Customer Reviews

A Mind to Kill: The Complete First Series

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

 

 

British mystery, with graphic thriller footage and engaging suspense, makes DCI Noel Bain a top copper in the murder investigation field. You'll find yourself turning away at some of the blood and violence but never turning off the set till the conclusion reveals the who, what, how, when and why of each dastardly act. The suspense averages 99 minutes (6 feature lengths) in each of the 6 episodes, & comes with an amply honest box warning: "Contains nudity and graphic scenes." It's true, to the extreme! So first let me inform you, "A MIND TO KILL SERIES 1" is abundant violence, nudity, blood, foul language, sex and other derelictions that exist alongside killings. NOT FOR KIDS or the squeamish! Perhaps this warning alone will help you decide yes-or-no on this unrated Welsh detective drama. Just being honest and, hopefully, helpful.

If you're still reading, and you really don't mind a bit of blood (no, lots of it), these police stories may be "spot-on" as far as accuracy and realism in the lives of murderers & investigative police. If so, glad I'm not one of 'em. Although filmed in Wales, it's not the scenic touristy pasture-life Wales is known for; but the dark villainous criminal underworld and the coppers who must clean up the mess and try to solve the crimes. DCI Bain (Philip Madoc--"The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes") is a crack police investigator, a widower, a father of a 17-year-old girl, with the toughness of Callan (another GREAT British thriller series) yet the occasional tenderness of a father.

SUBTITLES are helpful. Cast filmographies and very interesting production notes round out the bonus stuff. This is just series 1, so if it sells well enough, perhaps there will be the next season, or as the British call it, Series 2.

Now for DIEhards, the dark and bloody episode details:
...1 Black Silence: DCI Bain looks into the murder of a prostitute who witnessed a scab beating by strikers. Was the local Labor leader involved? There is a confession Bain fails to believe, and a riff divides Bain's team with the local police, all leading up to a dramatic conclusion.
...2 White Rocks: Small Luke witnesses his mom beaten to death with a hammer. He runs and is helped in hiding by the caravan camp manager's disturbed daughter. What sick/sinister activity is going on in this holiday park to inspire secrets and killings?
...3 Gameboys: A youth is found charred in a pig pit and confirmed to be a "rent boy." A nearby local man commits suicide by hanging. The investigation of the boy's death continues and uncovers drugs. Meanwhile Bain's daughter thinks she loves a rugby player. Bain objects.
...4 Rest Not Secure: Daughter Hannah resents dad as a cop and leaves to a location unknown by Dad. Bain's work & thought is distracted. A gang-style war gets Bain, a suspect, and the suspect's mom shot. Bain recovers but is still a target.
...5 Son of His Works: A body, nude, run over, beaten, and shot, appears to have also first dug his own grave. Murder mayhem. A religious hippie compound, drugs, dollars, the victim's daughter, all near the murder scene, looks related. Murder #2 clues point differently.
...6 Rachel Hardcastle: Hannah is still unhappy living with Dad, the widower, the cop, DCI Bain. Bain ignores a Margaret opportunity and instead gets flirtatious with a concert pianist till her hubby is murdered and Bain is suspect. In the meantime a toy model car builder's wife is killed. And as with all the murders, YOU get to watch the splattering & details.

"A MIND to KILL" sure doesn't reflect the peaceful, seaside vacation I remember taking in Wales from a few years ago. But this series is BLOODY fictional drama. I'll try to remember that, when I get the chance to order "A MIND TO KILL Series 2." I will order.

Now...if you dare...

"A Mind to Kill, Series 1" is a British mystery, more particularly a television series, a police procedural made and set in Wales. It was made by the evidently Welsh firm of Lluniau lliw Cyf for BBC Wales, and was broadcast in the U.K. for five series in the mid- 1990's. It was nominated for five Welsh BAFTA awards, the British equivalent of Oscars, including one for best actor for star Philip Madoc (LAST OF THE MOHICANS; Doctor Who - Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD). It comes to us as a three-volume DVD set including six feature-length mysteries, and thank goodness, for those of us not all that familiar with the singsong Welsh accent, subtitles.

It's set in Wales, but not the Wales of the tourist brochures; this, suitably enough, is dark and rainy country, as its mysteries deal with dark, and some might feel, rancid material. It contains nudity and scenes of graphic violence, just as a word to the wise. The series has been compared to others, such as Inspector Morse - Complete Collection, or Cracker: The Complete Collection, that are perhaps better-known, certainly beloved, for the brooding central character who must tackle modern day crimes. And as is frequently the case with British TV series, there's been no apparent stinting on the location filming, extras, cars, interiors, etc. Madoc plays Detective Chief Inspector Noel Bain as a middle-aged, workaholic widower concerned with solving crimes, also with the welfare of his daughter Hannah. He's surrounded by some solid supporting actors playing the bunch at the cop shop, and the usual suspects in the episodes.

