually to no avail.
  • Fay Ripley plays DI Martha Bellamy the hard hitting boss lady. She is with us for four seasons but is found murdered at the start of season five.

You won’t go wrong sitting on the edge of your seat for these exciting episodes.

 

Lanester (2013)

From Amazon Prime:

In the west of Paris, three strange murders are committed. Each time, the victim is eviscerated before being arranged in a macabre display. While discovering one of these, police commander Eric Lanester loses his sight. With the help of Gabrielle, a young woman taxi driver, the cop nevertheless continues his investigation, which soon awakens demons he considered buried forever.

Originally, as far as I can tell, “Lanester” was just a French film that told only one story. But now from Amazon Prime you can download three episodes of Season 1. Each episode (with English subtitles) last about 1 hour 30 minutes. Moreover each episode is dated December 31, 2013. Running through all three episodes is a strongly unifying theme involving Police Commander Lanester and his mentally ill brother. All of which seems to suggest that the original film was re-packaged into three episodes.

In any case, the story is compelling enough to recommend. Just beware that there are depicted grisly murders.

Rebus (2000)

From IMDB:

Set in Edinburgh, the mercurial Detective Inspector John Rebus’s investigations lead him through the city’s ancient beauty and into its more sinister quarters.

From Wikipedia:

Rebus is the title of the detective drama TV series based on the Inspector Rebus novels by the Scottish author Ian Rankin set in and around Edinburgh. The series was produced by STV Productions (previously known as “SMG Productions”) for the ITV network.

Four series have been aired; series 1 starred John Hannah and was made for STV by his own production company, Clerkenwell Films. A new cast featuring Ken Stott as DI John Rebus was introduced for the second and subsequent series (which went into production in 2005, made in-house by STV).

From AcornTV:

Adapted from the novels by acclaimed writer Ian Rankin, the Rebus stories have been applauded for their intricate plots, keen characterization, and flawless sense of place. CC Available.

Acorn TV offers all 4 series.

Just be aware that these excellent productions are grim. It seems that a divorced, unhappy, obsessive detective is a standard cliché. But that does not stop the suspenseful, well-acted stories from being a real treat for lovers of the genre.

Never, never expect a happy ending!

Witnesses (2014)

From NetFlix:

A young female detective is put in charge of a case and must delve into her partner’s mysterious past in order to solve it.

Despite the similarity of one detective procedural to every other, some stand out from the crowd as at least a bit better. “Witnesses” is one such series. Accompanying the French dialog you may choose excellent English subtitles. Only one season was made and it consists of 6 episodes. Wikipedia offers very little information.

Many French towns were used for the filming but the story centers on Pas-de-Calais on the northern coast of France. If nothing else, the scenery is worth the viewing. Most interesting is the fact that the town is on two levels: Lower level is on the sea and butts up against the sheer rock cliffs that match the “white cliffs of dover.” Upper level is at the top of those cliffs. To get from lower to upper levels and back, there is a closed-in ski lift that ascends through the rock wall. This lift was built in 1901. Note also the new housing complex of very expensive and spacious homes which figure into the plot.

Personal relations among the characters, especially between Paul Maisonneuve and Sandra Winckler, are essential to the story. Basically the tale is their effort to catch an extremely clever serial killer who has escaped from prison.

Compared with an American detective procedural, this series is less violent. However, there are murders and gun fights.

Because I could stream this from NetFlix, I quickly became addicted.