Heißer Verdacht - Die letzten Zeugen

Just finished watching #6 which was screened in two parts this week on SVT1. Was on the edge of my seat for both episodes.

Mirren is, as always, a joy to watch.

This riveting story is blessed with a great ending. It felt really good after this one. Quite a lot of thriller/police dramas end without one feeling that justice has been meted out. Here, the main antagonists get their just desserts. And I mean everybody. Especially the woman from the secret service. That look she gives her man at the end is priceless.

Beautifully shot and nicely scored. A great bit of telly to be sure.

Top marks here!

Jane Tennison gets caught up in a Bosnian massacre in "Prime Suspect 6." In this episode of the powerful series, two sisters are murdered and Jane, who promised the second sister that she would be safe, is determined to bring the killer to justice. She believes that a man now living in London was responsible for a massacre in Bosnia and was recognized by one of the sisters, whom he raped when she was 12. Thinking they were dead, he tortured her for information about the whereabouts of the second sister. It turns out that what Jane knows and what she can prove are two different things, and her hands are tied all the way.

Jane is her usual self - tough, controlled, and with a terrifying vulnerability underneath. Refusing retirement, she bucks the system blatantly, and if the subject matter weren't so serious, some of her actions would be funny. And who better to play this complicated woman than one of the greatest actresses of our century, Helen Mirren. With one look, she tells the viewer that no, she is not going to be able to stay alone in her Bosnian hotel room. Listening to her father talk about liberating the Belsen concentration camp, her emotion is palpable but she cannot take his hand. That scene, by the way, is probably the best in this episode.

"Prime Suspect 6" is of the same high quality as all the other "Prime Suspect" episodes and will not disappoint.

I have been following the investigations of Jane Tennison since my partner sent me a bad VHS recording of Prime Suspect 1 while I was serving with the USMC in the Persian Gulf. Amid my own warfare, my own self doubts and fears, I found inspiration in DCI Tennison's struggles. I have been in love ever since. Some tales are better than others, but all are good. My personal favorites: PS1, PS3, PS5 and now, topping the list, is Prime Suspect:6. Not since listening to the young actor respond to Tennison's questions in PS5 - "What do you want out of life?" ...Response: "Law and Order", have I teared up watching a TV show. PS6 hits home on many levels. From cinematography to storytelling to acting the whole thing is brilliant on all levels. Helen Mirren, one of the most underrated talents in the acting profession - seeing her silently curse in her car after her encounter with her immediate superior evoked a moment all of us in the working world can relate to.

At the risk of sounding like I'm gushing, I can't recommend enough this latest installment. It is was television drama can and should be.

The four-hour miniseries is, when well executed, one of the most entertaining forms of modern drama. "Prime Suspect 6" is a vivid demonstration of how a well-crafted script put in the hands of a competent director and a dedicated cast and crew can provide cliff-hanging suspense and emotional excursions for viewers of a wide range of ages and backgrounds.

Helen Mirren is possibly at her best in "6" as the ageing senior detective, constantly battling the establishment as she tries to manage a big caseload when a particularly brutal murder opens a Pandora's box of leads, lies and loose ends.

My prize, however, goes to Peter Berry for his writing. The story lets us slowly explore the minds, motivations and especially the passions of all the main characters and makes good use of historical events and present-day tensions to construct a drama of the highest quality. His story has strong Hollywood elements, and for this style of drama, that's precisely what's needed.

If you missed it this time, don't miss the repeat or definitely rent the DVD when it's out.

The first three 'Prime Suspect' series were absolutely brilliant. 'Prime Suspect IV' changed the format from two episodes compromising of one case for each of the previous three series to three different cases and actually did it very well.

'Prime Suspect V: Errors of Judgement' was wonderful, but 'Prime Suspect VI: The Last Witness', having watched all the series over-time since reviewing the first series in 2016, ties with it as the best 'Prime Suspect' series since 'Prime Suspect III'. 'The Last Witness' is to me the darkest and grittiest since 'Prime Suspect III', and is one of the more suspenseful ones of all the series put together. Also with one of the more satisfying endings, not rushed, not too crammed, too convoluted or too pat, instead making one bite nails and may induce a few tears.

As is the case with all the 'Prime Suspect' series, 'The Last Witness' is stylishly and cleverly filmed, with slick editing and atmospheric lighting, and there is a consistently wonderful atmosphere throughout. It is very gritty, dark and effectively claustrophobic. It is very hard to forget the music score too, plus mood-wise and with some exotic moments in the mix it's one of the more action and atmosphere-enhancing music scores of all the 'Prime Suspect' series. The scripting, like its predecessor, is some of the best there is of any mystery/detective drama, being superbly constructed and intelligent, plus it is hard to not be impressed by the cunning subtlety of the conflicts.

Story-telling is very compelling and twisty, with an atmosphere that is gritty and harrowing but also intricate and honest. It is a complex story that keeps one guessing right up to the end while also being easy to follow. Plus the suspense of a lot of it is nerve-shredding. The deliberate pacing did not harm it at all, in fact it was executed incredibly well and was necessary considering the amount going on.

Jane Tennison continues to be an interesting character, the character and the depiction of the police force was very ahead of the time back in the 90s and holds much fascination now even if not so novel. There is the sense too that the character has evolved significantly, a feeling that one didn't get before.

Helen Mirren gives a typically magnificent performance in the lead. Frank Finley's performance is deeply felt and one wishes agreed that there was more of him.

Overall, just wonderful in every sense. 10/10 Bethany Cox