Prime Suspect 2

Rating:
Summary: Absorbing Police Drama/Character Study from England
Review: Helen Mirren returns in the second go-round of "Prime Suspect". The story is a superb "who dunnit" with outstanding writing and acting all the way around. In addition to being a great crime solving drama, "Prime Suspect 2" succeeds as a character study of a middle-aged, professional woman who has sacrificed much of her personal life to rise among the ranks of the police force.

The rating gets only 4 stars rather than 5 for Anchor Bay's DVD treatment. Normally they have done a great job with their releases, but "Prime Suspect 2" is, unfortuantely, not among their best. I'm not sure about the source material that was available to them, but the picture doesn't appear to be as crisp as one would expect from a DVD, particularly for material that was produced in 1993. You must also flip the disk over . . . it's presented in two parts, just as it was released on PBS in America. This release also replaces some minor profanity with toned-down language. Save for 20 chapter breaks (10 on each side) and English subtitles, there are no extras on this DVD. Still, the story and characterizations merit a view.

Rating:
Summary: Great series, great acting, great writing
Review: Helen Mirren returns in the second go-round of "Prime Suspect". The story is a superb "who dunnit" with outstanding writing and acting all the way around. In addition to being a great crime solving drama, "Prime Suspect 2" succeeds as a character study of a middle-aged, professional woman who has sacrificed much of her personal life to rise among the ranks of the police force.

The rating gets only 4 stars rather than 5 for Anchor Bay's DVD treatment. Normally they have done a great job with their releases, but "Prime Suspect 2" is, unfortuantely, not among their best. I'm not sure about the source material that was available to them, but the picture doesn't appear to be as crisp as one would expect from a DVD, particularly for material that was produced in 1993. You must also flip the disk over . . . it's presented in two parts, just as it was released on PBS in America. This release also replaces some minor profanity with toned-down language. Save for 20 chapter breaks (10 on each side) and English subtitles, there are no extras on this DVD. Still, the story and characterizations merit a view.

Rating:
Summary: Absorbing Police Drama/Character Study from England
Review: Helen Mirren returns in the second go-round of "Prime Suspect". The story is a superb "who dunnit" with outstanding writing and acting all the way around. In addition to being a great crime solving drama, "Prime Suspect 2" succeeds as a character study of a middle-aged, professional woman who has sacrificed much of her personal life to rise among the ranks of the police force.

The rating gets only 4 stars rather than 5 for Anchor Bay's DVD treatment. Normally they have done a great job with their releases, but "Prime Suspect 2" is, unfortuantely, not among their best. I'm not sure about the source material that was available to them, but the picture doesn't appear to be as crisp as one would expect from a DVD, particularly for material that was produced in 1993. You must also flip the disk over . . . it's presented in two parts, just as it was released on PBS in America. This release also replaces some minor profanity with toned-down language. Save for 20 chapter breaks (10 on each side) and English subtitles, there are no extras on this DVD. Still, the story and characterizations merit a view.

Rating:
Summary: New DVD got rid of overdubbing and disk-flipping
Review: I concur with other reviewers' high opinions of the artistic quality of this DVD, except for a minor quibble: I can't buy the biracial affair with a Detective Sergeant. (And in a later Episode, Mirren's character gets pregnant, likewise in a work-related situation, by a married consultant, father of four kids, who lives 6000 miles away.)

Jane Tennison is a hard-nosed and coolly logical Detective Chief Inspector who knows that the good ole boys, including a few big shots, are lurking in wait for an uppity woman like her to slip up. How many Caucasian female Lieutenant Colonels in our armed forces get mixed up with African Sergeants or married fathers, especially if they work or consult with the men regularly? (How many would keep their jobs if they did?) However Jane's passions might burn and seethe beneath that calm exterior, she would be unlikely to slake them at work, especially with these guys, and most especially without tending to birth control. She's savvy enough to graze more cautiously on some of the many safer possibilities in London. However, this is not worth deducting a star. Besides, as one writer got rich pointing out, smart women do sometimes make foolish choices. A few smart women might even cite me as proof of this.

I am happy to report that the new DVD version has the naughty words intact and does not need to be flipped. The audio and especially the video are still below the quality one should expect for something produced so recently, although not too distractingly so. Some stuff from the 70's is technologically better, though.

