Inside Man (II) (2022) User Reviews

Utterly implausible but I'm hooked

[peterrichboy · 8/10 · 28 September 2022]

It's almost impossible to try and describe the plot of this program after two episodes, of course it's totally implausible and some might say just plain daft.

But if you can put all that aside, what you get is an original crime drama how else would you get a vicar played by David Tennant in a quaint English village, and Stanley Tucci a criminal on death row for killing his wife, to be connected? Tucci in particular is very entertaining as half Hannibal Lecter and Sherlock Holmes rolled into one. Whilst tenant as an honourable vicar trying to protect one of his flock and his son just ends up making things worse for himself.

I can understand why people don't get this, but at the end of the day it's just a piece of fictional drama and don't take it too seriously and what you get is a thoroughly entertaining hour of television.

Off the wall, but entertaining.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 29 October 2022]

A prisoner on death row works with a British journalist, the ultimate mission is to discover a missing teacher.

This is a hugely original, imaginative drama, it serves to ask the question, what lengths with a normal, everyday, caring person go to to protect someone that they loved.

If you're a fan of writer Stephen Moffat, as I am, you'll know he's capable of writing some incredible stuff, Sherlock and Doctor Who, you'll also know he's capable of writing some trash ......Sherlock and Doctor Who for example. This is a mix of both, some elements are amazing, some are quite poor.

If you're prepared to accept that reality is abandoned early on in episode one, you may just enjoy this, Part four is insane, it's wild and over the top, I loved it.

David Tennant is awesome (when isn't he,) Stanley Tucci was just phenomenal. The acting was perhaps the best thing about it, the two were captivating, but everyone played their part.

It's full of holes, so many times you'll be scratching your head, wondering what's going on. How thick were those walls??

7/10.

Pleasantly surprised, and a little confused by the mixed reception

[Onewordreviewer · 8/10 · 2 November 2022]

I can certainly understand not liking this, but it seems like a lot of the negative takes have come from people expecting it to be something else. I guess because of who was involved in its creation, a lot of people expected something along the lines of Sherlock. Maybe there was also some misleading marketing involved, but if so, I missed it.

What it reminds me of more than anything else (and *far* more than Sherlock) is Fargo, both the movie and the FX series. It's a dark comedy with two main plot lines, one about regular people who get themselves into a criminal misunderstanding, make a series of bad decisions in the ensuing panic and progressively making the situation worse for themselves until it all unravels, and the other about a journalist collaborating with an eccentric, hyper-competent death row inmate to rescue the person who got imprisoned in one of the former group's early bad decisions. I'm not gonna deny that it's implausible and absurd, but I think that's by design.

If you go in expecting Sherlock, you'll probably be disappointed. If you go in expecting Fargo, I think it'll be enjoyable enough.

Highly Enjoyable

[fuljah · 4 November 2022]

I dont understand why the negative reviews? Moffat developed a tongue in the cheek thriller. I think that people who gave this series 1 star dont understand the quirky, playful script behind it. They take it all very seriously and dont grin as the the story develops.

It is not a drama, it is not a thriller that will make you sit at the edge of your couch. Did you guys watch "The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window"? Did you think that was a real crime show? This is a implausible but playful TV series that will hook you to Netflix for four hours because everything that sounds very illogical will tie to a ending and everything will work out. And your heart will pound to know what will happen in the end!

Relax, just sit and enjoy the show. Dont take everything too seriously! This one will make you disconnected from the world over the weekend! Quite good and very enjoyable light series!

Decent acting with a hard to believe plot

[drael64 · 6/10 · 28 September 2022]

This show sets up some contrived circumstances, in the first episode, somewhat rapidly in succession. Without going into details it requires a fair bit of suspension of belief, because literally none of those events would occur anything like that.

There's language that people don't really use in real life, that are somewhat more common in niche circles - and I notice this is for some reason common in British, and in particular BBC television series. I'm not really sure what it is about the BBC, but they have a way of creating TV that is particularly out of touch with reality.

On the positive side the acting is fine, the characters would be fairly compelling if in slightly less contrived scenarios and it isn't boring by any means, it just has a persistent distracting quality about it.

