User reviews

Jane Tennison gets caught up in a Bosnian massacre in "Prime Suspect 6." In this episode of the powerful series, two sisters are murdered and Jane, who promised the second sister that she would be safe, is determined to bring the killer to justice. She believes that a man now living in London was responsible for a massacre in Bosnia and was recognized by one of the sisters, whom he raped when she was 12. Thinking they were dead, he tortured her for information about the whereabouts of the second sister. It turns out that what Jane knows and what she can prove are two different things, and her hands are tied all the way.

Jane is her usual self - tough, controlled, and with a terrifying vulnerability underneath. Refusing retirement, she bucks the system blatantly, and if the subject matter weren't so serious, some of her actions would be funny. And who better to play this complicated woman than one of the greatest actresses of our century, Helen Mirren. With one look, she tells the viewer that no, she is not going to be able to stay alone in her Bosnian hotel room. Listening to her father talk about liberating the Belsen concentration camp, her emotion is palpable but she cannot take his hand. That scene, by the way, is probably the best in this episode.

"Prime Suspect 6" is of the same high quality as all the other "Prime Suspect" episodes and will not disappoint.

"Prime Suspect 4" continues the exploits of the inscrutable and dogged seeker of truth and justice, Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison; the first of three miniseries (PS4, PS5, & PS6) with the notable absence of founding writer Lynda La Plante from the credits. Imbued with the same gritty reality of the first three series, the second three series pit Tennison against the forces of evil while coping with middle age, loneliness, indiscretions, a host of personal and professional problems, and resolutions which are sometimes less than ideal. PS4 conjures two stories while PS5 & PS6 are single stories which find Tennison seeking justice on behalf of the brutally wronged while waging war against institutions which are willing to sacrifice the interests of her victims for those of a greater good. In other words, to prevail, Tennison must overcome both evil and good forces, something which makes the always gray scenarios of the PS series yet grayer and the Tennison wars as much a matter of principle as of finding murderers. Very good stuff which only gets better from series to series. For reasons of continuity, watch in chronological order. (B+)

Det. Supt. Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) is 54 and being pushed to retire. A woman is found tortured and killed in a basement. Tennison pushes aside subordinate DCI Simon Finch to head the investigation. With former flame Robert West's help, she dives into the murky history of the Balkan war. The victim and her sister Jasmina Belkic are illegal Bosnian Muslim immigrants. Finch suspects Jasmina's petty criminal Kasim and his connections in the underworld. Tennison zeroes in on Serb security guard Duscan Zigic as the prime suspect. His lawyer brings in Milan Lukic to translate. Jasmina reveals a connection a decade earlier during the war.

It's seven years since series five. This one is a three hour two-parter. The production is one step up from the earlier series. Even the autopsy looks better. Helen Mirren continues to shine as Tennison. The story is able to take a couple of turns in the second part to keep the interest. They're not shocking or out of left field but they are interesting. This is one of the better procedurals in the Prime Suspect franchise.