Killer Net

I watched this solely for Paul Bettany but was pleasantly surprised to see Emily Woof and Jason Orange amongst the cast, all of whom are very good. Paul Bettany is a very strong presence and he overshadows the lead actor's performance.

I presume when this was first aired on TV it was a 3-part drama. I found the first hour tedious as we were introduced to the characters not all of whom were convincing - notably the lead character Scott and the wild girl Charlie/Charlotte. However, once the computer game 'Killer Net' was underway it picked up apace and grew increasingly interesting. The computer game idea worked well and was thrilling as well as menacing. The plot line was unsurprising and I guessed the denouement as it neared the end.

The drama is two stories woven into one that intersect when Scott selects his 'Libra' murder victim (to understand what this means you will have to watch). The first and prime story is about Scott and his friends and the other concerns the designer of the software.

If you enjoy Linda La Plante and appreciate Paul Bettany you'll probably find this a well acted drama. What lets the production down is the very dated computer technology, not into video games myself it did not bother me too much, though I imagine it will irritate some.

Scott, Joe and Susie are three students living in a Brighton flat. Joe and Susie are a couple but Scott is single... till one day he meets Charlotte on line. She also lives in Brighton and suggests they meet. For a while they are a couple... at least Scott thinks they are. Then one day she ends it. This happens around the time Scott has been playing an underground game called 'Killer Net'. It is a first person murder game, set in a choice of locations including Brighton, where one may stalk, murder and dispose of a victim then persuade the police of your innocence. If you succeed against one of the game characters you can enter the details of a real person. Feeling upset Scott enters Charlotte's details... soon she is found dead in a location used in the game. Did Scott use the game to work out how to commit murder or is there something sinister about the game?

I watched when it was first broadcast and enjoyed it, at the time I had never used the internet. Sitting down to watch it again now I feared it would have dated horribly... somewhat surprisingly it holds up pretty well. Yes some of the internet related stuff has dated but the central idea works quite well. The story isn't rushed; the murder doesn't take place till around the half way point. The first half shows us the various characters and their relationships as well as showing Scott and his friends' attempts to create the perfect murder within the game. The in game murder is rather disturbing thanks to the first person perspective... mirroring the classic 'Peeping Tom'. The cast does an impressive job; most obviously Tam Williams, Paul Bettany and Emily Woof as Scott, Joe and Susie and Cathy Brolly as Charlotte. Overall I'd recommend this; just be warned the DVD combines each episode to make a three hour twenty minute film!

Watched it last night on late night TV. Engrossing film. Not recommended for the very squeamish. The film contains some nudity and drug use, as well as vivid violent allusions. Wasn't too bad, took me to about 30-45 minutes before the end to know who the killer was and work out everything that was going on. Which is longer than most of the movies out and about today. Some interesting twists and turns mixed with some subtle humour. Kept me from going to bed until the very end. (I just had to know if they caught the killer!)

Worth watching at least once.

This is even more 90s than living through the decade.

This is to me a masterpiece. It is brilliant plotted, as one would expect from this writer, yet shares little with her other work, particularly in the way the police are very much a background presence helpless in the invasion of newer more sophisticated menaces such as the internet, which even their own computer experts cannot keep up with. The acting is particularly noteworthy, from the naive but so believeable Tam Williams to his maternal flatmate Emily Woolf, but best of all is the amazing Paul Bettany as rugby playing, arrogant Joe, who delivers a scene in part four so well you cannot help but gasp as you watch. Another star of this is the music, which is superb, doomy yet very catchy. Of special mention is the inspired use of the Linoleum track "Twisted" at two key points in the story, the fusion of music and drama making them the two strongest moments in the series, they work so well. The series was poorly publicised in Britain and many perhaps just expected an ill informed cautionary tale about the internet; even worse was the video release which gave the entire plot away on the inside sleeve notes! The direction by Geoffrey Sax is what really lifts this drama into the level of masterpiece though. The performances he wrings from the cast is amazing, but the depiction of the game and the pacing (amazing for scenes of just Scott sitting playing a computer game) are breathtaking. The point of view shots of Scott drunk in part two are remarkable, and the whole production glistens with a flashy, gimmicky finesse and sophistication which matches the game itself. A true classic comparable with a Nigel Kneale or Dennis Potter drama. One interesting point to ponder however...the internet is so criticised because it is new, whereas books and plays are "respectable". Does the television not offer as much virtual reality violence in this production as the internet? And in that sense the internet is censor-friendly, since you have to request to view explicit materiall. If it was somehow restricted when young children are viewing it, it would surely be less criticised, because a game like Killer Net, believeable addictive and thrilling, is just as bloodthirsty as watching this!