Written by the show's creator, Leon Griffiths, and made by the old Euston Films (1984), in this instalment both Arthur and Terry are conned by local low life. One thing we can take away from this episode is that some things and some people are definitely not all they're cracked up to be. Arthur gets a property offer he can't refuse, and Terry is persuaded to step back in the ring again. It's been said that "you can't cheat an honest man", but sometimes we cheat ourselves. Besides its laugh out loud moments ("Dirty Harry's ripped me off, and the jack's just gorn right up me Haywain") this is an abject lesson in the art of the long con with a couple of short cons and a bit of psychology thrown in for good measure.
2 Reviews
One of the best Minders
Tthomaskyte16 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This was one of my favourites of all the Minder episodes, containing humour and action. Terry is lured back into boxing for one fight against Wilson, the opponent he was persuaded to take a dive against several years earlier, and because of which he lost his licence. The recreation of the taxi sequence from On the Waterfront is hilarious with Terry repeating all the " I coulda beena contender..." lines. The homage to On the Waterfront is taken so far that Terry's opponent even has the same name as Brando's. Then Arthur says, "you sound like that bloke from on the riverside." It also demonstrates why Waterman was such a good choice for the part of an ex-boxer. He really did know how to fight, looking accomplished both in the ring and on the speed bag. A classic.
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