This is one of those dramas where simply to mention the sort of things that it brings to mind is to give away the plot.: the plays of Dario Fo and Tom Stoppard, or, on television, 'The Singing Detective'. One one hand, it's nicely executed, even if there'a certain element of cliché in this Edinburgh-set detective story, the necessity of whose introduction only eventually becomes apparent. But ultimately, there's none of the deep psychological underpinnings that characterised 'The Singing Detective', and the result is a story that whose whole is a gimmick, essentially less than the sum of its parts. One compensation for those of us who love Edinburgh is the fine use made of the city throughout the film.
5 Reviews
A well-told literary joke with a slightly over-long punchline
JaspaWest3 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
There's a great deal to like in this very well-produced drama. A warning to readers: the biggest plot spoiler is in the cast list - if you know who Richard Wilson is playing then you're half way to spoiling the whole joke as soon as he appears.
And yes, it is very much a joke. Until you realise the fact, a lot of the writers' decisions seem a little too cutesy. Why is Buchan's colleague, who's undercover as a busker singing Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street", called Gerry? Why is John Sessions's Character called Professor Bell, the same name as Conan Doyle's tutor, immortalised in both "Murder Rooms" and "The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle"? Is there a connection between the name of Ian Rankin's detective protagonist, Rebus, and Codex, the name of the record label we see spinning on Buchan's turntable? Why does Newsnight Review, on which Rankin regularly appears, have such a prominent place in the story?
The answer, of course, is that this film is about the games that writers play with their readers. And their characters (there's a big clue in the title. Really). And the fact that writers don't always get things their own way with either. The denouement, when it comes, is genuinely effective, and enables the viewer to enjoy everything that's gone before. Unfortunately, that point is a little too far before the end of the film, and what follows is somewhat too stretched out. Nonetheless, the whole package works well, and features excellent performances from both Alec Newman and Nina Sosanya. This is the sort of genre-bending production that BBC Four has made its own - long may it continue.
And yes, it is very much a joke. Until you realise the fact, a lot of the writers' decisions seem a little too cutesy. Why is Buchan's colleague, who's undercover as a busker singing Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street", called Gerry? Why is John Sessions's Character called Professor Bell, the same name as Conan Doyle's tutor, immortalised in both "Murder Rooms" and "The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle"? Is there a connection between the name of Ian Rankin's detective protagonist, Rebus, and Codex, the name of the record label we see spinning on Buchan's turntable? Why does Newsnight Review, on which Rankin regularly appears, have such a prominent place in the story?
The answer, of course, is that this film is about the games that writers play with their readers. And their characters (there's a big clue in the title. Really). And the fact that writers don't always get things their own way with either. The denouement, when it comes, is genuinely effective, and enables the viewer to enjoy everything that's gone before. Unfortunately, that point is a little too far before the end of the film, and what follows is somewhat too stretched out. Nonetheless, the whole package works well, and features excellent performances from both Alec Newman and Nina Sosanya. This is the sort of genre-bending production that BBC Four has made its own - long may it continue.
Very good, very surreal
ic21 March 2007
Excellent viewing.
Playing on the fictional tough detective genre, this weird little drama plays along quite easily for the first 10 minutes or so and then drifts off in to the challenging. Not that challenging is bad, in fact it makes it worth watching.
A troubled detective, his partner is gunned down, is sent into the depths of old Edinburgh (good travelogue) to investigate a 100 year old body. His past keeps catching up with him, not least the man who stole his wife off him, his best friend, now a very successful author. Lots of swearing and a bit of violence later we get to the snooker and revelations. Another success for BBC4.
The cast were very good. Laura Fraser and Nina Sosanya both worked on Casanova together and have appeared all over the place, they were good as usual, I have a soft spot for both. The lead male, Alec Newman I have not seen before and looking at his CV seems to done a lot of US TV, nevertheless he played a good drunk, troubled and rogue detective. John Sessions put in a John Sessions and the other roles were okay. But the award for the most outrageous false Scotish moustache goes to Richard Wilson who appears as, well that would be a spoiler.
Trivia: I once sat two rows in front of Richard Wilson at the Barbican for a performance of Romeo and Juliet, he wore a baseball cap all evening. The actor playing Romeo was David Tennant, see Casanova. Spooky or what. I had an awful cold and spent the entire performance trying not to cough or sneeze.
Playing on the fictional tough detective genre, this weird little drama plays along quite easily for the first 10 minutes or so and then drifts off in to the challenging. Not that challenging is bad, in fact it makes it worth watching.
A troubled detective, his partner is gunned down, is sent into the depths of old Edinburgh (good travelogue) to investigate a 100 year old body. His past keeps catching up with him, not least the man who stole his wife off him, his best friend, now a very successful author. Lots of swearing and a bit of violence later we get to the snooker and revelations. Another success for BBC4.
The cast were very good. Laura Fraser and Nina Sosanya both worked on Casanova together and have appeared all over the place, they were good as usual, I have a soft spot for both. The lead male, Alec Newman I have not seen before and looking at his CV seems to done a lot of US TV, nevertheless he played a good drunk, troubled and rogue detective. John Sessions put in a John Sessions and the other roles were okay. But the award for the most outrageous false Scotish moustache goes to Richard Wilson who appears as, well that would be a spoiler.
Trivia: I once sat two rows in front of Richard Wilson at the Barbican for a performance of Romeo and Juliet, he wore a baseball cap all evening. The actor playing Romeo was David Tennant, see Casanova. Spooky or what. I had an awful cold and spent the entire performance trying not to cough or sneeze.