This is a great detective series with a unique point of view, generally quite believable except for the odd minor quibble as set out above. I have bought all available episodes. It does owe a bit to Morse (what a marriage that would have made!), but who cares? Miss Marple might not approve, but the jungle where Mirren's tigress prowls is hardly St. Mary Mead.

Rating:
Summary: New DVD got rid of overdubbing and disk-flipping
Review: I concur with other reviewers' high opinions of the artistic quality of this DVD, except for a minor quibble: I can't buy the biracial affair with a Detective Sergeant. (And in a later Episode, Mirren's character gets pregnant, likewise in a work-related situation, by a married consultant, father of four kids, who lives 6000 miles away.)

Jane Tennison is a hard-nosed and coolly logical Detective Chief Inspector who knows that the good ole boys, including a few big shots, are lurking in wait for an uppity woman like her to slip up. How many Caucasian female Lieutenant Colonels in our armed forces get mixed up with African Sergeants or married fathers, especially if they work or consult with the men regularly? (How many would keep their jobs if they did?) However Jane's passions might burn and seethe beneath that calm exterior, she would be unlikely to slake them at work, especially with these guys, and most especially without tending to birth control. She's savvy enough to graze more cautiously on some of the many safer possibilities in London. However, this is not worth deducting a star. Besides, as one writer got rich pointing out, smart women do sometimes make foolish choices. A few smart women might even cite me as proof of this.

I am happy to report that the new DVD version has the naughty words intact and does not need to be flipped. The audio and especially the video are still below the quality one should expect for something produced so recently, although not too distractingly so. Some stuff from the 70's is technologically better, though.

This is a great detective series with a unique point of view, generally quite believable except for the odd minor quibble as set out above. I have bought all available episodes. It does owe a bit to Morse (what a marriage that would have made!), but who cares? Miss Marple might not approve, but the jungle where Mirren's tigress prowls is hardly St. Mary Mead.

Rating:
Summary: Great series, great acting, great writing
Review: Superb series, well written. Helen Mirren is a miracle.

At last, the whole series has been reissued on DVD. Worth the investment...unlike most TV shows on DVD (hello, HBO and Fox?)

Beware of the old DVDs floating around from the original PBS presentations in the early 1990s. Strong language was dubbed over, rather poorly.

Rating:
Summary: Great show, but why delete the expletives?
Review: Superb series, well written. Helen Mirren is a miracle.

But when will the whole series be reissued on DVD? I got this one because it was the only affordable one available...

If you saw these on A&E, you may be disappointed that strong language has been dubbed over in this PBS presentation version. For Prime Suspect 2, this was not well done in spots, and detracted from my enjoyment of this slice of life on the edge (thus 4 stars instead of 5 stars in my rating; I was annoyed).

Why tone down realism's bite with an NR rating? This series awaits a worthy, and untampered with, reissue on DVD. In the meantime, search out used copies and pay the piper

Rating:
Summary: The best in the series
Review: This is by far the best installment of the Prime Suspect series. It stars Helen Mirren as Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison, who has to solve a grisly murder. She has a limited amount of time to solve it and does it amidst accusations of racism within the police department and disapproval from her colleagues for flimsy political reasons. This wonderful film is able to hold the viewers' attention the entire time it's on the screen. It also stars the talented and handsome Colin Salmon as her former lover and current colleague. This is a highly recommended film to purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Prime Suspect 2
Review: This is quite probably the best episode in what is already a very fine British detective series. Jane Tennyson is played by Helen Mirren, who gives a brilliant performance as the complex, extremely capable investigator whose personal life is rather messy and who continually struggles to be accepted by her male colleagues. This episode also explores the tense racial situation that has developed in London with the arrival of thousands of Caribbean immigrants. Colin Salmon is beautiful to look at and also gives an outstanding performance. If you've seen any of the other episodes and liked them, or if you like other BBC mysteries like Silent Witness or Inspector Frost, this is a must-have.

Rating:
Summary: I liked PS2 more than the first one
Review: Very interesting (starting at 15 min. mark), VERY well acted, very satisfying police drama/thriller. The quality of DVD isn't great but seems better than VHS. Run time about 3 hours, not 230 min as stated.