Prime Suspect 1
by Christopher Menaul
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Helen Mirren, John Benfield, John Bowe, Tom Bell, Zo? WanamakerDirector: Christopher Menaul
Brand: Prime
Cinematographer: Ken Morgan
Editor: Edward Mansell
Producer: Don Leaver
Producer: Sally Head
Writer: Lynda La Plante
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 208 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-10-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Movie Reviews of Prime Suspect 1
Movie Review: A Murder Mystery with a Hidden Agenda
Summary: 2 Stars
Prime Suspect 1
This 1991 film begins at night when cars drive down the street. The police arrive to see the body of a young woman. She has been dead for 1 to 2 hours [but her blood is not black and clotted].A small black book is given to the detective in charge, John Shefford. The blood type is analyzed from the fluid. There is a match on the computer to a man recently released from prison for a rape. George Marlow is arrested and interrogated. [The personal life of Jane Tennison pads out the story.] The lead detective has a heart attack; who will replace him? DCI Tennison wants what she should have. The victim was incorrectly identified as Della Mornay so the body must be identified from the missing persons report. [Does all that smoking have symbolism?] The details of the crime are explicit; the victims were tortured before death.
The policemen resent their first woman detective [a subplot]. The victim was identified (Karen Howard). Her boyfriend knows nothing since they broke up. Suspect Marlow is released for lack of evidence. Then another victim is found, this is Della Mornay who rented the small flat. Where are the missing pages from Della's diary? The same torture marks as on Karen. DCI Tennison goes on live TV to get witnesses or find the missing car. Someone calls in as a witness, but identifies another man. The investigation goes on. [There is more padding to fill up time.] Tennison discovers something while working late and goes to Oldham. Re-interviewing witnesses finds a new fact taht wasn't in the reports. Is there another suspect? But Tennison may be off the case. What is the connection between the victims? An assistant notices a connection. Moira is brought in for questioning. Will she talk? When George and Moira leave their flat they are followed by the police. There is a shocking discovery! [Now you know how it will end.] There is an arrest of a suspect for the six murders. Questioning continues until an emotional outburst and a final admission. The courtroom scene will have a final surprise.
This is an interesting story in spite of the padding and interpersonal conflicts. I suspect Moira knew more that what she told. The hidden agenda is to show the police biased against a female chief detective. We don't know how true this is in England or other European countries. The suspect seems to hold a low-paying job but can afford to rent a large garage and let someone else hold the key. The one redeeming value of this film is its display of urban scenery. Was the cast larger than necessary?
Summary of Prime Suspect 1
Helen Mirren (Teaching Mrs. Tingle/Gosford Park) introduces the character of Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison in the first of the series PRIME SUSPECT, which aired on PBS in January 1992. There will be five series in all, with a sixth currently set to air in the summer of 2004. When a young woman is found brutally murdered and the DCI in charge is unable to take up the case, it is passed to Jane Tennison, the first female DCI to handle such responsibility. Between a slippery suspect and resistance from her team of detectives, Tennison has her hands full. But she's got the strength to take them all on.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
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