Criminal Justice

This mini-series hits the ground running, the first episode including the sea side scenes and part of the second are just fantastic, but then the drama engages in the ambitious task of analyzing whatever may or may not be wrong with the British penal and judicial system, I praise the intent, but to incorporate seamlessly and successfully this sort of concerns into a drama is not an easy task, we are promised some sort of rigorous examination, but instead of 'Oz' (brutal US prison drama), we get some sort of sub-Dickensian ambiguous horrors, where a lot is promised but very little delivered and there is always a little army of semi-benevolent Artful Dodgers and Fagins to save our hero's day, like Peter Postethwaite's Hooch 'the listener' and David Harewood's master criminal Freddie Graham, the latter does a really good job of injecting true menace in its role. We know we are entering Dickensian territory when Con O'Neill seedy lawyer complete with gotta, bandaged feet and perennial facial stubble appears on the scene, the irony is that he does a wonderful turn and steals every scene in which he appears, it is just that it feels like he had just been wandering out of a Great Expectation set to blunder into the wrong drama by mistake. In the last episode where all ideological concerns need to be shed to wind down the narrative the drama seem able to recreate some of the original dramatic tension of the first part. ON THE WHOLE Highly RECOMMENDED!

Season 1 and 2 excellent. Loved the raw characters and situations. Don't get this stuff done like this nowadays

Before HBO reimagined it as The Night Of, the story first played out in the BBC's Criminal Justice (2008) - a taut, five-part drama that set the template. Starring a young Ben Whishaw as Ben Coulter, it begins with a one-night encounter that spirals into murder, accusation, and a brutal descent through the UK's legal system.

Whishaw is outstanding: fragile, frightened, and quietly magnetic. His Ben is no hardened criminal, but an ordinary man caught in an extraordinary nightmare. As the case builds against him, we see how quickly the machinery of justice turns, and how easily someone can be crushed beneath it.

The supporting cast - including Pete Postlethwaite as Ben's lawyer, Julian, and Bill Paterson as the judge - bring weight and credibility to every scene.

What distinguishes Criminal Justice is its claustrophobic focus. At just five episodes, it moves briskly but never shallowly, showing both the cold efficiency of police procedure and the dehumanising churn of prison life. There's less social sprawl than HBO's version, but in exchange you get sharper procedural detail and a raw, almost stage-like intensity.

It may lack the American remake's broader commentary, but as a tight, unsettling character study, it's first-class. A clever, chilling 8/10.

I thoroughly enjoyed the series "Criminal Justice" and was at the edge of my seat throughout. The acting on the part of Ben Wishaw was excellent as he managed to pay attention to detail in terms of his nervous ticks and facial expressions and one really could empathise with his character who was extremely endearing Ben Wishaw's performance was astounding and deeply moving. I wish I could tell him myself. Equally the portrayal of the British justice system was extremely interesting and insightful, this is really TV at its best as it deals with so many different character types each with their own unique characteristics hence the shabby looking solicitor who was first and last in representing him. the cinematography was poignant and succinct as it moved at a good pace keeping its audience encapsulated throughout.

Kind Regards Kuldeep Kaur.

This serious is very well done and realistic. Intense acting and sharp writing. The soundtrack follows the mood without being in the way. Although the first season is more objective than the second one.