Prey - Die Beute

I only recently caught up with Prey which starred the excellent John Simm. It was a three part series which was a whodunnit drama with a twist. As he is charged with the murder of his wife and child Farrow, who is a detective himself, manages to escape and then goes to investigate the case whilst being on the run from the police at the same time.

The mystery was quite clever because it seemed like it was really complicated but in the end turned out to be really simple. The twist of being on the run at the same time was great and there was some really clever scenes where Farrow escaped in some excellent ways. It had fantastic characterisation and although John Simm is excellent in every role he plays I really thought this was one of the best.

A great drama and it is nice to see ITV being able to now compete with the BBC with high-quality dramas.

A taut and exciting mini-series, the better for being condensed to just three as opposed to the more usual six, eight or ten episodes with Manchester-based detective John Simm out to prove his innocence after his wife and child are murdered at their home. Behind it all is a nefarious insider plot framing him for the deed, involving his so-called best friend (played by Craig "Dot Cotton" Parkinson) and a trusted senior colleague but after a spectacularly staged escape from a police van, Simm goes on the run to uncover the truth and clear his name.

There was little that was original in the plotting, but with sharp, pacy direction and good acting throughout, while it may not have outdone say, "Line of Duty" or "Happy Valley", this was a superior TV thriller. As usual I found some of the background characterisations, particularly that of chasing cop Rosie Cavallero to be superfluous and surplus to requirements, but when it concentrated on Simm's character's relentless chase for the truth, it was very good indeed.

Naturally he gets to run about a lot just one step ahead of the pursuing police pack, meaning hand-camera location shots a-plenty and the body-count grows wherever he goes but allowing the usual dramatic licence for coincidence, few actors can do haunted and hunted better than Simm or devious and deceptive like Parkinson. Some of the supporting cast I was less convinced by (especially a miscast Adrian Edmundson as a senior officer) but between these two, plus Cavallero and Anastasia Hille as his trusted former boss, this made for good viewing all round.

The themes of both seasons are very similar, give yourself a break between watching them. The acting is excellent and does make up for some contrived plotting.

Nick Murphy's drama 'Prey' is a fast-moving, gritty crime drama, with a typically strong performance from John Simm in the lead role. Although the plot is complex, the audience isn't really encouraged to waste too much time on it: the twists and turns are mainly Maguffins, serving mainly to justify the next explosive chase. If aspects of the series (lone hero set up for a crime he didn't commit) are generic, Simm keeps it real, and with just three episodes, it doesn't outstay its welcome. It's not quite up to the level of 'Prime Suspect', but it's nice to see ITV still keeping their hand in with authentic-feeling police procedurals.

I enjoyed this series, or is it a mini-series?

It's an interesting story. I won't give it away.

The production is very well executed. Good use of available light and normal locations. The acting is very good. Everyone really seems to be living their roles convincingly.

There are a few places I thought the plot kind of faltered.

It should have been either more believable or generated more intrigue. But instead it did neither, opting for a more emotional outcome. Or at the very least kept our protagonist in play.

For example, I would really have enjoyed a bit more detective work and shaking down the bad guys. Finding out more tantalizing clues that lead to more revelations. I enjoy watching crime dramas and cop shows for that aspect. Like the Mike Chiklis show The Shield.

This series has some of that rotten cop aspect but they don't explore it very much. I also wish that they had explored a bit more of the female co-star's life while all this is going on. She is actually the protagonist. And Simm's character would be better described as the anti-hero. Overall pretty good, darn site better than most American TV these days which is all about explosions and cliff hangers.