SnoopyStyle Superintendent Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) is on loan replacing DCI Raymond for a murder case. The victim Denis Carradine lived with his elderly mother. The investigation starts as a robbery with sexual overtones but it gets more and more complicated. The prime suspects start with drug-addicted Sheila Bower and low-life Micky Thomas. Maria Henry runs the nursing home and her daughter Polly Henry (Kelly Reilly) is connected to Micky Thomas who was chased into traffic by the cops and killed. As she digs deeper, Tennison uncovers class divisions, corruption within the local police and government.This is Helen Mirren on her own. What I mean is that the actors are either not good enough or their characters are not good enough. It's missing a second compelling character either in support or in opposition. None of the villains of the piece are that scary. It's a bunch of weaselly old white people scheming about money. Whenever they gather to talk about the situation, the movie slows down a little. The most compelling support character is probably DS Cromwell but actress Sophie Stanton is still a newbie at that point. It's also an early one for Kelly Reilly. It still has primetime Helen Mirren who keeps the train moving. It's a functional police TV drama.

Hitchcoc Jane Tennison moves in on DCI Raymond (who is a manipulative jerk) and takes over the case of a man who was found strangled with his pants at his knees. It turns out he was involved in a land deal which is at the center of the whole episode. Along the way, Jane must face both the resistance of those involved and fight to maintain her authority. Raymond is involved with the rich land dealers and turns a deaf ear to any threats against them. There are some sticky wickets (thought I'd throw in a little British expression) along the way involving an affair, an evil drug dealer, a poor kid who stutters, and a naive young woman. People have been paid off or eliminated. Helen Mirren's Jane is relentless in her efforts to get people to talk. The acting is so good and the cases so hard to solve among all the smokescreens that are set up. I've appreciated that the recent offerings are single sittings.

grendelkhan In this second episode of Prime Suspect 4, we begin to feel the loss of creator Lynda La Plante. The episode is weaker than previous series and the first episode of the current series. Helen Mirren continues to shine and the supporting actors are all good, but the writing is not up to par. The story becomes a bit muddled and the ending is a bit hard to swallow. Spoilers: This time, Tennison is called in to investigate what at first appears to be a break in and murder, but turns into a look at political corruption and scandal, as well as class struggle. When a man is found dead in his home, of what appears to be autoerotic strangulation, all is not what it seems. It is quickly determined that the manner of death is a cover up for what really happened. Tennison enters a world of wealth and privilege, surrounding a country club and nearby neighborhoods. At the fringe of this well-to-do community, is a low-income housing estate. The housing estate is at odds with its wealthy neighbors, who also control the local council. Tennison ends up caught between the "haves" who try to brow beat her and manipulate her investigation, and the "have-nots" who appear to be her prime suspects. Added to the mix is a young female detective who came out of the low-income area. Tennison solves the case, although the final solution comes across more like a pulp novel than the type of drama we are used to. Mirren rises above the material, as do the supporting performers, but this episode is less satisfying. The ending is too muddled in double-crosses and manipulation. The writer tries too hard to add layers to what is a straightforward crooked real estate deal and murder. Unfortunately, this fourth series resembles a downward slope as it progresses. The next episode would fall even further.

ckomanduri In this "Prime Suspect" movie, Helen Mirren continues to show why her Jane Tennison is nothing less than one of the greatest characters in the history of television. "Inner Circles", while not one of the better stories in the series, is still worth watching just to see Tennison confront human darkness once again, this time in an upper-class milieu.