Starring: Helen Mirren, Frank Finlay Format: DVD
(53)Release Date: September 7, 2010
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Review & Description
Helen Mirren's Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison, the only female DCI on an old boy's club London homicide squad, is like a phantom lurking around the edges of the action while the men rush through their latest murder case, joshing and winking in the kind of male camaraderie the cop genre has celebrated for decades. When DCI Shefford dies of a sudden heart attack, Tennison demands to take over. Despite her superintendent's resistance ("Give her this case and she'll start expecting more."), she becomes the squad's first woman to head a murder investigation. Scrutinized at every moment by her superior officers, Tennison is faced with a case that spirals out from a single murder to a serial spree, a second-in-command who undermines her authority and her investigation at every turn, a team resistant to taking orders from a woman, and a private life unraveling due to her professional diligence. Lynda La Plant's script is a compelling thriller riddled with ambiguity that turns dead ends, blind alleys, and the mundane legwork of real-life cops into fascinating details. Mirren commands the role of Tennison with authority, intelligence, and a touch of overachieving desperation. Superb performances, excellent writing, and understated direction make this BBC miniseries one of the most involving mysteries in years. Look for future British stars Ralph Fiennes and Tom Wilkinson in supporting roles. --Sean Axmaker
The Emmy®-winning crime series seen on PBS
"A perfect marriage of astoundingly talented actress and brilliantly conceived character" --USA Today
"Riveting" --The Boston Globe
Oscar® winner Helen Mirren is Detective Jane Tennison, "one of the great character creations of our time" (The Washington Post), in a series that won more than 20 major international awards and raised the bar for police dramas.
Tenacious, driven, and deeply flawed, Tennison rises through the ranks of Britain’s Metropolitan Police, solving horrific crimes while battling office sexism and her own demons. “Rare is the drama that works so well on two levels: as a crackling whodunit and as a finely tuned character study of a strong but insecure woman trying to prove herself in a man’s world” (Time).
Seen on Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery! and created by crime writer Lynda La Plante, Prime Suspect features some of Britain’s biggest stars, including Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient), Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton), Zoë Wanamaker (Poirot), David Thewlis (Harry Potter), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Ciarán Hinds (Jane Eyre), Tom Bell (Reilly: Ace of Spies), and Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting).
Contains coarse language and graphic content Read more
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