Customer Reviews

The Last Detective: Complete Collection

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Last Detective: The Complete Collection," comprising all 17 episodes of this superior British television mystery series, is now becoming available in the United States for the first time. The series, a subversive police procedural, was made by Granada for the United Kingdom's Independent Television (ITV). It made its debut on British broadcast television in February 2003, and has never been seen on broadcast TV here, which is our loss, as it is an excellent, character-driven production that offers a light-hearted blend of mystery and comedy similar to that of Poirot Investigates: Eleven Complete Mysteries;Blue Murder: Set 3; or Rosemary & Thyme - The Complete Series. The collection comes at a value-packed price, and offers as a bonus, the 1981 treatment, starring Bernard Cribbins, that tells the same story as this series' pilot.

It's based on the "Dangerous Davies" novels of Leslie Thomas. The veteran, highly thought of, everyman looking Peter Davison (Tristan in All Creatures Great & Small - The Complete Series 1 Collection), stars as the title character, Detective Constable Davies (and it's quite a disgrace for an older man to be only a constable!) He works in the totally unimportant, out of the way, North London precinct of Willesden. And he's only the last detective in that he's the last detective his boss would assign to any case, had he his choice in the matter. So Davies gets the least promising cases: yet, in his plodding fashion, he generally does get his man - or woman, as the case may be.

Emma Amos plays his sexy wife, Julie: in the complete collection you will see their relationship go through some changes, as she first throws him out, then takes him back. Sean Hughes, (the guy from Eejit Records in The Commitments (Two-Disc Collector's Edition), plays his freeloading, quirky chum, Mod: we see him go through quite a few career changes in the complete collection, too. Rob Spendlove plays Detective Inspector Aspinall, the station house's tough supervisor. Charles De'Ath as DS Pimlott and Billy Geraghty as DS Barrett add greatly to the flavor of the cop shop; and we get to see the three of them going through changes too. Various well-known actors, such as Sian Philips, Norman Wisdom,David Threlfall and Susan Woordridge, guest star in supporting, but still meaty, roles.

The series manages to be witty and entertaining, yet still intellectually satisfying, with a minimum of onscreen violence. Cinematography is fine, and it's firmly grounded in its North London location. For better or worse, its actors have been encouraged to use that locale's flavorful accent: some may have trouble with it. But it really is a pleasure getting to see all the episodes in sequence, and seeing the characters develop. British mystery lovers: this one's for you.

This is an outstanding series! I'm not alone in this feeling, as the waiting list at the library was a month long . . .

I can't say enough great things about this show - starting with Peter Davison. With just a look he can convey a host of emotions. He plays his character, "Dangerous", with such an understated elegance - he is such a fine and watchable actor.

I also enjoyed his goofy best friend, "Mod". Really - all of the characters in this series are just top flight actors.

I am just so sad to hear that apparently there are no more episodes to be made. I know it is wildly popular show, so maybe this will be reconsidered in the future.

The LAST DETECTIVE series is best watched in proper order, as there is a gentle story arc to follow. It won't kill the stories for you if you watch them randomly, but in order is best. This series, amazingly, has never aired in the USA. That is our loss! With wit and terrific mysteries, the writers put together 17 episodes about "Dangerous Davies," a milque toast detective whose nickname makes him the butt of yet another joke from his cronies. And yet, Davis is a terrific detective, a truly inquisitive man whose gentle demeanor and insatiable need to make every piece fit have molded him into an unlikely sleuth and yet a brilliant one. Davies' bumbling, perennially unemployed best friend, Mod, and his on-again, off-again sometimes-wife often contribute to the wit and comedy of this non-violent police procedural (which actually turns police procedurals on their head). The mysteries are gripping in that they are engaging rather than violent or suspenseful. You end up intrigued, and it is a joy to watch Davies pick up on tiny details and work them out. Throughout the series, he does earn the grudging respect of at least some of his colleagues, and overall it is a very rewarding series to watch. The end bit of each story, in which he and Mod reflect on things, is always priceless!

Dangerous Davies is one of the most lovable men who ever lived. He and his immense, slobbering dog. And Mod, the cleverly daft best friend. I've read all the books and why doesn't Leslie Thomas write more? But my friend is deaf, and has read the books, and is so anxious to see the DVD and there are no captions! This is not good. PLEASE...caption this series. It is priceless. I hope there are more of these immensely pleasurable Dangerous Davies episodes. Please, Leslie Thomas, get to writing more and more. Peter Davison is a treaure of a Dangerous.

My husband and I are great fans of Midsomer Murders but we have now seen all of them so we decided to try another series and this one is just as good. I recommend it if you are looking for a good murder series.

I was much too impatient to wait for this all-season collection before buying the DVD's of "The Last Detective", so I've got each season separately. I am very unhappy that there will apparently be no more of the everyman Dangerous Davies, played by Peter Davison. This series evolved dramatically, from more lightweight fun to wrenching themes.

There are 17 shows in all, but they encompass a lot of air time. The shows of the first three seasons were 70 minutes each. The fourth, and last, season had five episodes of 90 minutes each.

The acting is great, including the supporting characters. Dangerous' best friend, Mod (played by Sean Hughes), is maddening and hilarious! A lot of the show's humorous moments come from Dangerous' interactions with Mod. Dangerous' boss, DI Aspinall (Rob Spendlove), has amazing depths, whether unpleasant or surprising. Julia, Dangerous' estranged wife (played by Emma Amos), is a true cipher - certainly Dangerous has trouble figuring her out - and for a time she's a character that you have fun disliking. His snarky co-workers, DS Pimlott and DC Barrett are not fully realized. They put Dangerous down almost as afterthoughts and come through as pretty shallow. It would have been nice to see an episode or two where they're more fully explored.

All in all, the more you watch the show, the more the characters grow on you. The last season's shows are really in depth and thoughtful (as well as entertaining). I highly recommend "The Last Detective".

Having watched a great deal of British mysteries this one is a particular favorite. Ok, so it my favorite of all time for reasons that are hard to put into words. I think the fact that Davison embodies an 'everyman' character and does it so effortlessly and consistently has a lot to do with it. And the supporting characters are phenomenal, truly great. Brilliantly done.

Why are the British so good at these murder mysteries? You will want the entire set.

The Last Detective is a great British police investigation series. The characters are fun to get to "know", the plots are complex and there is a good deal of that wonderful British humor thrown in. We like the lead actors - "Dangerous"-Peter Davison and his friend played by Sean Hughes. All the actors are outstanding and all make the cases very entertaining to watch. I like the series almost as much as I like watching my collection of Poirot mysteries.

This is a great deal for detective lovers. This set is many hours of a mix of mystery and humor. The Last Detective must be watched in order as one seems to lead into the next. I just hope they make more of this series.