Messiah 2: Vengeance Is Mine

How on Earth did this show not run for longer then it did. This goes back to 2002, and it holds up unbelievably well even now, the production values are superb, it looks better made then half the dramas on screen now. The acting is flawless, but the writing is what makes it, absolutely fabulous, storytelling at its very best. It's deep, complex and intelligent, but never does it feel too clever for its own good, easy to follow.

It's dark, macabre, and perhaps not for everyone, you get a vibe as to what it's going to be like. Not as dark as Messiah 4, which I still rate as the best of the lot, but this is still viewing at its best.

Superb acting, Ken Stott is once again fabulous, he is at the top of his game, well acted by all concerned, Frances Grey, Neil Dudgeon, Vincent Regan etc.

Brilliant, 9/10

Along with Scandinavian ones, UK crime thrillers have become a sign of quality to those fond of versatile, intense and logical works where character actors, mood and environment have an important role to play. Messiah 2 is another example of them, where crimes are covered as tragic (as they are in real, no place to make witticisms), and solutions are presented as they are revealed, not relying on detectives' odd flashes or criminals' rough mistakes.

Actors like Ken Stott and Neil Dudgeon fit the detective pattern well (well, perhaps too much, as they have lots of D(C)I roles), as I really did not guess who the wrongdoer was - in spite of been a key follower of similar creations - I was satisfied with both the result and the 3 hours of so in front of screen. I am pretty convinced that I will find time to the following 3 seasons as well - regardless of some changes in cast and approaches.

Last year, the first MESSIAH was shown on BBC 1. Adapted from the excellent novel by Boris Starling, it was a chilling, London-set tale of murder, religion, and gallons of blood. This year round, we get the sequel - VENGEANCE IS MINE. After a teasing set of trailers, shown after nearly every single programme after seven o'clock, turned me into an excitable bundle of anticipation, and after six months of waiting (it was postponed from August 2002, after the events in Soham), we get the best damn British thriller in years. Ken Stott returns as grumpy DSI Red Metcalfe, a man haunted by his own dark past, and trying to track down the killer of his brother Eric. The plot really starts moving when a man is found bound and buried alive on Wimbledon Common, in the same fashion as another man several years ago. Are we talking about a copycat killer? Is this revenge? As the bodycount rises, so does the tension, as Red and his team (including Neil Dudgeon and Frances Grey) race against time to find the next target before the killer does. In the first MESSIAH, the serial killer was bumping off the 12 disciples in the particulary gruesome ways that are depicted in the Bible; but this time, it is more a outright guessing game, a true murder mystery. Some of the deaths are extremely inventive and horrible (although not quite as grisly as last time, when we had flaying alive, beheading, and sawing in half). Stott, Dudgeon, Grey are terrific, and are well supported by Art Malik, Emily Joyce and Vincent Regan. The direction is such a high-point in this, because it is sutiably moody, castign huge shadows and cold blues against the London back-drop, and the waves of blood. At times the direction can be quite distant, but it is always tight, always focused, and never strays from the downright thrilling. This was shown in two parts, over a Saturday and Sunday, and I can tell you that the 24 hours between Part 1 and Part 2 was agonising, absolutely agonising. The first MESSIAH was unfairly compared to SE7EN (mainly because of it's religious content), but I actually think both the first one and this MESSIAH are miles better. Perhaps this is because I know London very well and I can relate to that, but I think that the acting, the direction, and the script are all so much better. Plus, this is a more traditional mystery: at least we actually get a chance of guessing who the killer is, instead of having to wait for some nobody to turn up, like in SE7EN. The mark of a good horror story is that it should stay with you. And this. As you lie in the dark, pushing yourself deeper into the matress, close your eyes. . .and you'll see men being buried alive, hearts cut out. . .rivers of blood. . . Essentially, this is a fairy-tale for adults; we all like to be terrified in the safety our armchairs, but it's a bloody good one. I hope they do a MESSIAH 3, because this truly was the highlight of the year (and it's only January). Lizzie Mickery's script is so brilliant, the characters and the plot so deep, and the deaths so imaginitive. This is fantastic.

All in all it was very good. I have seen it twice and on the second time didn't recognise the killer till half and hour from the end..... My little criticism concerns the identification parade. When the parade is done behind darkened glass, there is no way it can be done unless the suspect is legally represented to insure fair play. They is absolutely no way that any legal representative would allow Melcalfe to accompany is deaf wife during the proceedings. He was in an ideal position to inform his wife of the suspects number. She should have been accompanied by a proper interpreter. Any evidence gained at the parade would have been a waste of time. The rules are that any officer involved in the investigation is not even allowed to be in the same building !!

To me 'Messiah' was a great and near blameless show in which the first two seasons were particularly strong, and should have lasted longer than it did.

It got off to a great start in the first series, which set the tone for the show brilliantly with a taut and dark atmosphere, always engrossing storytelling, great acting and production values, intelligent scripting, very disturbing and inventive murders if not for the faint-hearted and a genuinely surprising final reveal (if slightly let down by a slightly implausible and not-as-developed-as-it-could-have-been motivation).

'Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine' is every bit as good and quality-wise it is about equal. It is stylishly and beautifully filmed with a lot of atmosphere, while the locations are also used to great effect. The music is suitably ominous while never being too obvious. A great job is done with the directing, always tight and resolutely moody and nothing is rushed or plodding.

Both parts of "Vengeance is Mine" are tautly and intelligently written, with an always natural flow and the mystery is always kept alive and fresh. The story here is darker and just as disturbing as before, with a great ominous atmosphere and plenty of surprising twists and turns while taking time to develop it enough to stop it from falling into incoherence. Susan's deafness also gives it some welcome heart too. The deaths are shocking and imaginative, if not quite as gory as in the first series (then again, it doesn't get gorier than deaths based on the deaths, ones that are as brutal as you can possibly get, of the twelve disciples).

The final solution was a surprise to me, though I know of people who felt they found out too early or found it too obvious, and the motive was a little better developed and easier to swallow than the first series, though the physical competence of the murderer and how they were able to carry out the murders has been brought into question and understandably. The characters continue to be interesting, and the acting continues to impress.

Ken Stott is exceptional in the lead role, some of his best acting has been on this show. Neil Dudgeon also excels, don't think he has done better work than his acting in 'Messiah', Michelle Forbes is touching and Alun Armstrong is earth-shattering as a very totured character. Frances Grey's role is a bit limited, but she does much with it.

Overall, wonderfully done second series to a great show and just as compelling as the first. 9/10 Bethany Cox