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The Fall, a UK BBC crime drama TV series on DVD, starring Gillian Anderson as a Metropolitan Police detective drafted to Belfast to help on a puzzling murder case. Though her superiors aren't convinced, Stella Gibson (Anderson)'s investigations lead her to believe that a serial killer is at work.
When the hunter becomes the hunted
In her first lead role in an investigative series since The X Files, Anderson brings the same intelligence and depth of character to her portrayal of Stella Gibson, a successful, highly driven homicide detective. Jamie Dornan (Once Upon A Time, Sofia Coppola ™s Marie Antoinette) stars as Paul Spector, the ruthless serial predator she seeks.
While chillingly hiding behind the façade of loving husband and father, Spector " who is revealed from the outset " is preying on women in and around Belfast. While the police are stalled in their investigation of these as yet unconnected murders, Gibson is drafted in to conduct a 28-day review on secondment from London ™s Metropolitan Police. Almost immediately, Gibson determines these heinous crimes are all linked to the same person.
An outsider, she immediately feels a certain level of hostility from the local detectives " but Gibson understands the psychology of serial killers " and how to find them. Under
her lead, the team, including Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) as pathologist Reed
Smith, explores the case from every angle, uncovering an intricate web of lives entangled by the murders " including members of both the killers ™ and the victims ™ families.
Revealing how a modern, top level murder investigation team works when it comes up against every policeman ™s worst nightmare, this rich and complex thriller is less of a whodunit and more of a cat-and-mouse game. Gaining in intensity as the drama unfolds, this is a hunt that will challenge the investigative skills of Gibson and her team to the limit as they race to catch Spector " before he succeeds in killing his next victim.
Product reviews...
While on SoHO this was one of my favourite programmes. It was gripping and left you wanting more. Although it drags in places Stella and Paul seem to be able to pull you back in.
This story tells both sides of the story . You have Paul, a family man, has a professional job and also is a serial killer. Where as Stella has a lot to prove, known to have had affairs with married men she is looked down by a lot of people. She knows there is a serial killer but she has to fight her department heads to make them beleive it.
This television programme has it all. The smooth talking killer can talk himself into most positions but has the hidden talent of also being able to watch his victims and learn about them. Does get cocky by the end and starts to enjoy the game he has going with Stella and the police. He feels he is invincible and above the law, that he is a god. Taken pride in the knowledge that no one can catch up, even fronting up to the police station.
I loved this show. Anyone that loves criminal shows, cops vrs bad people will enjoy the intellect behind this and be captivated by it.
Most crime shows deal with one criminal for one episode, sometimes that will stretch to another and sometimes they return later in the series, however in "The Fall" we deal with one serial killer during the entire season, watching as he commits his crimes and then lives out a normal suburban family life while the police attempt to figure out who their killer is. This is a really well done game of cat and mouse and it really has you wondering what is going to happen next and if our killer is going to be stopped or not.
One of the things that makes this a really interesting show is that right from the first moment we know exactly who the killer is and just how he manages to slip away in time, has evidence hidden in his house (and how it links to his daughters nightmares) and so on. The actors are well done and they all have their flaws, from the teenager with a crush, the wife who gives her husband an alibi without full reason, the police in charge etc. Everything in this is really well done and I simply can't wait to see the next season just to see what is going to happen next.
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