I saw this in one sitting, which was a bit too long. The plot of this was quite clever, changing from a mystery to a suspense drama about half-way through, with a neat twist to confuse the police and a willingness to allow unexpected things to happen to likable characters. There were weaknesses when the script fell into clichés, for example, the usual bone-headed superior telling off the detective in charge of the case (Phyllis Logan) and the time-wasting sort-of romance between the aspiring detective and one of the potential victims. Phyllis Logan, a fine actress, had little to do, but the cast was solid as expected in a British crime drama. Stephanie Leonidas was devastatingly charming, and her subsequent work, e.g., in "Ordeal by Innocence" confirms her as a great talent.
4 Reviews
confusing thriller,but you have to watch to see who did it
ib011f9545i4 July 2005
Just finished watching the final part of this 2 part ITV thriller. I had hoped it would be worth watching but it was a frustrating 3 hours. I will not go into detail to avoid spoilers but I found the plot confusing and unrealistic. The story involves someone killing 3 women in London,maybe West London but I don't recognise the locations,I am not from London. 3 women are in danger,several are killed,the police team trying to catch the bad person is led by Phyllis Logan,she is the best known member of the cast but it is not her finest hour,she does not have much to do and does not make a great impression.
I recognise only one other person in the cast,there are no great performances,you know when sometimes you see a debut performance and think,I will look out for the actor/actress,there was nobody like that here. I kept watching to the end to know who did the bad deeds but it was no classic,the people who made this seem to have not stopped to look at what they were making,it is confused and hard to watch. Perhaps with more time,a bigger budget and a better script this would have been worth watching,it is from a novel so we must assume the novel must have some merit. I would not bother to watch this unless there is really nothing else on,many of the characters are women so perhaps it would be better appreciated by women but I don't think so (I am male)
There are several red herrings before you discover the real killer at the end
I recognise only one other person in the cast,there are no great performances,you know when sometimes you see a debut performance and think,I will look out for the actor/actress,there was nobody like that here. I kept watching to the end to know who did the bad deeds but it was no classic,the people who made this seem to have not stopped to look at what they were making,it is confused and hard to watch. Perhaps with more time,a bigger budget and a better script this would have been worth watching,it is from a novel so we must assume the novel must have some merit. I would not bother to watch this unless there is really nothing else on,many of the characters are women so perhaps it would be better appreciated by women but I don't think so (I am male)
There are several red herrings before you discover the real killer at the end
Great mini-series,great ending.
stevielj200524 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Right from the beginning,they have added things to shock you. Characters that you didn't think were going to be killed off were and even when it came to blaming someone for the murders,you still weren't sure till the end even tho it tells you at the end of the first episode! This drama has something for everyone and a few actors and actresses,who never seen before,you are sure to see again. The beginning episode definitely left you wanting to see more,i just wish there had been more than two episodes. There's potential there to make this into a real series,maybe like The Bill? Id love to have seen more and id have especially liked to have seen more of Jamie Draven who played the detective investigating the murders! He is HOT!! Phwoarrrrr!!!
An underrated, excellent mini-series.
puppetwomanoftavira1 October 2010
I remember this cheering up some dark Sunday nights a few years back. I expected nothing much, but in return found it entertaining, engaging and surprising, and I ended up in a bleak, dark mood; just right for returning to another working week. The acting was brilliant and realistic,the plot was credible: I totally recommend this mini-series. One surprise is that I have just found out it was from a book written by Nicci French, an author recommended to me by my Dutch husband. I have just found a whole row of her books on his bookshelf; all of which have been translated into Dutch. I really do have to now buy and read the English versions.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
