Prime Suspect: The Last Witness

Just finished watching #6 which was screened in two parts this week on SVT1. Was on the edge of my seat for both episodes.

Mirren is, as always, a joy to watch.

This riveting story is blessed with a great ending. It felt really good after this one. Quite a lot of thriller/police dramas end without one feeling that justice has been meted out. Here, the main antagonists get their just desserts. And I mean everybody. Especially the woman from the secret service. That look she gives her man at the end is priceless.

Beautifully shot and nicely scored. A great bit of telly to be sure.

Top marks here!

I saw the 2nd part of this on Masterpiece Theater, and it's definitely the best of all 6. In this latest Prime Suspect Helen Mirren uncovers the murderer of 2 Bosnian refugees. The suspect turns out to be a Bosnia Serb war criminal, but is protected by the British government a la Szell in Marathon Man. Jane Tennison is older and wiser as she goes against orders to bring the mass killer turned smooth London professional to justice. The script writing is superior, even to the earlier episodes, as we get this psychological cat and mouse between Jane and the suspect, his wife, and his underling. And as part of the investigation Jane even travels to Bosnia and has the inevitable affair with her assistant. This shows the Bosnian war should not be forgotten and we've got to bring Mladic, Karadic, and the others to justice.

Jane Tennison gets caught up in a Bosnian massacre in "Prime Suspect 6." In this episode of the powerful series, two sisters are murdered and Jane, who promised the second sister that she would be safe, is determined to bring the killer to justice. She believes that a man now living in London was responsible for a massacre in Bosnia and was recognized by one of the sisters, whom he raped when she was 12. Thinking they were dead, he tortured her for information about the whereabouts of the second sister. It turns out that what Jane knows and what she can prove are two different things, and her hands are tied all the way.

Jane is her usual self - tough, controlled, and with a terrifying vulnerability underneath. Refusing retirement, she bucks the system blatantly, and if the subject matter weren't so serious, some of her actions would be funny. And who better to play this complicated woman than one of the greatest actresses of our century, Helen Mirren. With one look, she tells the viewer that no, she is not going to be able to stay alone in her Bosnian hotel room. Listening to her father talk about liberating the Belsen concentration camp, her emotion is palpable but she cannot take his hand. That scene, by the way, is probably the best in this episode.

"Prime Suspect 6" is of the same high quality as all the other "Prime Suspect" episodes and will not disappoint.

This programme just aired in the UK and it is of the highest quality. Prime Suspect has been a consistently good TV drama and although it's been 6 years since PS5 (probably the weakest) this new outing for Jane Tennison is thoroughly gripping and moving. Helen Mirren is typically first rate, excellent support from Robert Pugh, Mark Strong and Frank Finlay. Peter Berry and Tom Hooper have crafted a complicated, emotional rollercoaster that had me glued to the TV for the duration. Highlights are the ending of part one and the scenes between Tennison and her father. Even the music is good. Do not miss.

Is this the best of the lot? Those who've seen all of them talk a lot about 1 and 2. I haven't seen them yet. I'm tempted to order all seven on DVD.

This is a new format this time. Some things have changed but some things stayed the same. Again it's an intriguing case woven expertly in the lay-up by the writer and the filming team. And in this one perhaps more than in the others I've seen the cinematography is fantastic. Angles as if they're coming out of a Kubrick classic. There is much eye candy in here.

So Jane Tennison is back - and she's battling the same bad guys as ever. This time she's surrounded on all sides by the same type of motley crew: the ambitious career types, the slacker types, the mens club types - you know the drill.

But the lady's acting never gets boring. Mirren brings something special, something extra to whatever she's in.

This one will take you on an exotic journey. And it's not a walk in the park either. If 5 was one of the most intense (of those I've seen) then 6 can't be far behind.

As always, on top of all the other excellent work done on this series, you have the star. She's inimitable.