Characters make frustratingly stupid decisions

[VH1jesse · 6/10 · 6 November 2022]

I decided to watch this despite mixed reviews because I love Stanley Tucci. As per usual, Stanley does a great job especially given the writing he had to work with. Tucci and the other death row inmate are fantastic together and it would be a much more interesting show if it was just based on them solving cases. Instead there is a horrible second story involving David Tennant. This is where the show goes off the rails. Tennant's character makes the worst decisions imaginable. I caught myself asking why countless times just during the first episode. It makes the show so unrealistic that it's practically unwatchable. Normally I see Tennant in great roles and I have no idea why he decided to take this part. He does a solid job but his character makes such poor decisions that I don't think any human would make regardless of their level of intelligence that it makes his part of the story very hard to watch. I've seen this in a couple other reviews but if you can throw all reality out the window while watching this, you'll probably enjoy it especially if you're a fan of Tucci or Tennant. If you prefer more realistic writing and decision making by the characters, this might be a hard watch for you. Essentially if you desperately need something to watch, give this a try but there are countless other shows that I would recommend before this one.

Stanley Tucci is perfect

[robdrummond · 8/10 · 12 October 2022]

OK Yep - its imlausable - but how many plausible pieces of fiction are there?

This is an British TV programme by The BBC. Its basically half set in The USA but intertwines with a UK based situation. Quite unique in my view.

I think its really well written - great storyline and really good characters.

At first, when I saw Stanley Tucci - a resident of my home town London (and I see him sometimes around the neighbourhood) - was in this production I was not at all convinced of his suitability - but he is absolutely perfect in this role.

Its a really well produced series worthy of a lot more than the ratings on here. I dont know why the ratings are so low - with the storyline, acting and intertwining production, I think this is just great.

But dont take it all too serriously!

You must watch it until AFTER The Credits on the last episode.

Fun if you suspend disbelief

[bethke-brian · 7/10 · 12 September 2023]

This show is riddled with plot holes, it is inconsistent in tone, and baffling at times, but it's still a fun ride if you sit back and suspend disbelief and avoid analyzing it too deeply. If you struggle with unbelievable storylines or character decisions, this won't be for you. However, the actors performances hold up and you'll be wanting to see what happens next. It's a mix of older BBC murder mystery series, Sherlock, and a bunch of weird writing decisions in between. It's not a show you'll want to go out of your way for, but if you want a short series that's relatively mindless and entertaining, this will do the trick.

Great

[christophersarles · 8/10 · 31 October 2022]

Whoever gave bad reviews obviously didn't give it more than five minutes. I apologize if any spoilers slip out. Stanley tucci as usual is excellent. This is like Sherlock Holmes if he was a death row inmate. Kind of a Hannibal lector thing except the guy isn't really dangerous or (I think) guilty. This would make a fantastic series. I can't figure out why others saw this and thought it wasn't good. The entire cast was excellent. The plot was solid and the mystery was soooo good.. if you liked murder she wrote or any of the other similar shows where the hero solves crimes in an almost supernatural fashion, than this is for you.

I found it very entertaining and found myself wishing it was a series.

Weirdly dark and comical at the same time

[SandyClarne · 7/10 · 1 November 2022]

This show pulled me in within the first 15 minutes. The storyline is a complicated, frustrating mess from the off. It is a reminder how anyone can find themselves in a predicament which leads them to do silly things that they would never have thought possible. The first episode is the best for comic value but the episodes get a little darker as they go along and the last is the most frustrating but not in a bad way. It is just like the characters. All likeable, but annoying because of the things they do. This is definitely set up for a sequel and I will be tuning in. Very smart script and so very watchable.

Great concepts, characters, dialogue and acting...shame about the plot

[bruce_lynn · 5/10 · 6 October 2022]

My title says it all. Two of my pet plot peeves are stupidity (the characters do something stupid to move the plot forward) and contrivance (circumstances beyond credibility to move the plot forward). So masterful in so many ways, it is a shame that this plot seems written by a drunk amateur shouting out random ideas ("hey, and then this could happen!...").

The best bit was Stanley Tucci's and Atkin Estimond's neo-Sherlock/Watson rendition. Great character concept, actor pairing, and portrayal. The only downside (again) was the fairly contrived scenarios they were challenged to solve. But I could watch them banter all day.

