Category Archives: Detective

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, Abduction, Acorn TV, Ambiguous Conclusion, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Child custody, Confusing Plot, Could Be Sad, Detective, Divorce, Eccentric Detective, Emotional abuse, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Forensics, Gritty, Lawyers, Made For TV, Murder Investigation, Orphans in Foster Care, Revenge, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Suspense, TV Series, Violent

Vera (2011)

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From AcornTV:

Two-time Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn stars as DCI Vera Stanhope a solitary, obsessed, caustic, brilliant investigator, and a bit disheveled; think female Columbo.

From AcornTV you can stream 6 years of this British TV series which first started in 2011 and went on for 7 years through 2017. AcornTV does not offer 2017. Each year, or “set”, consists of 4 episodes. Surely 24 episodes will keep you busy for awhile (binge – anyone ?). Each episode is approximately 1.5 hours.

DCI Vera is as personally distant as her sidekick DS Joe Ashworth (played by David Leon) is personable. An important thread in the series is their relationship. For example, Vera’s refusal in one episode to even consider being the Godmother to Joe’s latest newborn child is really hurtful. But Joe seems to understand her aloofness and accepts it begrudgingly. In one episode Joe insists on taking Vera for a doctor’s visit because of her sudden stress-related faintness.

Just remember that British police procedurals are not for the faint of heart. Could that be why I enjoy them so much?

2000, 2005, Abduction, Acorn TV, Alcoholism, Ambiguous Conclusion, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Conspiracy, Crime thriller, Dark, Detective, Drug Dealers, Dysfunctional Lives, Father-daughter relations, Gangs, Grim, Grisly, Gritty, Ian Rankin, Murder, Murder Investigation, Police Corruption, Police Culture, Prison, Prostitutes, Revenge, Scottish, Suicide, Suspense, Thriller, Violent

Rebus (2000)

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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!

2014, Abduction, Confusing Plot, Detective, DNA, Drugs, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Forensics, Icelandic, Icelandic Detective, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Suspense

The Lava Field (2014)

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From IMDB:

When Reykjavik crime detective Helgi Marvin Runarsson is called in to investigate a suicide case on Snaefellsnes Peninsula, the case turns out to be far from simple. Pulled into a sinister trail of evidence, Helgi’s own deeply hidden secrets are unearthed. Will Helgi turn a blind eye to murder in order to save the life of his daughter?

From Netflix I was able to stream the four episodes, each lasting about 45 minutes. Icelandic with English subtitles.

When was the last time you watched a police procedural based in Iceland?  Indeed, except for its Iceland connection, there is nothing special about this mini-series. As usual, the detective is divorced and needs to relate to his daughter, etc. etc. Sometimes I had trouble keeping all the characters straight.  At least the acting is good.

Only so, so!

 

2011, Abduction, Basically Sad, Born Again Christians, Detective, Drama, Ethical struggles, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Gay theme, Homophobia, Muddled biblical references, Philosophic Discussions, Psychological Thriller, Religious Theme, Revenge, Suicide, Suspense, Thought provoking

The Ledge (2011)

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From IMDB:

A police officer looks to talk down a young man lured by his lover’s husband to the ledge of a high rise, where he has one hour to contemplate a fateful decision.

NetFlix offers a DVD containing this 1hr 41min drama that essentially is a debate between religious fundamentalism and humanism.

Do not be turned off initially by the word “debate” nor by Patrick Wilson’s moralistic preaching because there are quite a few thought provoking details in what is to a large part also a love story about people who have suffered and managed to rise again. As the story progresses you learn more and more about each of the characters until you reach the surprising climax which I refuse to spoil.

Four principal actors are:

  • Charlie Hunnam plays Gavin Nichols who becomes Shana’s lover.
  • Liv Tyler who plays Shana Harris.
  • Patrick Wilson who plays Joe Harris, Shana’s husband.
  • Terrence Howard who plays Detective Hollis Lucetti. Hollis has his own personal drama which is interwoven with the main plot.

This review is written in 2016 at a time whenreligious fundamentalism threatens to tear the world apart. With this problem in mind, this film is especially timely.

