Above Suspicion

Typically busy, far-fetched crime drama from the well-worn pen of Lynda LapLante, played out as usual over three nights on prime-time ITV. Like its channel-mate "Trial and Retribution", it attempts to follow the successful trail of the Helen Mirren-starring "Prime Suspect" in laudably centring the sleuthing on a female character, in this case Kelly Reilly. However, whereas in "Prime Suspect", there was an undercurrent of down-to-earth realism, particularly in the lead character's portrayal, here you have to suspend all disbelief as Miss Reilly has to fend off almost everything in trousers, including the again almost cartoonishly over-the-top Ciaran Hinds as the tough-as-nails, bring-me-a-sandwich DCI to whom she reports.This she courts by permanently wearing a short skirt and high heels even when on muddy crime-scene locations together with pancaked make up and a pout that would put Victoria Beckham to shame.

Better to sidestep all this Betty Boop stuff, very possibly deliberate genre-subversion by LaPlante and concentrate on the story itself, which while lacking some originality as a heavyweight drug-dealer attempts to flood the UK with a deadly addictive drug and gets into complications with his ex-wife, her sister, his brother and a Columbian cartel hot on his trail, nevertheless by turns winds and rattles along to a big finish. Said drug-baron, to escape pursuit, pulls the old "Face-Off" transplant, before escaping the chasing Reilly and Hinds in a car versus plane set-piece, which I first remember seeing years ago, in "Charley Varrick".

At least the bad guy got away, reducing the perceived omnipotence of Reilly who seems blessed with the unfortunate gift of delayed-reaction photographic recall, which sees her periodically divine impossible clues just too late to help solve the actual case.

There's no doubt there'll be another entry in the series, if only to play out the hackneyed affair which has been beckoning for some time between the two leads. I'll watch it because I quite like high production TV crime procedurals, which this certainly is, but I won't kid myself that it's anything more than contrived pulp fiction at the end of the day.

Another run-out for Ciaran Hinds, Kelly Reilly and the team, this time on the trail of the murderer of a promiscuous, drug taking young actress. As usual with La Plante, there are suspects a-plenty, sometimes there you fell just to flesh the story out and a major sub-plot with Hinds on the look-out for whoever's loose-lips cost him a coveted promotion. The convoluted plot, interspersed with a series of flash-backs, is brought, on thus occasion, I felt, to a less than riveting conclusion by the final scene, with the murderer in fact turning himself in by that point.

As for the acting, Hinds is good, perhaps helped by his more developed character, now less chauvinistic and shouty than before. Kelly Reilly as the ambitious, intuitive maverick in the pack still looks more befuddled than brainy in he part. There's some good acting in support, especially amongst the murdered girl's junkie so-called friends.

LaPlante no doubt felt at home portraying the acting world as scabrously as she does here and her dialogue for the most part rings true, but I felt an hour could have easily been lopped off the running-time and a few less unnecessary red-herrings dropped along the way which would have made the production correspondingly tighter and more compelling.

Laura LaPlante has written many excellent scripts for British television, notably Prime Suspect and one of my favorites, the 1992 version of "Framed." Here she gives us "Above Suspicion," starring Kelly Reilly and Ciaran Hinds. The story arcs are done in a series of episodes -- the first story, about a serial killer, guest-starred Jason Durr in a fantastic performance, and the second story concerned someone who was copying the Black Dahlia murders. It was so interesting to me that the British detectives had never heard of the Black Dahlia, which in America is a famous case.

These episodes are pretty graphic. Kelly Reilly, as a woman in a man's world has a lethargic way about her, giving the impression that she can't do her job. I think this is an acting choice. - quiet, obedient, but resourceful and smart. It's not a particularly well-written role. Reilly is gorgeous, with striking coloring and a beautiful figure, and very intense eyes that seem to bore into the various characters. The script seems to depend a lot on the camera work, with her in closeup. The role definitely could be stronger.

Ciaran Hinds plays the somewhat unpleasant boss. He does a good job, almost too good because I really don't care for him.

Good enough that I would watch another episode if one came out on Netflix.

I quite liked this show and I am a fan of British murder mysteries. However I am not a fan of the creepy older man in a superior position of power over a subordinate, younger female employee (very inappropriate). It is particularly creepy that he was friends with her father and may have known her as a child. Why on earth would an attractive young woman be attracted to an elderly gentleman in that way?! Yes I understand the father figure aspect, but why make it sexual?! Just another show where they pair younger female actors with much older male actors- just stop. If it wasn't for that I enjoyed this show the 3rd one deadly intent was the most boring, the other 3 were generally entertaining.

Anna Travis (Kelly Reilly) is a new police detective. Her first day does not go well as a decomposing body is discovered. Her new boss DCI Langton (Ciarán Hinds) is her late father's mate. The dead woman is related to a whole series of dead women and a possible serial killer. American acting star Alan Daniels becomes the prime suspect. She begins a relationship with him and also investigates him.

This starts well with an adorable Reilly stumbling through her first day. Hinds is a great mentor character. These two characters have the potential for building a great police procedural. There is no mystery with only one main suspect. The other problem is that Anna goes from zero to a hundred in a flash. She's completely incompetent in the first ten minutes and she quickly turns into one of the best detectives. The show is over-extended and the flirtations between Travis and Langton are really creepy considering his relationship with her. He's basically a creepy uncle. It would be better to eliminate his connection to her father.