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Two
disturbing murders with no motive, so begins the most complex
and sinister investigation of police detective Red Metcalf's
career. With nothing to go on other than the killer's grisly
calling card (replacing the victims' tongues with silver spoons)
Red soon realises that he may well have met his match in this
twisted serial killer. Soon the victims start to mount up.
Bludgeoned, hanged, decapitated or skinned alive, his adversary
has neither compassion nor a preferred method of killing for
his prey. It seems the murders have no connection and no clear
motive. No suspects. But as the pattern slowly begins to emerge,
Red finds himself slipping from a difficult murder inquiry
into his own worse nightmare...
The
beauty of this first series is the unexpected twists and turns
that the plot takes. Also the title Messiah makes sense
for this series alone - it doesn't really have anything to
do with the second series.
Ken
Stott is perfect as the detective with a shady past. There
are also some fantastic supporting roles here, including Edward
Woodwood as Rev. Stephen Hedges, Art Malik, as Red's boss,
and Michelle
Forbes (Star Trek: Next Generation's Ro Laren) as Red's
wife. What's interesting here is that Forbes plays a profoundly
deaf woman - a role that requires an incredible amount of
acting ability to come across as credible. And she does put
in a fantastic performance.
The
much hyped gore in this series has been a little over exaggerated
- this is the BBC after all. But, the murder scenes are on
screen for a very short time - allowing your mind to fill
in the blanks.
The
conclusion, if you ponder on it for any length of time, doesn't
really add up. Without spoiling anything... once you've watched
the DVD ask yourself how the killer manage to get the job
they finished up with? The events that sets his/her bizarre
killing spree in motion began years earlier. We find out what
triggered him/her but how did they work their way up into
the position they are in? I assume that the "accident"
that set this chain of events in motion was only known to
the killer and the person who turned them into the monster,
so how could the killer have tracked down his/her creator?
But,
don't dwell on that nit-pick, this is still a first rate and
riveting series.
Red's estranged brother is found knifed in the hustle and
bustle of Leadenhall Market with Red's wife as the only credible
witness. But Red hardly has time to ponder his brother's murder,
before a new spate of horrific murders start to come to light.
First a man is found buried alive. Then the dead man's wife
is found dead, trussed up in a laundry bag in the launderette
where she works. There is no clear pattern to these murders
and the following slayings include electrocution, above a
railway line, strangulation in a playground and drowning.
Gradually, Red starts to piece together a pattern and realises
who the killer is trying to punish...
The
second series of Messiah is an impressive enough follow
up to the first series - although, this could well be the
first time I have correctly worked out who the murderer was
well before all the vital clues were in place.
The
murders themselves are cleverly executed, and one in particular
is quite moving - that of Mandy Macintyre (played by Emma
Cambridge). While the previous deaths are of people the viewer
is unfamiliar with, the writers cleverly introduce Mandy as
young girl who is outgoing and has a lot of friends - which
makes her death all that more sad. While she's not really
featured that heavily she's written out just as you are starting
to warm to her character.
The
murders in this series appear more frightening than in the
first series - maybe because there is something of everyone's
worse nightmares in here. For me, it's the thought of being
buried alive, but there are also drowning, electrocution and
having vital organs removed while you are still alive.
This
builds on the first series, but never quite manages to prove
as visually or emotionally compelling.
This
collection also includes a few extras. For series one there
is a 'Making of' featurette and some very short deleted scenes.
And, for series
two there is a special effects footage featurette that talks
to those responsible for creating the gory corpses.
At
£20 this is fantastic value for money.
Darren
Rea
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