The Marksman

The Marksman is a moody and somewhat stylized three part thriller about a professional killer who returns to Liverpool from self-imposed exile in Spain when his son is murdered.

In the aftermath of the Hungerford Massacre that took place in the summer of 1987, this series gained notoriety because of the subject matter and its showing was delayed and broadcast after some re-edits.

So far the series was only shown once and has never been repeated by the BBC or shown by another satellite channel.

David Threlfall who had made his mark on stage and on TV in Paradise Postponed a year earlier provided another chameleon like performance as a hardened killer.

This was also the first dramatic TV role for Craig Charles as a gangster type who was until then better known as a street poet and Red Dwarf was still hovering on the horizon and would not launch until 1988.

Grim faced Weaver leaves Spain to avenge the death of his son who he barely knew. Enlisting the help of old criminal associates he wanders around town (grim faced) trying to find out what happened. Sometimes he's being grim faced in a car chase.

The only appeal of revisiting this is the nostalgia value. Overall, it's poorly put together, badly acted and very confusing. More dialog than action. More style than substance... but if you remember TV from the eighties, this will put a smile on your face.