Following his all too brief reign as Bond, Timothy Dalton is here utterly compelling throughout as the charismatic, beguiling, sociopath Eddie Myers, a big-time criminal presumed dead, but discovered hiding in plain site near a British tourist haven in Spain. Back in England he agrees to become a 'supergrass' and the keen young detective who first spotted him is surprisingly appointed to the vital role of working closely with him, extracting his extensive knowledge of the underworld.
Likely to have been suggested by the previous year's hugely influential SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, this is developed in a somewhat predictable fashion. Attempts to portray the police at work as realistically as possible, with lots of use of the hand-held camera, do little to tone-down the improbabilities in the plotting, which leaves several loose ends. Timothy West's fast-talking, beer-swilling, DCI and the police banter, particularly regarding Myers' health food obsession, provide some fun, but there's too much soap opera. Altogether, not in the same league as excellent La Plante series' PRIME SUSPECT and WIDOWS, but certainly a must for fans of its star.
Likely to have been suggested by the previous year's hugely influential SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, this is developed in a somewhat predictable fashion. Attempts to portray the police at work as realistically as possible, with lots of use of the hand-held camera, do little to tone-down the improbabilities in the plotting, which leaves several loose ends. Timothy West's fast-talking, beer-swilling, DCI and the police banter, particularly regarding Myers' health food obsession, provide some fun, but there's too much soap opera. Altogether, not in the same league as excellent La Plante series' PRIME SUSPECT and WIDOWS, but certainly a must for fans of its star.