Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: A & E Home Video
• VHS Release Date: October 29, 1996
• Run Time: 150 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304203160
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #463,263 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The hero we love to watch but couldn't stand to spend a whole day with--the hard-drinking and -gambling Dr. Eddie Fitzgerald, forensic psychologist with the Manchester, England, police department--becomes entangled with what appears to be a sad but fairly routine teen suicide. When it becomes clear the boy's death was a sadistic murder, Fitz finds he must fight complacency in his own police department--which is trying to strong-arm an innocent schoolteacher into confession--every bit as much as the real killer, who is still on the loose. More than ever, Fitz finds himself a maverick on the outs with his entire support system as he is consumed with the horrific crime and the need to reveal the truth, always just beyond his reach. Cracker is one series armchair detectives should not miss. --Anne Hurley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A covoluted tale which grips the viewer's attention, April 3, 2002

By 

Junglies (Morrisville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cracker:One Day a Lemming Will Fly [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a tragic tale ostensibly about a murder investigation but which extends way beyond it.

Cracker is a psychologist with the police department who seems to have a more general role than merely consulting in difficult to solve murders.

The show begins with a chase through the woods. Before too long the body of a young boy is discovered hanging from a tree. There are some twists and turns but the case boils down to one chief suspect who is an English teacher at the boy's school.

As the story develops we are drawn into a series of relationships which are intertwined with the murder investigation which both obscure and illuminate the story itself while at the same time providing insights into the operation of a police force.

Fitz...Cracker is shown to be good at his job with exceptional analytical skills and a tendency to occasionally draw the wrong conclusions. His personal life is a mess and he seems helpless to resolve it despite his professional skills. He is attracted to a younger police woman who reciprocates his feelings much to the chagrin of other male police officers who are also jealous of Cracker's role.

The family of the victim are also in a mess. Separated, the mother and the father display their different ways of coming to terms with the tragedy as well as their differing feelings towards their son whilst he was alive

Last, but not least, the nature of the suspect himself is laid bare and his feelings are subject to intense scrutiny. His failings are there for all to see and although he may be the murderer the viewer cannot help feeling both sorrow and pity for the man and his predicament.

Theis video certainly brings out a whole range of emotions throught this harrowing tale. Although the subject matter is grim there are some lighter moments but as a piece of drama this is first class.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Painfully brilliant, March 11, 2002

By 

"jalvarnas" (Phoenix, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracker:One Day a Lemming Will Fly [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Cracker is intense, grim and absolutely brilliant. The series is a character study of the individuals who commit heinous crimes and those who pursue them. At the heart of the drama is Robbie Coltrane's "Fitz." Fitz is a police psychologist who is a compulsive gambler and an alcoholic whose personal relationships are grimly dysfunctional. Despite his obvious flaws Fitz is a compelling and driven character who is at his best when he has an opportunity to "crack" someone who might have committed a horrible crime. Robbie Coltrane's Fitz is a neurotic jumble of psychologic insight, self-destructive impulses and Catholic guilt. Coltrane portrays his profoundly flawed (yet oddly heroic) character with intensity and sympathy but without a hint of sentimentality. Fantastic writing, insense ensemble acting and unrelenting plots set this series apart. Extraordinary in every way.