2013, British Mystery Series, Child abduction and murder, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Netflix Streaming, Pedophilia, Police Culture, Serial rapist, Small British village, Trailer Life, TV Series

Broadchurch (2013)

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From IMDB:

The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.

REVISED REVIEW 2020:

From Netflix you can now stream 3 seasons of this British crime series.  Each season consists of 8 episodes where each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Yet another wonderfully constructed British detective procedural set in Dorset, England. Details may be found in Wikipedia. As the summary above explains, the major emphasis in the Season One 8-episode story is the conflict between families due to the murder. It takes 8 more episodes in Season Two to close the Sandbrook murder case.

Season 3 consists of two plot threads:

  • Mark Latimer (played by Andrew Buchan) has never gotten over the murder of his son. His obsessional desire for revenge is hurting his marriage to Beth Latimer (played by Jodie Whittaker).
  • Broadchurch is now threatened by a serial rapist. Trish Winterman is the first rape victim we meet. She is played by Julie Hesmondhalgh who also played Jill Weadon in the British TV series The Trouble with Maggie Cole.  Her physical appearance in Broadchurch is so different from her physical appearance in The Trouble with Maggie Cole that it took me a while to even recognize her.

David Tenant as Inspector Alec Hardy and Olivia Colman as Detective Ellie Miller carry the story.  Secondary themes are their personal problems.

In the entertainment area of British detective TV shows, this series is a DO NOT MISS!

 

1987, Abduction, Acorn TV, Adultery, British Mystery Series, Brother-Brother relations, Conspiracy, Detective, Divorce, Extramarital Affair, Father-son relations, Missing Person, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Pedophilia, Photography, Plot Twist, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Uncategorized, Violent

Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1987)

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From IMDB:

From cold, rock-strewn moors to comfortable suburban estates, award-winning writer Ruth Rendell explores the dark fissures between friends and family members that motivate murder.

Acorn TV offers this series which includes:

Master of the Moor, Parts 1,2,3
Colin Firth as outdoors loving loner.

Vanity Dies Hard, Parts 1,2,3
Newly wed woman searches for her vanished friend.

Simisola, Parts 1,2,3
Daughter of Nigerian surgeon is missing.

The Secret House of Death, Parts 1,2
How exactly did the next door neighbor die?

A Case of Coincidence, Parts 1,2
Surgeon’s wife murdered in the fens.

Road Rage, Parts 1,2,3,4
Young German tourist goes missing.

The Lake of Darkness
Generous lottery winner.

Harm Done
Pedophile,abduction,missing daughter

2007, Abduction, Acorn TV, Adultery, Alcoholism, Corruption, Crime, Cynical, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Drug Dealers, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Forensics, Irish Detective Series, Mildly Violent, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Pedophilia, Physical child abuse, Police Corruption, Prostitutes, Rape, Revenge, Self-Deception, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Small Town Atmosphere, Suspense, Teenagers

Single-Handed (2007)

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From Acorn TV:

Transferred from Dublin to his hometown on Ireland’s windswept coast, Sergeant Jack Driscoll faces challenges he never expected.

Acorn TV offers Set 1 (with 3 episodes, each an hour and a half) and Set 2 (with 6 episodes, each about 50 minutes). IMDB, on the other hand, breaks down the exact same collection into 4 seasons.

For the most part, we humans seem to have a lot of traits in common the world over. But if you are influenced by this series, you will come away with a vivid impression that the Irish are a somewhat dishonest, clandestine group of people that maintain silence over nasty past events. In other words Jack Driscoll must fight an uphill battle to get to the truth in every case.

Jack Driscoll himself is no saint. Even he must be on guard not to adopt some of the rough tactics of his forebears. Somehow during the episodes he manages to sleep with a lot of women. Considering what pieces of work he has for parents, it is a wonder he turned out to be an honest cop.

For me a sneaky, plotting villain motivates me to keep watching and hoping that the evildoer eventually loses.

When my wife Kathy approves of something we watched, then you know we are on to something worthwhile.

