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Prime Suspect 2 (1992) Certificate 18

Prime Suspect 2
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Rated 4.0 stars
Average rating
(77%)
 
Starring: Helen Mirren | John Benfield | Andrew Tiernan | Ian Fitzgibbon | Craig Fairbrass | Colin Salmon | Jack Ellis | Richard Hawley | Philip Wright
Director: John Strickland
Studio: CINEMA CLUB
Run time: 203 mins
Genres: Television | Thriller
Languages: English
Released: May 12, 2003

In the first Prime Suspect, Helen Mirren's ballsy woman Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennyson battled the boys club and their sexist barbs to prove herself in a chauvinist department. In Prime Suspect 2, she's assigned to head a racially charged murder investigation in a largely African/Caribbean neighbourhood. It's politics as usual in the image-conscious organization, so the superintendent adds to the team black Detective Robert Oswalde (Colin Salma), a sharp but hot-headed investigator who has just broken off an affair with Tennyson. Now Tennyson grapples with her own conflicted feelings while fighting political and public-relations battles both in the media and within the police system itself in the midst of investigating the labyrinthine case. Between the scant clues left to sift, a prime suspect on the verge of death himself and divisions in her own team that result in a devastating death, Tennyson soon begins to suspect she's been hung out to dry by the department. Screenwriter Allan Cubitt dives into the murky waters of volatile racial and social relations to create an even more complex and compelling mystery in Tennyson's second appearance and Mirren rises to the challenge to explore the contradictions of an uncompromising cop in a compromising position. --Sean Axmaker

Highest rated reviews

6 out of 7 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5 stars
First Class !!!

Hayden from , 22nd February, 2007

Watched this when it first came out on tv and loved it so i thought i'd see if it stands the test of time.Answer....Absolutley!!Some excellent acting on show with Helen Mirren completely sublime and a great supporting cast.A great insight into sexism within the police force around a decade ago.It ends rather ubruptly without too much explanation but this is a first class police thriller!

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4 out of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 2 stars
Slow to get started

A Customer from Wiltshire, England, 7th July, 2004

The movie was very slow to get started and reminded me a lot of the TV series 'The Bill' which was a bit unfortunate as I prefer proper detective stories. The acting was very poor which was also disappointing. All in all, if you've got 3 hours to spare then spend it doing something else.

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3 out of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 4 stars
crime

A Customer from uk, 14th February, 2005

good crime drama,some of the story's are good

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 4 stars
excellent drama

A Customer from uk, 5th August, 2006

Helen M excellent as usual. If you like twist and turn police drams this is for you. I love this series. Being 3 hours long there is time to develop the story.

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Most recent reviews

Rated 4 stars
Prime Suspect1 and 2

Azamara from , 6th February, 2009

Missed these on TV. Don't knpw why they are excellent. Can thoroughly recommend them.

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Rated 5 stars
Superb

A Customer from England, 31st May, 2007

I watched this when first broadcast and was pleasantly surprised to see it's still as good. Somebody said it's like the Bill - an incredible comment. The only thing it has in common is that police are involved! I loved the craggy 'chief super' who remains Tennison's ally, but with reservations. The acting was superb throughout, and it was great to see Craig Fairbrass before he did Eastenders (sadly) and now Hollywood.

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