I would reboot the series around Tucci and Estimond and hire a professional writer to focus on plot structure and you would have winner to rival "Sherlock" and "Elementary".

Moffat and Tennant back again

[CarolineFR69 · 8/10 · 1 November 2022]

How to win my heart in 2 seconds: a series created by Steven Moffat, for the BBC, with David Tennant and Stanley Tucci starring in it. I was already in love even before the first second of the 4 episode series. For the story, I will not say more than what is in the synopsis: "A prisoner on death row in the US and a woman trapped in a cellar under an English vicarage, cross paths in the most unexpected way." It is very much a British series, so if you are more into big action US ones, you will probably hate it, which would explain the rates you see all around. You do need to get through the first scene though, which is at best cringe worthy. You then get into a 4 hour long movie divided into 4 episodes so that you can watch them at a pace (yes, of course I binge watched them), where the whole premise could be summarised with 'Everyone is a murderer. You just have to meet the right person' said by Stanley Tucci within the first episode. The acting is superb from Tucci and Tennant (how else could it be?), though not great with the supporting actors. I did find it fun that I hated the main victim so much that I was on the aggressor's side.

So far ok, reviews are more annoying than the show

[lousha-1 · 6/10 · 28 September 2022]

After two episodes I find the show entertaining enough to watch. Yes you need a lot of suspension of disbelief, yes it's unlikely to happen in real life like this, but it's still a good enough watch.

What made me write a review really is others' opinions below. A bunch of reviews mention how unrealistic it is for a whole bunch of people to ignore a jerk on public transport who is being disgusting with a young girl. I agree that the girl's reaction is a bit hard to believe in hindsight after we learn about her personality. But the indifference of others... Well, I've lived that scenario more times than I care to remember. In my home country or in the UK, it was always the same. Nobody gives a toss if a lone female is abused, even if it goes further than pictured here. Even if the abuser is a skinny little nothing, and there are 20 able bodied men around. They just ignore you, just as pictured. There were times when I actively called out to the ones near me for help, they pretended not to hear me. I went to the driver, he didn't want to bother either. One time a few 15ish punk boys finally helped me, ones I really did not expected to, while father-aged men just kept reading their newspapers. Other than that, everyone always looks away. Same when I was 10 and really frightened, or when I was older. So you can say that this series is very unrealistic and I'll agree with you. But that scene that you all seem to feel was so impossible - well it was spot on.

What the hell is this?

[barryjames-mc · 3/10 · 28 September 2022]

What is this? This was supposed to be good. First of all Dolly Wells character is so obnoxious, so smug, supercilious, and vile, that it makes this (terrible show) almost unwatchable.

David Tennant is wasted, and his character's decisions are out of context with how any human would behave, ever. This show is based on a feeble, poorly written and utterly absurd concept.

Stanley Tucci, another great actor, fairs better but he's basically playing a "Sherlock" type of character, and the tenuous link to involve him is also absurd.

From the opening scene, a misogynist on a tube train, not necessarily an unlikely character, but the lack of reaction from the other passengers, and the strange response from the victim, strange because she is, by the story unfolding, a hardened journalist that has the financial backing to go to the USA for a questionable story, alarm bells went off that this may not be good.

Can Steven Moffat write female characters? I'm not sure after this, I expected a classic, but as soon as the vicar doesn't expose the perpetrator, like everyone on earth would, all credulity is lost.

This is after only two episodes, so if there is a story arc that blows everyone's mind, then I will apologize to the writer, but right now, it's a mess.

Waste of talent

[sander-902-989349 · 30 May 2023]

So much talent, actors and writers, but what a farce. They probably had to first come up with a list of plotholes to then write a story around it. I can't imagine running into so many problems when writing the story first... Every possible cliche is present. Should get stars only for that achievement.

• Empty phone battery
• Sudden and irrational change of mind at crucial point in story
• Calling each other and the others ignoring the call
• When they eventually answer the phone, talk about anything other than the thing they WANTED to get across
• Endless trivial discussions to actively ignore the topic you had to get off your chest. Next time, talk about the weather, at least *something* interesting to listen to.

• Ending up at the other side of the world for no apparent reason
• Convenient van to run over the one character that can make a difference.

When deathrow does more good to society than a vicerage...