They are:
1. Black Silence. Strike at the local coal mine, and a pretty young local prostitute is murdered. Could a powerful, intimidating union leader, Roderick Tate, have something to do with it? Tate is played by John Rhys-Davies, (The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Theatrical Editions) [Blu-ray]) in a substantial part that suits him so well, it might have been written for him.
2. White Rocks. A young mother is found beaten to death at a seen-better days, somewhat threatening, holiday camp. Did her seven-year old son see the murder?
3. Gameboys. The charred body of a handsome, unidentifiable young man is found in a peaceful farming community. Pillars of the community will be implicated.
4. Rest Not Secure. There's a gang war going on, and war in the Bain household, too, as Hannah moves out. Bain retreats to his remote, rural cabin to recuperate, but trouble finds him there.
5. Son of His Works. A gruesome killing in the woods, and a secretive religious cult. Heads will be banged.
6. Rachel Hardcastle. Bain is invited to a concert of modern music, and the flirtation of the sophisticated and attractive pianist, Rachel Hardcastle, turns his head. Then her boozy, disagreeable husband is beaten to death. The pianist, who's on screen in every key scene, is magnificently played by Sian Phillips (I, Claudius) in a part that suits her so well, it, too, might just have been written for her.

The mysteries are tense and absorbing; plots are intricate and memorable, and characters strongly drawn. Phillips and Rhys-Davies are surely among the best-known, older, living, most talented of Welsh actors, and I was happy to see them working here. There's no question in my mind that the series is aimed at the older cohorts among us, but I didn't mind that. Why would I? I did notice a tendency, however, to ramp up the action in the closing scenes of each episode, in ways that often didn't make sense. This was, presumably, to deliver more of an action-packed "American" style closing. It also seemed as if there was quite a lot of product placement throughout the episodes. And there is the violence. However, it's tough, high-quality work that's not so readily available, and should please most lovers of British mysteries.

I enjoy brit detective shows immensely! They are varied in style and content and direction somewhat. Few go for a this type of a gritty very realistic approach, they shot this in rural wales and it isn't a place of alot of wealth and that's the feeling you get here. The show is like watching a window back into 1994 when this was filmed. Phillip madoc shines as the no nonsense chief inspector; who is a widower with a teenage daughter. He is dogged and determined and driven by his work and he won't let go a hunch without a fight. The show matches the depressed economic situation of wales at the time completely. Hopefully things have turned around by this time but in the 90's they still hadn't recovered from thatchers shutting down most of the mines (1980's) that were the primary employers of rural wales. people often forget that the uk was torn by violence and riots during the 80's because of thatcher's policies which did both evil and good for the U.K. The film style here is gritty and it was shot in 4:3 which most tv shows were shot in that ratio until the late 90's anyway. Some people may not like this approach because it almost feels like they were doing a reality show following the detective around. I really enjoyed this show it's the opposite of 'midsomer murders" which is ultra slick and has more bizaare characters ( I love that show too) , instead these people seem just like realistic people from wales. Not that the standard detective show doesn't ring true in varying degrees this one seems to be aiming for a grounded approach totally. the negative reviewers probably don't like 'wire in the blood" another gritty show from the UK either, thankfully I enjoy everytype of brit mystery show from "poirot", "rosemary and thyme' to this gritty show lead by the excellent Madoc.

THIS CRIME SERIES IS ONE OF THE BETTER ONES DUE TO IT'S AUTHENTIC,BRUTAL STORYLINES AND EXCELLENT ACTING

I have to agree with the other "one star" review, very, very disappointed in this series. After reading such rave reviews I purchased Sets 1 & 2. I am having trouble even getting through Series 1. Madoc's main character is just not compelling, and his relationship with his daughter is annoying. The only character I liked (or can remember) was his female number 2 - she should have been the main detective. It's not that the stories are weak, they could have been quite good, but the detective work, of which there seems to be little, is ridiculous.

I have tons of British mysteries on DVD and love them; therefore, I thought I would also love this one from Wales. I was shocked at the poor quality of everything: acting, locale, filming, story lines. It all appeared so amateurish after all the other high-class series filmed in the UK. I was so very disappointed and decided not to watch further episodes after the first DVD. What a disappointment. I could stand it if the acting and filming were first-class -- but that was not the case!

Among the worst acting and writing for a British TV mystery series we have ever watched. My wife is a Brit and I lived there 12 years. We have a large collection of TV dramas of this genre. This is embarassingly bad. Film noir? Blimey, you can hardly see the characters it's so dark. Madoc has done better than this.