Prime Suspect 3

Prime Suspect 3 is probably the grittiest of the Prime Suspects, in my opinion. While "The Lost Child" is disturbing, and Prime Suspect 1 is heartbreaking, Prime Suspects 3 delves into an examination of the world of London "rentboys," young male prostitutes hired mainly by other men. This may be the one which deals most sensitively with the ever-present personal life conflicts of DCI Tennison's co-workers and cohorts, and it doesn't hold back on letting us know just how intense some of those personal issues are. The cast is huge, the murder itself unbelievably complex, and the resolution is probably the most jarring of any of the movies' last fifteen minutes (always the best part of any murder mystery). Helen Mirren is DCI Tennison to a tee, and of the Prime Suspects, this might well be my favorite.