Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgement (1996)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

So much average

Boring

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The first three 'Prime Suspect' series were absolutely brilliant. 'Prime Suspect IV' changed the format from two episodes compromising of one case for each of the previous three series to three different cases and actually did it very well.'Prime Suspect V' consists of one case once again with two episodes, aptly titled "Errors of Judgement". So back to the original format and this time dealing with murder on the drug scene. To me, "Errors of Judgement" was wonderful and the best since 'Prime Suspect III', and it was always going to be a daunting task having a series up that the first three series' level. And that is despite also loving the three cases making up 'Prime Suspect IV' ('The Lost Child', 'Inner Circles' and 'Scent of Darkness')."Errors of Judgement" is stylishly and cleverly filmed, with slick editing and atmospheric lighting, and there is a consistently wonderful atmosphere throughout. It is very gritty, if not quite as dark as 'Prime Suspect III', and effectively claustrophobic. It is very hard to forget the music score too. The scripting, like its predecessor, is some of the best there is of any mystery/detective drama, being superbly constructed and intelligent, plus it is hard to not be impressed by the cunning subtlety of the conflicts.Story-telling is very compelling and twisty, with an atmosphere that is gritty and harrowing but also intricate and honest. The city life and drug scene aspects really hit hard and are suitably seedy. It is a complex story that keeps one guessing right up to the end while also being easy to follow. Tennison's personal life is balanced very well and never descends into melodrama despite the errors she brought on herself in 'Scent of Darkness' and here.Jane Tennison continues to be an interesting character, the character and the depiction of the police force was very ahead of the time back in the 90s and holds much fascination now even if not so novel.Helen Mirren gives a typically magnificent performance in the lead. Julia Lane and David O'Hara are truly excellent also, but Steven Mackintosh's bone-chilling performance lingers long in the memory.Overall, wonderful. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Supt. Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) is sent up north. She witnesses an organized thieve ring. The kids she talks to are cynical. Drug mule Nazir is killed and Tennison has a case. The Street is the leader of the drug gang and he's immediately the prime suspect. He sees himself as the celebrity ruler and blessed constantly escaping prosecution. He's not the killer and tries to find the killer himself as a gang war looms. DC Henry Adeliyeka, DI Devanney, and DS Rankine are the main investigators for Tennison who starts sleeping with the married boss. Local kid Campbell Lafferty comes in and confesses to the shooting.The franchise is going back to the extended episode which ends up with quite a bit of filler. This could easily be turned back to the previous two hour slot. Julia Lane and David O'Hara are great supporting actors in this. There is always Mirren. Steven Mackintosh plays The Street a little over the top. There are scarier ways to play the character. Overall, this is solid Prime Suspect but a little stretched.

It just gets better. What's to fault in this one? Is there anything? No. Curious how they interweave string quartet music through it - that's a new one. And it's stark - it brings a quality of immediacy and tragedy to it.Like all in this series, this has a long running time. Like everything in this series, nothing is set in stone. This is longer than many of the others. It's timed at 200 minutes which means a long time in front of the screen.But it's worth it. This is a strong drama like all of them, and not in the least because of Steven Mackintosh who plays one of the all-time creeps of silver screen or television.I checked his filmography and saw he's done quite a lot of work and I was surprised because I don't remember ever seeing him before. He really takes out the stops on this one.As always the story is well written and deftly directed. It's another masterpiece - and it's for television which is the surprise.And as always, you have to reckon Taylor Hackford's a lucky man.

Spoilers:At the end of Prime Suspect 4, Jane Tennison was subjected to disciplinary action for disobeying orders, despite her actions resulting in the safe rescue of an abducted woman and the capture of a serial killer. Her enemies used these events to destroy her career in the Metropolitan Police. However, she seemed to develop a personal relationship that could withstand her inner demons.As this series unfolds, Tennison is starting a new job, in exile, in Manchester. No mention is made of her previous relationship. What she finds is a depressed city riddled with crime, in the form of a young ganglord, "the Street". The Street seems untouchable, but Tennison vows to bring him down. She also encounters a young boy, Cameron, who wants law and order. Meanwhile, Tennison's new boss seems to appreciate her skills, as well as her body. Tennison enters into an affair, despite their professional relationship and the fact that he is married.Tennison uncovers a world of street violence, where drugs are mixed in private homes and criminals are cheered by the downtrodden. Her police team seems ineffective, and possibly corrupt. One of them is a promising detective, who is much like Tennison. She immediately finds herself at odds with Tennison, who she respects, but can't understand.Ultimately, this series comes across more like an old gangster movie than the police drama we've come to expect. The Street seems too invincible, for someone operating independently. Added to this is the intriguing, but implausible idea that the Chief Superintendent is in league with the criminal. Also, the affair with Tennison seems out of character for her. Although Tennison has been involved with police officers before, it seems that she would be unlikely to further jeopardize her career by sleeping with her boss. Maybe, at this point, she feels she has nothing to lose, but I don't think so. Again, I think this series has suffered from the absence of Lynda La Plante. The story is still engaging and the performances are good, but the result is less satisfying. Still, this series, even when stumbling, is at a far higher plane than its contemporaries.