Mind Games

Overacted and filled with plot holes including one MAJOR one that's never addressed.

Just finished watching this made for television film.

What a wonderfully put together contribution to the English crime / detective television genre. Fiona Shaw's ex - nun profiler is so refreshingly different and beautifully realised I am disappointed that there does not appear to be any more films utilising the same character.

If you 'enjoy' (inverted commas because still not convinced that this is the correct word to describe precisely why quite a few of us out there watch these programmes - Grimms Fairy Tales for Adults maybe??) the English style of Police Investigation programme, along the same lines as 'Prime Suspect' then do give this a go because you won't be disappointed.

Also, how brilliant to watch a main character (Fiona Shaw's Frances O'Neil), a published profiler, carry out her investigations with such quiet humility. Makes a change from the ranting, 'I know I'm right!' egotism and unchecked police brutality of Boyd from 'Waking the Dead' and the UK's version of 'Touching Evil' where Robson Green's lead character exerts similar ego and scene stealing antics. Not an insult to these two programmes, just useful examples.

The 8/10 is within the context of the post Prime Suspect English police drama - high praise indeed!

The Police bring in a criminal profiler, to help unravel a series of ritualistic murders, none of which seem to be connected.

I'm watching this for the first time twenty years after it was first transmitted, in my opinion it holds up really well. The scenario is a good one, it's very easy to spot that it's from the pen of Lynda la Plante, it has the five of Prime Suspect and Trial and Retribution.

Fiona Shaw, in my humble opinion, she's one of the best, outrageously talented, and of course she doesn't disappoint, even if the basic premise of the character ia a wee bit of a stretch, perhaps.

You can argue it looks a little dated, and perhaps some of the filming is a little clunky, but it's well paced, they present a gritty mystery, and they offer a very exciting ending.

What a shame they didn't develop the character any further.

Well worth watching, 9/10.

It's a good idea but let down by the stilted dialogue. Couldn't bear more than 20 minutes of it.

As a fan of British crime drama and police procedurals I clicked on this readily enough. Five minutes in was ready to turn it off but battled through hoping it would get better. Unfortunately it did not. With performances going from wooden to cringe inducing and over the top to the point it almost had me laughing. The story itself plods along and there are holes in the story which I will not go into to keep this spoiler free. It is predictable and the reveal of the killer and 'twist' ending holds no surprises. The dialogue and direction are also poor and this movie drags interminably. There is so much great British drama to choose from, this is not one of them.