Principal Suspeito 3

The original 'Prime Suspect' was one of the finest pieces of TV dramas, ever created. Again in part three Helen Mirren, teams up with the brilliant Tom Bell (as Sgt. Bill Otley). Another fab English actor pops up as the prime suspect David Thewlis. Just a shade under the classic and original vision.

The director did a superb job pulling PS 3 together. There are many twists and turns and unexpected endings. This shows the fullness of human nature in graphic, dark but jarring peeks into a modern police investigation. It also is a thought provoking portrayal of how powerless we often are to bring about meaningful change in erasing the root causes of such crimes from our communities.

The interjection of the investigation teams personal and sexual lives adds to the drama and richness of PS 3. The beginnings of life, childhood interrupted and the degradation of some of humanity is well portrayed. The dialogue is often excellent and you have to listen to some of the questioning sessions carefully to pick up nuances that become important later. The resolution is not as expected leaving the audience with a lot to think about about the rent boy issue today.

Mirren again bucks the system and the old boy network. the crusty Sergeant Bill Otley also surprises -- sometimes hard and occasionally "soft" when faced with the grit and horror of the crimes they are investigating.

There is no sugar coating hear. Highly recommended.

At first, we had a hard time understanding the accents, but by the second episode we caught up and enjoyed it a great deal. Then again, we were watching a home-taped VHS copy, so the sound was a little muted.

The acting and the writing were excellent.

DCI Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) breaks up with her boyfriend Jake Hunter. He's married and an author of a serial killer book. She's starting a new job and finds old nemesis Sgt. Bill Otley (Tom Bell). They investigate an arson-murder involving underage rent-boys and a cross-dressing cabaret. Thuggish James Jackson (David Thewlis) is the prime suspect. Edward Parker-Jones (Ciarán Hinds) is the club owner. The clientele and police involvement threaten to be a scandal.

Helen Mirren is the lead. This show can never be bad with her driving the boat. This time Otley is back but he's somewhat domesticated. The vicious sexism is no longer there. The case is lascivious and dirty. This is solid TV police drama but nothing compared to series 1 part 1.

Absolutely loved the first 'Prime Suspect' series. It was to me some of the best television to grace my television set. 'Prime Suspect II' was every bit as good, the two are about equal in terms of quality, for the same reasons as before.

'Prime Suspect III' was watched with high expectations when seeing all the 'Prime Suspect' series over-time since reviewing the first series last year. Those expectations were not just met but also surpassed. It has all the things that made the previous two 'Prime Suspect' series so great, and stands out even more because of the characterisation which was even richer and because of the story and its heavier themes than before.

It is stylishly and cleverly filmed, with slick editing and atmospheric lighting, and there is a consistently wonderful atmosphere throughout. It is a dark and gritty atmosphere, 'Prime Suspect' in general is both those things story-wise and visually but 'Prime Suspect III' is one of the stronger examples, while also being effectively claustrophobic. It is very hard to forget the music score too. The scripting, like its predecessor, is some of the best there is of any mystery/detective drama, being superbly constructed and intelligent.

The story is 'Prime Suspect' at its darkest, most hard-hitting and grittiest for the intense subject matter alone, but in some ways also at its most honest, intricate and emotional. It is a complex story that keeps one guessing right up to the end while also being easy to follow. The interrogation scenes are some of the most harrowing of the whole 'Prime Suspect' franchise, both intensely shocking and even brings tears to the eyes.

Jane Tennison continues to be an interesting character, the character and the depiction of the police force was very ahead of the time back in the 90s and holds much fascination now even if not so novel.

Helen Mirren gives a typically magnificent performance in the lead, and she has one of her best supporting casts of all the 'Prime Suspect' series that include Peter Capaldi and Mark Strong in early roles and a standout turn from Tom Bell as oily Sergeant Otley. Excelling also are David Thewlis, who has never been more thuggish, and Ciaran Hinds at his most mysterious.

In conclusion, along with the previous two 'Prime Suspect' series, 'Prime Suspect III' is the franchise at its best. 10/10 Bethany Cox