Customer Reviews

Conviction

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I'll be the first one to tell you--I'm sophisticated and classy. You know why? I watch BBCAmerica, and the Brits--they are the leaders of urbane and upscale entertainment. If you need any convincing, just watch an episode of "Footballer's Wives," "Mile High," or "Bad Girls." Of course, I'm kidding. These shows are brassy, bawdy, and loaded with bad behavior! But, you know what, they are also filled with life. They embrace their nastiness wholeheartedly and make no apologies for being pure popcorn entertainment. With language and nudity not permitted by American networks, it seems as if the genre of nighttime soaps has been revitalized by Britain. But that's not all BBCAmerica has to offer, they are just the shows that helped the network grow in popularity. Some other intriguing entries that recently aired in the US are on their way to DVD--there is a new hip take on "Robin Hood," the supernatural "Hex," and the complex crime story "Conviction." So beware! The British are coming, the British are coming--and it's a good thing!

It might be prudent to point out that if you've arrived here completely perplexed by my introduction about the BBC--chances are, you might be looking for Dick Wolf's short lived American show of the same name. The two have nothing in common aside from this somewhat generic title!

Instead, this BBC "Conviction" is a morally ambiguous tale of police, family, and loyalty. It's about how the pressures of the job can compromise your decision making process and how good cops can turn to bad cops even with the best of intentions. This gritty and believable series immediately introduces us to a police unit--thrust in seemingly mid-conversation, it might take you a while to get a grip on who is who and how the team is interrelated. But stick with it and the dynamics and interactions become apparent and have a realistic flourish. The main plot line concerns two of the cops taking a suspected pedophile into custody and dispensing some justice, vigilante style. Going too far, they end up being caught in a web that they can't extricate themselves from. In fact, they are assigned to investigate their own actions that fateful night (unbeknownst to their fellow team).

The show benefits from a taut pace, good production values and a top notch cast. Nominated for a BAFTA for Best Drama Series, "Conviction" also invites you into the personal lives of its characters--it isn't all about the squad room. You get to know their families and you fully see the repercussions as guilt and lies start to unravel the things that they are trying most to protect. I particularly enjoyed William Ash as Chrissie--starting as a genial youth, Chrissie becomes increasingly unhinged. As innocence is destroyed, Ash gives a true star performance and is someone I'll look out for! But everyone is solid, this is a true ensemble piece.

Recommended for its moral complexity, "Conviction" lets you decide the villains from the good guys. Often, it makes the case that they differ only by a matter of degree! Intelligent and well scripted, this is a crackling crime story with a surprisingly human (an emotional) perspective. KGHarris, 04/07.

The movie is a Who don' it? to the very end. I have watched it many times over.

Good luck and patience to watch to the end this police story of solving the 12-old girl murdering and own personal problems, -a boring, grey, typically UK miseriae production by creating the Queer as Folk so much afterwards beautified with the US re-mastering.