If you are fan of crime fiction - this is a must.
nodisalsi3 March 2007
For me, city of Edinburgh has always had a macabre reputation: it's history of medical experimentation, it's architecture, it's haunted underground tunnels, and it's famous literary people. Ever since I read Edgar Allen Poe's "How to Write a Blackwood Article" and "The Scythe of Time", I've always been fascinated about this place myself. And this TV drama really lit up my imagination.
At first, the hero Jim Buchan (Alec Newman) himself seems like the archetype grumpy cynical Scottish police inspector. He and his partner Sinead Burns (Nina Sosyana) are investigating a 100-year-old corpse discovered in a sealed-off section of the City's underground; the circumstances are suspicious and next to the body the letters A C I D are etched on to the rock.
But Buchan's haunted character begins to reveal some bizarre twists of it's own as the mystery unfolds. The whole detective story genre is turned over on it's head and the crescendo towards the conclusion is a well crafted piece of a surreal drama in itself.
If you're a fan of crime thrillers - on screen and in literature - then you will be in for a special treat; and a macabre fascination for the City of Edinburgh will probably grow in you as well.
At first, the hero Jim Buchan (Alec Newman) himself seems like the archetype grumpy cynical Scottish police inspector. He and his partner Sinead Burns (Nina Sosyana) are investigating a 100-year-old corpse discovered in a sealed-off section of the City's underground; the circumstances are suspicious and next to the body the letters A C I D are etched on to the rock.
But Buchan's haunted character begins to reveal some bizarre twists of it's own as the mystery unfolds. The whole detective story genre is turned over on it's head and the crescendo towards the conclusion is a well crafted piece of a surreal drama in itself.
If you're a fan of crime thrillers - on screen and in literature - then you will be in for a special treat; and a macabre fascination for the City of Edinburgh will probably grow in you as well.
Engaging cop thriller that is entertaining as well as smart
bob the moo15 March 2007
DI Jim Buchan is a hard drinking cop with an attitude. Having lost his wife to his best friend (writer Jack Harvey, who is a success in every way that Buchan is not), he has turned more and more inwards on a path of apparent self destruction. It is his mistake when trying to trap his nemesis "The Monkey" that sees his partner shot dead. Returning to work after some time off, Buchan is given a new partner in the bubbly DS Burns and a new case. Well, "new" really isn't the way to describe it, as the pair look into the discovery of a 100 year old body deep in the tunnels below Edinburgh university.
The title of course refers to the place where Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty once fell together to almost certain death and recognising that suggests that this film may appeal to you because of its literary foundation. Aside from the monologue in the first few seconds of the film, things appear pretty generic at first; hard nosed cop disliked by his peers, new partner, big criminal to stop, convoluted and complex case to solve etc etc. Even the dialogue is a bit clunky and obvious at first. This gradually subsides as the main mystery kicks in and the film does get more interesting with some very enjoyable (if not wholly successful) twists coming in the later stages.
The cast are mostly very good. Newman fits the clichéd character very easily at the start but he is also able to move past that as required he is a solid lead and is by far the main character in the film. Around him various others turn in good support, with Mackenzie a good foil as his former best friend and Fraser convincing as his ex-wife; neither have a lot of screen time but they do well with what they have. I wasn't sure about Sosanya at first. I think she is a great actress and is very attractive to boot, with her flirty and light character just making me love her more, but I didn't think she fitted in at all and it felt like she had been dumped with a rubbish character that she was just going to tease her way through. It is true she doesn't have much to do character wise, but this does make more sense in the context you'll see it looking back. Wilson is good in his small support role, even if his presence stretched my brain a little.
Some proper reviewers probably over praised this film because they felt it was so much better than other police thrillers. Although I agree it is better and more interesting than its peer group I didn't think it was perfect and the things that make the plot so engaging also make it a bit wobbly at times. That said though once you get through the rather clichéd start it is a clever film that is entertaining and engaging right down to the smart conclusion. Deserves a bigger audience that BBC4 screenings will bring it and has motivated me to check out Rankin's "The Acid Test" as well.
The title of course refers to the place where Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty once fell together to almost certain death and recognising that suggests that this film may appeal to you because of its literary foundation. Aside from the monologue in the first few seconds of the film, things appear pretty generic at first; hard nosed cop disliked by his peers, new partner, big criminal to stop, convoluted and complex case to solve etc etc. Even the dialogue is a bit clunky and obvious at first. This gradually subsides as the main mystery kicks in and the film does get more interesting with some very enjoyable (if not wholly successful) twists coming in the later stages.
The cast are mostly very good. Newman fits the clichéd character very easily at the start but he is also able to move past that as required he is a solid lead and is by far the main character in the film. Around him various others turn in good support, with Mackenzie a good foil as his former best friend and Fraser convincing as his ex-wife; neither have a lot of screen time but they do well with what they have. I wasn't sure about Sosanya at first. I think she is a great actress and is very attractive to boot, with her flirty and light character just making me love her more, but I didn't think she fitted in at all and it felt like she had been dumped with a rubbish character that she was just going to tease her way through. It is true she doesn't have much to do character wise, but this does make more sense in the context you'll see it looking back. Wilson is good in his small support role, even if his presence stretched my brain a little.
Some proper reviewers probably over praised this film because they felt it was so much better than other police thrillers. Although I agree it is better and more interesting than its peer group I didn't think it was perfect and the things that make the plot so engaging also make it a bit wobbly at times. That said though once you get through the rather clichéd start it is a clever film that is entertaining and engaging right down to the smart conclusion. Deserves a bigger audience that BBC4 screenings will bring it and has motivated me to check out Rankin's "The Acid Test" as well.
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