This TV two-part film adaptation is a kind of help for the viewer who can not or does not want to track the long-running police series about the imposition of “law and order”, but wants to dive into a confusing detective action story. It is slow and delicate, like all serious projects for television, which is supported by the publishing studio “Hallmark”, and is truly fascinating.
She keeps her attention with a thorough approach to a rather characteristic genre plot knot about the appearance of a madman in the city, guided by a manic approach to the interpretation of the Bible. The number of victims is growing, the brutality is striking and the homicide department is taking over. The search tries not to resort to bloody elements, approaching the personality of the madman. He deliberately distances himself from all this, demonstrating the work of detectives in all its diversity, touching the selection of leads, routine messing with papers, examining accident sites, reports from the laboratory, relations with the authorities, meeting with judicial red tape, wagging between real effectiveness and compliance with the letter of the law with the presumption of innocence, maintaining a decent appearance of a person with a token in the eyes of ordinary citizens, as the highest officials hypocritical before the press only to not harm their career.
But no police investigation would be so entertaining if it had no soul, no human heroes of its own. This time, the key character is represented by an elderly detective, a former priest, who quickly grasped religious overtones in what is happening. He is experienced, wisely devoid of militant bravado, attentive in his profession, along the way having a purely personal baggage in the form of difficult relationships, leaving the family, torn between a young beautiful employee, the duty of his father and warm feelings for his wife. And if the answer to the sacramental genre question of “will or will not catch the killer?” is unambiguous, then the spiritual vicissitudes with feelings leave an impressive intrigue. In addition, the script is twisted famously, indisputably justifying the timing of two episodes equivalent to full-length films. Intricate suspicions of each in a row arise already at the twentieth minute, in a good way developing a paranoid in the viewer, rigging a lot of different options with motives for madness or insidious intent to hide behind a maniac, pursuing something profitable. And the closer the climax, the clearer the mix of several guiding threads that unravel the common tangle of crimes. This is a very good thing in the genre.
The film is designed for an adult audience who does not expect a lot of spectacular shootouts or chases, but wants to play as an investigator in a solid intricate detective. It quite justifies the title of a secondary, but worthy action thriller about the specific work of police officers in the framework of television. In the script, there is a plot intrigue, periodically throwing up all new deceptions in order not to get bored, and the production is played by a recognizable cast of actors, which should be especially highlighted on the main role of Tom Berenger (Tom Berenger), who managed to imagine the necessary image of a prudent detective of the homicide department and at the same time a man looking for peace of mind next to the only understanding woman, in the family, in the status of his father and his work.
7 out of 10