[Erik_Surewaard · 7/10 · 7 October 2022]

That the BBC is able to produce some kick-ass great content has been shown last year with the highly popular "The Serpent". With "Inside Man", another attempt is made by de BBC to achieve world-fame. I must however admit that they only partially succeeded this time.

With a cast of actors that makes you drool, it wasn't a difficult choice to start watching this show. And I must say that the first two episodes hooked me.

The combination of a story that (1) takes place on deathrow in a USA prison, and (2) in a vicarge in england, makes this a combination of "hell" and "heaven". The events that actually occur are the total opposite of what you expect: i.e. The good stuff happens on deathrow, whilst the bad events occur in the vicarage. How more counter intuitive can it get?!

Episode 3 and 4 however became so absurd that I wondered what on earth I was watching. The absurdism however reached such a level that it became an overall enjoyable watch. Some of the events even made me recall some great "Mr. Bean"-sketches, where every good intentioned deed resulted in utter chaos. This without the comedy that is...

The show is set-up in such a way that they can easily extend it with a second season. And I honestly hope that this will happen. I would hope though that a second season would get rid of the storyline in the vicerage and focus solely on the deeds of the "deathrow detective". Because that part of the story is just utter genius!

I would rate this very enjoyable watch with a rating of 7.3/10, which needs to be rounded down to 7 stars to meet the iMDB scoring intervals. The reader of this review deserves to know that I find this show a well-deserved watch and most certainly deserves a sequel!

Twisted, everything that could go wrong, does...

[jdcapshew-26899 · 7/10 · 5 November 2022]

The most likable characters were the two on Death Row. By the end of the series it would have been fine with me if all had met their maker, except those two convicted murderers. Stanley Tucci was fantastic as always. The writing was consistently excellent, as was the acting. It's ironic that the most twisted, morally bankrupt character was the vicar, played by David Tennant. The line "everyone's a murderer on the wrong day" or something like that is as chilling as it probably is true. I have no idea if this will get renewed for more episodes but I'd watch more.

Inside Man was annoying as hell, but fiendishly watchable.

Delightfully bonkers. Love it!

[per-181 · 9/10 · 27 September 2022]

When I first read about this new drama, it seemed a bit contrived and boring. But since it is written by Steven Moffatt, I decided to give it a chance. I am glad I did - just a few minutes in and I was hooked. Brilliantly weird, totally fresh, not a single predictable line or plot twist, great OTT characters - this will be four hours of total bliss.

Great acting all around, especially by Stanley Tucci and his wacky cellmate.

All in all, there are only two writers capable of combining suspense with comedy on this level. One is David Renwick, and the other is Steven Moffatt. Shows like Sherlock, Coupling and Joking Apart are now joined by another masterpiece. I can even forgive him for the utterly silly Doctor Who and the awful Chalk - this is him back on form.

Realistic? No. Fun? Yes!

[foxjlyn · 7/10 · 3 November 2022]

Describing the plot won't help because this is all about the tension and this is four episodes filled with tension. People with no criminal sense whatsoever get themselves into a terrible situation and then proceed to make it worse.

I see a lot of negative reviews over the plot not being realistic. I think if you read the synopsis about a death row prisoner solving crime, well, no it's not going to be realistic. It's going to be something you either go along for the ride or wait for the next bus.

I went along for the ride and it was fun. And maybe ask yourself, could you really commit murder?

Joy to the last Minute,everyone can turn to a murderer...

[xerses-90955 · 9/10 · 5 October 2022]

...when he have a bad day.

There is not more add otherwise it will be quite spoiling.

Cast is great,Tucci great,all of them are very entertaining.

It is a Thriller and it is also funny in a dark way.

I want more thats for sure. It has only 4 Episodes(1 Season),i say Give it a Try without expecting much,but Sense of Dark Humour,otherwise you´ll probably feel disturbed. This is thrilling but its not a action-show,so lower you expectations because of the cast and you might be pleasantly surprised,maybe even longing for more like i do.

I give easily 8-9 of 10 stars ,its definitely worth it without a doubt.

Has Moffat forgotten how humans acts?

[heleneulv · 6/10 · 27 September 2022]

Ok, I did like quite a bit of the first episode: it's delightfully weird, there are multiple stories unfolding, the pace of narration is pretty good - not too slow, not too fast, - no exposition dumps.