DO NOT MISS!

2004, Acorn TV, Airline pilot, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Clever Plot, Detective, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Forensics, Mental Illness, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation

DNA (2004)

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From Acorn TV:

Brilliant but troubled criminologist Joe Donovan returns from a psychological breakdown to lead Manchester’s Forensic Investigations Unit.

From Acorn TV you can stream the five episodes from season one of this British TV detective series.

Personalities, family relations, and personal problems are as important if not more important than the crimes themselves. Joe Donovan is so obsessed with his job that he ignores his beautiful wife which leads to great problems. Notice how often this theme of job versus family occurs in so many detective procedurals. On the other hand the detective gets along well with his son Seth, despite all the family difficulties.

Suspicion moves rapidly from character to character as the well-designed plots keep us guessing.

Besides photo shots of dead bodies there is nothing particularly grim about these stories. Add to this the fact that Joe Donovan has a smiling and calm personality that lends an adult gentile air to the series.

Not at all a waste of time.

2015, Based on a Book, Corny at times, Detective, Fantasy, Frenetic, Mayhem, Religious Theme

Victor Frankenstein (2015)

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From NetFlix:

Putting a new spin on the classic tale of the reanimated monster, this reimagined version unspools through the perspective of loyal lab assistant Igor and his friendship with erratic genius Dr. Frankenstein.

For a PG-13 rated film, this 1hour 50 minutes romp features quite a bit of violent mayhem. At least any sex is minimal to nonexistent. Each time Hollywood tells the Frankenstein story, the special effects are more exaggerated. Have we reached here a pinnacle in cadavers,  arcane iron equipment, lightning, Scottish castles, and a really angry, nasty, two-hearted big monster? Of course, part of the tradition is that the monster must have a flat head.

Daniel Radcliffe  (aka “Harry Potter”) as the loyal lab assistant Igor should feel really at home with all the hocus-pocus. Imagining that Dr. Frankenstein rescues the circus clown Igor and converts him from a hunchback into an attractive adult is a new gimmick in the story. Letting Igor fall in love with a beautiful woman is also a nice touch.

James McAvoy portrays Victor Frankenstein as an ambitious, driven egomaniac of a genius, who is quite possibly a madman.

Andrew Scott (Professor Moriarty of the TV series “Sherlock”) as Inspector Turpin has charge of the theology in the story.

In summary, it is a really good yarn with lots of special effects which you can enjoy as just a fun story as long as you are willing to suspend disbelief at every detail for the entire film.

2012, 2014, Abduction, Acorn TV, Adultery, Bloody scenes, British, Clever Plot, Corruption, Detective, Drug Dealers, Extramarital Affair, Police Politics, Police Story, Possibly depressing, Prison, Sadism, Sex With Minors, Suspense, Torture, Violent

Line of Duty (2012)

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From Acorn TV:

Like other police units, AC-12 investigates criminals–but the lawbreakers it catches are police officers working in the line of duty. Martin Compston (Monarch of the Glen), Lennie James (The Walking Dead), and Keeley Hawes (The Casual Vacancy) star in this critically adored series called unmissible by The Times (UK).

Another lucky find!  This really taut British TV series economically keeps the tension mounting from the first police screw-up, through the ever deepening web of corruption and the corresponding undercover investigations. “Cat and Mouse” would be another good title for the series.

Series One from 2012 has 5 episodes. Series Two from 2014 has 6 episodes. There is a 6 episode Series Three from 2016 that Acorn does not yet offer.

For three episodes of Series One I was pleased to recognize Gina McKee in the role of Jackie Laverty.  Long ago in 2002 she played Irene Forsyte in “The Forsyte Saga” which was presented on public television.

NOT QUITE A SPOILER: Just remember that sometimes criminals escape justice.  And just because you watch two seasons, that does not mean that the bad guys are caught.

Today police misbehavior in the USA is a current hot topic. Hopefully this portrait of British police will not make us more cynical.

WARNING: Despite being on the edge of my seat for 11 episodes of a  DO NOT MISS series, I was not happy afterwards.