Crime

The overall story is ok, the acting is good, a lot of the dialogue is interesting if you are interested in Scottish banter BUT the main character cries constantly (like 5+ times per episode) and is so mentally unstable that in my opinion, it is uncomfortable to watch. I get that he is haunted by demons etc but he clearly should not be a cop. When you cry constantly and scream over a dead body it's time to had in your credentials. We have so much true crime and crime drama that we know the emotion of the main character would have him sidelined in a heartbeat.

If they reduced the emotion by about 30% it would have been a much better show.

Thought season 2 would have toned it down a little bit but unfortunately no, he is still constantly crying.

I warmed to this by about E3. It then held my attention until the end. There were plenty of flaws, but I could live with them. Although the story and some of the characters are a bit extreme, I liked the little touches of humour and the great tussle between Lennox and the evil Confectioner (who, for some reason, is not even credited in the cast list).

I suppose the main problem I had was the credibility of the extent to which Lennox's past has affected him. There were also some odd little plot elements that didn't seem to fit.

But this was a strong highly engaging drama.

The first ever Irvine Welsh TV project is this fascinatingly odd procedural crime thing centred around DCI Ray Lennox, a bruised and haunted character, portrayed with mesmeric volatility by Dougray Scott. The whole ensemble are largely fantastic (particularly the evergreen Ken Stott and Angela Griffin as Lennox's partner Trudi) but Crime knows this too and indulges in strange deviations and character tangents that go nowhere. It's an intensely watchable show partly because of this strange unpredictability, sometimes it follows police TV clichés to the letter, sometimes it wildly subverts them. It's as irrepressible and chaotic as its ragged protagonist, for better or worse.

This was a top-drawer drama series. The script was outstanding but the acting in particular was simply class. Dougray Scott in particular was astonishing- in fact his performances were on par with the likes of Sean Bean and Stephen Graham. And that's saying something. Astonishing stuff. And all of this is interwoven with first class direction and production. I could not take my eyes off it from the first episode to the last.

A word of warning though: this is not for the faint-hearted. There are a number of scenes which are as hard-hitting as they are harrowing. Those who have suffered any loss with the abduction, or worse, of a child should probably avoid.

Finally, this is an exceptional depiction of a serial killer who like many of his genre, has a superior intelligence that leaves most aghast. But that intelligence hides a dearth of emotionality for which all psychopaths have in common, and to which sadly most of us do not spot until it is too late.

Thank You to all in the making of this superior drama series...

If, like some of the reviewers here, you long for the halcyon days of Taggart and long for there to have been "anuther murda" then you may come away from this disappointed. If you've read Crime by Irvine Welsh, this is only very loosely based on the original novel. In fact there isn't much about it that's similar save for the protagonist and the subject matter. In true Welsh style there are lashings of booze, drugs, intrigue, violence and also big laughs. It gets dark towards the end and there are some genuinely affecting themes here - not fit the faint hearted or easily triggered. It's not perfect, some of the acting is pish and characters are not all wholly convincing but all in all well worth a watch for anyone. Dougray Scott is absolutely outstanding. Give it a go.