BUT. The first scene in the train is just... Really? You expect me to believe that a journalist who investigates serial killers on death row is afraid to flip off a jerk on a train, and the jerk on a train who's ballsy enough to bully someone with a train full of people watching him in real life is suddenly afraid of some stranger's facebook?

Get a grip Steve. I've pushed past this, and I'll keep watching, but damn you were so busy writing about vampires and aliens that you forgot how to human.

How could this bonfire of stupidity happen?

[Laight · 1/10 · 19 November 2022]

After looking at the other reviews posted here you might almost feel sorry for this show, which is, however, so utterly preposterous as to defy, well, everything. A quick reading of the other reviews will detail the several dozen enormous plot holes or nonsensical interchanges or terrible dialog. In brief: the David Tennant character makes every possible mistake a human could, the Dolly Wells character is so unsympathetic you keep hoping she'll just die, the Stanley Tucci character's supposed genius is revealed by... oh wait, it's never revealed, it's only announced. Over and over. (And whose idea was it to make a mass murderer cuddly and adorable?)

But what got me particularly riled ( as a journalist ) was that the journalist character clearly has no idea whatsoever how to be a journalist, starting with her inability to ask intelligent questions and her inability to show any integrity, and ending with this: no free-lance writer in the world, unless she's very, very, very wealthy -- and rather stupid -- would, on her own initiative, jump on a plane and fly across the Atlantic because she thinks she just might get a story from someone who doesn't want to talk to her. The creators of this mess don't even bother to give her an excuse for this nonsense. Then again, they don't bother to tell a coherent story either.

There's a good chance that watching this show will reduce your IQ by at least several points.

Not sure about the bad reviews

[Nightmarelogic · 8/10 · 2 November 2022]

I don't understand the bad reviews. For a four episode series this was really well done. All the main characters played their parts well and to all the people who say "I turned it off after five minutes" you missed the highlight of the show because you didn't like an introduction scene of two of the characters? That is a pretty dumb reason to down vote a show. This is an intriguing crime drama that works on the premise that at our core we are all capable of murder. That we are all just one bad day away from killing someone. There are two main stories at play. The first is Stanley Tucci plays a convicted wife murderer on death row who when it suits him gives advise on open cases to whoever he finds interesting. One day a young reporters shows up and asks him to help her find her missing friend at first he refuses but later he agrees to help. The second is David Tennant plays a vicar who through a series of unfortunate events end up assaulting and kidnapping said friend when she believes the vicar's son might be a pedeophile. Both stories converge on the hunt to find the friend before the vicar and his increasingly unstable wife decide to kill the woman. What I really like about the show is the kidnaped woman isn't made out of be stupid. As a matter of fact she is clever in the way she deals with the vicar and his wife and at time she is even given the upper hand despite the situation she is in. Of course everything comes crashing down eventually but the ending is quite entertaining and if you have four hours to spare I would reccommend waching this.

Much better than expected

[ajhmacleod · 7/10 · 6 October 2022]

Much better than expected based on the early reviews. It is slightly confusing at the start as it seems to be two completely separate stories that have been cobbled together as neither would have worked on their own. Once you have worked out the link and the character relationships it becomes a really intriguing plot, difficult to stop watching. This is listed as Drama/Mystery, which it is, however it is so bizarre in places and has many dead-pan one liners that it has the feel of black comedy that became too dark. Maybe it started out as a black comedy and the writer decided it was becoming to dark, or perhaps it was pitched as a black comedy but the producers decided make it darker. Either way it works!

I am on episode 2 and....

[Adamanthe · 3/10 · 5 October 2022]

This show is an absolute joke. Why is the vicar going through lengths to protect a p*do, and yet imprisons an innocent woman in his cellar? All he had to do was tell her the truth, that the flash drive did not belong to his son. It's absolutely sick. "I am vicar". Okay, and? That does not explain his irrational behavior.

Stanley Tucci's character and the way he came up with the conclusion at the end of episode 1 made absolutely no sense. It's even insulting when he says "think about it". Think about what dude, there are NO CLUES. I am watching this for a laugh. The show believes in it's own ingenuity it's absolutely ridiculous.