Suspect n° 1 - L'acte final

The original 'Prime Suspect', an unusually tough police procedural thriller, was a landmark in early 1990s television, immediately making other hits series like 'Inspector Morse' appear tired and out-of-date. Since then, the series has retained some quality through its relatively infrequent outings, but still, the writing has not always been as good as in the first episode and in some cases has lapsed into the melodramatic cliché of the standard crime show. Gradually, I lost interest (I think about the fifth time that the whole direction of central character Jayne Tennyson's life was on the line if she didn't solve some murder in the face of the scepticism of her colleagues). But the series has always featured great acting from the incomparable Helen Mirren in that role, and in this final part she has arguably never been finer, there is some longer-term narrative development from the earlier episodes and Mirren exploits the character's growing history as the basis for a harrowing, wholly three-dimensional performance that almost seems out of place in a crime drama. Behind her performance, there's a nicely executed but less extraordinary tale of murder that could have come from any other cop show.

What's amazing about Mirren is how she truly inhabits the parts she plays: having recently seen her in Channel Four's 'Elizabeth', one can say the two series constitute a masterclass of televisual acting, ancient and modern. The series may be done; but the prime of Helen Mirren is far from over.

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.

After changing the formula with 'Prime Suspect IV' with three episodes and three separate cases, the fifth to seventh series returned to the original two episodes revolving around one case (to me the format that worked more, not that the change of format in 'Prime Suspect IV' didn't work well but with the complexities and rich development of the stories in the other series the having them as two parters was necessary and allowed more development of the stories and characters).

'Prime Suspect' bows out with 'The Final Act' and what a final act it is. 'Prime Suspect' deserved to go out with a bang, and it does, and it compares very favourably with the previous series.

Every single one of the previous 'Prime Suspect' series were incredibly well made. 'Prime Suspect VII: The Final Act' is not excepted. It is stylishly and cleverly filmed, with slick editing and atmospheric lighting, and there is a consistently wonderful atmosphere throughout. It is very gritty, dark and effectively claustrophobic. It is very hard to forget the music score too, plus mood-wise it's one of the more action and atmosphere-enhancing music scores of all the 'Prime Suspect' series along with 'The Last Witness'.

Once again the writing is of superb calibre, 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. It is a complex story that keeps one guessing right up to the end while also being easy to follow. Plus the suspense of a lot of it is nerve-shredding. The deliberate pacing did not harm it at all, in fact it was executed incredibly well and was necessary considering the amount going on. There is an ever so slight lull in the middle pace-wise, but nowhere near enough to harm the story.

The final act in particular is nail-biting and heart-wrenching, the whole of 'The Final Act' is worth it for the chemistry between Tennison and Laura Greenwood's character and the climactic interrogation alone.

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. There is the sense too that the character has evolved significantly, a feeling that one didn't get before.

Helen Mirren's performance is as ever of sheer magnificence and she gets particularly exceptional support from Tom Bell (last seen in 'Prime Suspect III') and Laura Greenwood. Having seen his one in a lifetime performance in 'Brassed Off', Stephen Tompkinson excels at playing conflicted, or actually more in this case borderline creepy, characters (although he's better known for other things that are the opposite of that) and he goes for it.

All in all, a more than satisfying send-off, couldn't be better. By the end my nails were sore from all the biting and there were tears running down my face, may sound hyperbolic but 'The Final Act' had that effect on me. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Having just finished watching all 7 chapters on DVD I must say this is the best drama of any kind I have seen. Overall it was so good I will miss watching it ! I have seen a great deal of Dame Helen Mirren's work and have enjoyed and marveled at her versatility and choice of roles. In the Prime Suspect character of Jane Tennison she has out done herself in my humble opinion. The stories touch on so many realms of police drama and were excellent stories in themselves. What I enjoyed most was the complexity of the character of Jane Tennison throughout the entire series. She was brilliant yet flawed, focused yet distracted, driven yet not particularly ambitious. She had a job to do and she did it very well despite roadblocks put up at every turn within the department, society or political higher ups. Unlike many a series in the US, the Final Act was I thought a great finish to a great series. Yes I would love to know where retirement led her. It is hard to see Jane Tennison spending her final years relaxing on the beach somewhere. It did though answer questions from earlier on and showed what a great toll her drive and dedication took on her personal life. I know some have said the conclusion did not live up to the standards of some of the earlier chapters. I have to disagree. I thought the story line itself was good and a very fitting retirement for an extraordinary character who could only have been played by Helen Mirren. For anyone who watched the Soprano's for so long to see how they chose to end it they will understand why I thought Prime Suspect was excellent not just chapters 1-6 but 1-7 ! Too bad Hollywood can't come up with something as original and gritty as Prime Suspect and follow it through instead of just doing knock offs of other programs ! The closest we have come was the 5 seasons of The Wire and it was a job well done for American TV. No single character will ever touch Jane Tennison though ! Although without the outstanding cast, writers,producers and everyone else involved It wouldn't have been the same either. Congratulations to one and all for a job very well done !

"The Final Act" is the splendid concluding episode of a (generally) gripping series. As in the very best crime dramas, the focus really isn't the plot or the "whodunnit?" but the character of the central players. And if Helen Mirren almost eclipses them, that's only a bonus for the viewer. The tension is generated not by the crime plot (which is serviceable but predictable) but from Mirren's gripping portrayal of the powerful and all-too-human Jane Tennyson who treads the tightrope of her final days in her career. She somehow manages to give us a woman who balances the angels and the devils in her character without once lapsing into the predictable or the incredible. And THAT's what keeps you leaning forward in your seat.

God, but she's good!

Without a doubt this is one of the best dramas made in recent years for British Television, Helen Mirren's performance was a tour De force. She has an amazing ability to show the deep emotions of such a complex character that has so many tragic flaws.

In this final episode we see that she has hit rock bottom, retirement is looming large and the serious illness that has left her father seriously ill is now combining with her last case to leave her feeling isolated and alone. The result of which leads Tennison to make some very fatal errors of judgement that could very well destroy a glittering career.

All the cast in this are excellent and add real depth and feel to what is an emotional and somewhat sombre film.

Stephen Tompkinson is again excellent showing why he is such a versatile actor, Special mention should go to Tom Bell who's last performance was measured and very compassionate, he will be sadly missed.

The ending of this series that was leaked to the media was not the one screened which only added to what was a truly excellent piece of film making. Prime Suspect may be no more but we can be thankful that such an intricate and stunning series as this has graced our screens.