Criminal Justice

Season 1 and 2 excellent. Loved the raw characters and situations. Don't get this stuff done like this nowadays

I thoroughly enjoyed the series "Criminal Justice" and was at the edge of my seat throughout. The acting on the part of Ben Wishaw was excellent as he managed to pay attention to detail in terms of his nervous ticks and facial expressions and one really could empathise with his character who was extremely endearing Ben Wishaw's performance was astounding and deeply moving. I wish I could tell him myself. Equally the portrayal of the British justice system was extremely interesting and insightful, this is really TV at its best as it deals with so many different character types each with their own unique characteristics hence the shabby looking solicitor who was first and last in representing him. the cinematography was poignant and succinct as it moved at a good pace keeping its audience encapsulated throughout.

Kind Regards Kuldeep Kaur.

A bit too long and drawn out. There was more silence than there was talking. The acting was good but most of the time I found I'd get annoyed at the main character which I don't think was supposed to happen.

The reviews here are a bit confusing, as several of them seem to be reviewing Part 2, which in America, anyway, is not on Netflix as yet.

Part 1 concerns a young man, Ben Coulter (Ben Whishaw) who one night takes his dad's cab out in order to meet some friends. While the cab is stopped, a young woman named Melanie (Ruth Negga) gets in and wants to go to the seaside. Ben decides on a whim to take her. At the end of the evening, the two wind up at her place and have sex. The next morning, Ben wakes up in the kitchen. He goes upstairs, dresses, and tells Melanie he is going. Then he realizes she's dead and there's blood everywhere. Panicked, he rushes away, only to return to try to get rid of any sign that he was there. He's ultimately picked up, questioned, and later arrested for murder. Ben doesn't remember a darn thing about what happened.

This is a very good miniseries, a little too packed in the last episode, but an excellent indictment of not only the justice system but the prison system, as the frightened Ben endures abuse and bullying from seasoned prisoners. He soon learns that even the guards are run by one prisoner, Freddie Graham, a terrifying man who manages to get everyone in his debt and then forces payback.

Not that outside the prison, things are much better. Ben's father gets him high-prized solicitors who have no interest in Ben and just want to make a deal, and a barrister (Lindsay Duncan) who insists on a self-defense plea. Ben finally goes back to his original attorney, a public defender, a no-nonsense guy (Con O'Neill) who wants Ben to play the courtroom game but wants the truth as well.

Ben's plight and Whishaw's sensitive performance are more than enough to hold interest. What's best about Ben is how he matures from the first to the last episode. Fantastic work. There is one shot of him and Melanie, sitting on the other side of an amusement park, in the dark, looking at the brilliant lights from the rides, two young people, enjoying life with everything in front of them. It's quite sobering.

The rest of the acting is top-notch. Con O'Neill as Stone, the public defender, is wonderful as a streetwise solicitor with a husky voice and a big heart; Lindsay Duncan as a no-nonsense barrister who wants to cut to the chase; Pete Postlethwaite as Hooch, Ben's cell mate, a lifer who is there to protect Ben but has his own turmoil; and Bill Paterson as the gentle-speaking detective, Harry Box. That's only a few, but everyone is marvelous.

The last episode is almost done in shorthand, packing in a ton of information and referring to incidents rather than showing them. And you have to watch and listen closely, or you'll be asking 'what happened'. Pay close attention.

Before HBO reimagined it as The Night Of, the story first played out in the BBC's Criminal Justice (2008) - a taut, five-part drama that set the template. Starring a young Ben Whishaw as Ben Coulter, it begins with a one-night encounter that spirals into murder, accusation, and a brutal descent through the UK's legal system.

Whishaw is outstanding: fragile, frightened, and quietly magnetic. His Ben is no hardened criminal, but an ordinary man caught in an extraordinary nightmare. As the case builds against him, we see how quickly the machinery of justice turns, and how easily someone can be crushed beneath it.

The supporting cast - including Pete Postlethwaite as Ben's lawyer, Julian, and Bill Paterson as the judge - bring weight and credibility to every scene.

What distinguishes Criminal Justice is its claustrophobic focus. At just five episodes, it moves briskly but never shallowly, showing both the cold efficiency of police procedure and the dehumanising churn of prison life. There's less social sprawl than HBO's version, but in exchange you get sharper procedural detail and a raw, almost stage-like intensity.

It may lack the American remake's broader commentary, but as a tight, unsettling character study, it's first-class. A clever, chilling 8/10.