Messiah 2: Vengeance Is Mine

All in all it was very good. I have seen it twice and on the second time didn't recognise the killer till half and hour from the end..... My little criticism concerns the identification parade. When the parade is done behind darkened glass, there is no way it can be done unless the suspect is legally represented to insure fair play. They is absolutely no way that any legal representative would allow Melcalfe to accompany is deaf wife during the proceedings. He was in an ideal position to inform his wife of the suspects number. She should have been accompanied by a proper interpreter. Any evidence gained at the parade would have been a waste of time. The rules are that any officer involved in the investigation is not even allowed to be in the same building !!

I didn`t see the original MESSIAH and couldn`t help feeling that perhaps that I should have after seeing the first half hour of the sequel , but not to worry even though it`s perhaps not as stand alone as the QUATERMASS serials or the James Bond franchise you don`t need to have seen the original to follow MESSIAH 2 : VENGANCE IS MINE

That said however no one can accuse VENGANCE IS MINE of being a groundbreaking crime thriller . It`s all filmed in the same extremely dark way as HANNIBAL , SEVEN , TOUCHING EVIL etc . In fact it`s so dark it`s sometimes difficult to see what`s going on . And it tries to shock the viewers with cruel deaths that these " shocking " deaths end up being laughable due to their OTT manner , instead of feeling sorry for the victims you can`t help giving an involuntary laugh as they meet their demise , especially the chap who gets bumped off beside the railway line . In fact so many people get abducted and murdered in relatively public places without the murderer being seen or interupted that I couldn`t help feeling there might be a supernatural angle to all this . This doesn`t happen and strangely enough when the killer is revealed the story doesn`t fall apart as much as I expected . Okay it`s unlikely for the reasons I`ve outlined but it does make logical sense .

One special word of note - for the first time ever we have an American actress playing a British character without a hint of an American accent , you`d have no idea at all that Michelle Forbes is an American actress . There is a very good reason for this . Watch VENGANCE IS MINE to see what I mean

Along with Scandinavian ones, UK crime thrillers have become a sign of quality to those fond of versatile, intense and logical works where character actors, mood and environment have an important role to play. Messiah 2 is another example of them, where crimes are covered as tragic (as they are in real, no place to make witticisms), and solutions are presented as they are revealed, not relying on detectives' odd flashes or criminals' rough mistakes.

Actors like Ken Stott and Neil Dudgeon fit the detective pattern well (well, perhaps too much, as they have lots of D(C)I roles), as I really did not guess who the wrongdoer was - in spite of been a key follower of similar creations - I was satisfied with both the result and the 3 hours of so in front of screen. I am pretty convinced that I will find time to the following 3 seasons as well - regardless of some changes in cast and approaches.

To me 'Messiah' was a great and near blameless show in which the first two seasons were particularly strong, and should have lasted longer than it did.

It got off to a great start in the first series, which set the tone for the show brilliantly with a taut and dark atmosphere, always engrossing storytelling, great acting and production values, intelligent scripting, very disturbing and inventive murders if not for the faint-hearted and a genuinely surprising final reveal (if slightly let down by a slightly implausible and not-as-developed-as-it-could-have-been motivation).

'Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine' is every bit as good and quality-wise it is about equal. It is stylishly and beautifully filmed with a lot of atmosphere, while the locations are also used to great effect. The music is suitably ominous while never being too obvious. A great job is done with the directing, always tight and resolutely moody and nothing is rushed or plodding.

Both parts of "Vengeance is Mine" are tautly and intelligently written, with an always natural flow and the mystery is always kept alive and fresh. The story here is darker and just as disturbing as before, with a great ominous atmosphere and plenty of surprising twists and turns while taking time to develop it enough to stop it from falling into incoherence. Susan's deafness also gives it some welcome heart too. The deaths are shocking and imaginative, if not quite as gory as in the first series (then again, it doesn't get gorier than deaths based on the deaths, ones that are as brutal as you can possibly get, of the twelve disciples).

The final solution was a surprise to me, though I know of people who felt they found out too early or found it too obvious, and the motive was a little better developed and easier to swallow than the first series, though the physical competence of the murderer and how they were able to carry out the murders has been brought into question and understandably. The characters continue to be interesting, and the acting continues to impress.

Ken Stott is exceptional in the lead role, some of his best acting has been on this show. Neil Dudgeon also excels, don't think he has done better work than his acting in 'Messiah', Michelle Forbes is touching and Alun Armstrong is earth-shattering as a very totured character. Frances Grey's role is a bit limited, but she does much with it.

Overall, wonderfully done second series to a great show and just as compelling as the first. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Messiah 2 is the sequel to 2001's grisly Messiah, which concentrated on an elite CID investigation into bizarre and seemingly motiveless murders. Soon enough it became apparent that the murderer chose his victims as their names corresponds with the twelve apostles.

Again, Messiah 2's killings have a biblical twist- the killer is targeting people who have literally got away with murder and thus have gained vengeance for wrongful convictions and unsolved murders. Yet, soon the killer branches out to specific targets, and a there could be a personal motive for this killer.

Messiah 2 begins with a sequence involving Red and his estranged brother. Unfortunately, when they meet up, Eric is dying from a stab wound, and Red begins trying to solve this case in conjunction with the main murder inquiry. There are some brutal scenes in Messiah, including a man being buried alive, bloody murder scenes and a man having his heart cut out. All it did lack was a decapitation. There is also a child murder, and its understandable therefore why release date was early 2003 rather October 2002, following the child murders in Britain.

Ken Stott returns as brooding, brilliant DCI Metcalfe, with Art Malik, Neil Dudgeon and Frances Grey making up his team, plus a plethora of new faces and british stars including Alums Armstrong who seems to be starring in everything these days, Vincent Regan and Shaun Dingwall (Touching Evil). Stott looks bored at times, yet is a magnificent character actor who really shines as the leading man. Malik is wasted in a small role, and Alun Armstrong excels as a destructive and tortured character who disappears about halfway through.

Although a little slow burning at times, and there is a tendency to stay at murder scenes a little too often (Another criticism of the first film), Messiah 2 is a gritty thriller, which will keep you on the edge of your seats right to the end, and the acting quality on offer is enough to keep you watching. The ending is typical of most thrillers, yet is completely absurd, as the identity of the killer is quite obvious. The character stood out completely as irrelevant in the context of the film and may as well had an `Iam a serial killer' Tattoo on their forehead. I wont name names, but try and look for the `Cracker' Connection. Also, Frances Grey as a full blown DS in a serious crimes squad at what, 25? That's ridiculous! Overall, Messiah is implausible and a little boring at times, yet it is an involving and memorable thriller, a rarity from the politically challenged BBC.