Lawless (2004) (TV)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Roger Gartland

Writer:

Chris Lang (writer)

Release Date:

8 November 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

DI John Paxton begins to question his job when a murderer walks free from court because of a legal technicality...

Cast

Trevor Eve	...	John Paxton
Orla Brady	...	Liz Bird
David Calder	...	D.C.I. Pete Chambers
Ralph Brown	...	Phil Howell
Dermot Crowley	...	Bob Allard
Darrell D'Silva	...	Mark Easton
Tracey Gillman	...	Amy Graves
Paul Brennen	...	Jack Harris
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Karen Asemper	...	Copper
Mark Byron	...	PC Mason
Mark Calvert	...	Ben Green
Gez Casey	...	Stone DC
Christopher Connel	...	Patrick Kinney
Tracy Gillman	...	Amy graves
Michael Hodgson	...	Sean Kinney
Stuart Howson	...	Dr. Shaw
Jacqueline King	...	Kate Chambers
Danielle Lydon	...	Louise Paxton (as Daniele Lydon)
Colin MacLachlan	...	Judge (as Colin McLachlin)
James Middlemarch	...	Lawyer
Darren Palmer	...	Michael Bird
Vineeta Rishi	...	Journalist
William Ritchie	...	Freddy Paxton
Grace Stilgrove	...	Sandra Green
David Tarkenter	...	Jimmy Burns
Ash Varrez	...	Kuldip
Brian Walsh	...	DC Anderton
David Whitaker	...	Mike Ross (as Davy Whitaker)
Andrew Woodall	...	Wilby (as Andrew Woodhall)

Runtime:

UK:180 min (including commercials) (2 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England, UK

Company:

All3Media

An interesting drama....

I am a great fan of Trevor Eve and of the crime drama. He is amazing on Waking the Dead and that is one of the best shows on television. Eve is an actor who's potential hasn't really been discovered by the film industry as much as it could have been, though this might be down to him in some capacity ( maybe he likes the theatre, I don't know ). This is an excellent showcase for his acting talents, and it ranges from subtle to violently explosive quite frequently and only an actor with his calibre could pull it off. The actual feature isn't really that thrilling. It feels like a British TV version of The Fugitive ( one or two scenes are blatant copies ) but it is elevated above a lot by the characterisation and depth of feeling. The production value is very good but some may find it going out of its way to shock ( the opening scene with the child ) and the final 'twist' feels so contrived they only added it in to give it a twist. It started off very well but as soon as more murders began, it lost its dramatic edge. All in all, it is carried by Trevor Eve. Watch it if you have the chance, it's a very good story of moral complexity but it tries to hard and ends up falling short of the mark. That said, it's worth watching, mainly for a brilliant performance by Eve