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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vincent is Top of the Crime Series, July 6, 2007
This review is from: Vincent: TV Series (DVD)
There are two trends in crime series right now: The fast-edit, over-anxious, grim style complete with blue light effects and bad literary quotations; and the quirky, character-driven show featuring a detective who may have to stand on his head to solve the crime. Vincent is neither of these. Refreshingly free of morose moments and filled with fascinating people whose experiences ring true, Vincent stands above the standard crime drama thanks to fine writing and terrific acting. Ray Winstone won a much-deserved International Emmy for his role in this series. And Brit drama doesn't get any better than Winstone. So, if you love crime drama (as I do) and your grownup brain cells demand coherence, depth, engaging dialogue, and engrossing stories, you want Vincent.
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42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENT British Drama!, June 7, 2007
This review is from: Vincent: TV Series (DVD)
I've read countless reviews on this site, but this is the first release that actually warranted a personal review. I caught this show when it aired the first time on BBC America a few months ago and was totally hooked from the first episode. Compared to series from the US, this is extremely short, containing only four one-hour-plus episodes. I was kind of miffed when I first saw them only because it left me wanting so much more. I've seen lots of British shows, especially drama, and this is the genre at its ultimate peak. The acting is superb...from ALL participants, but especially Ray Winstone. It's very rare that an actor or actress impresses me so much that I seek out other work from them. This was the case for me after watching him act in this show. He IS Vincent and you don't doubt him for a second. As with most dramas in the past 10 years or so, the lead character isn't without personal faults which gives the show a very true dynamic. He makes mistakes not only in his personal life, but even in his detective work. That's DEFINITELY something that is amiss in most crime dramas and is therefore more believable. Each mystery keeps you guessing even if you swear you've picked the right criminal. If that isn't enough, that theme song I swear will be stuck in your head for days. It's so catchy. Also, the second season has already aired overseas, but not here. So, if you like what you see, know there's more coming soon.
If you loved and miss the Cracker series (which was also excellent....except White Ghost...(sigh) but forgive and forget), then you will really enjoy this thoroughly exciting crime drama.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charisma Personified: Ray Winstone, February 5, 2008
This review is from: Vincent: TV Series (DVD)
Based on what I'd heard, plus my deep appreciation for the Brit crime genre, and finally for the presence of Mr. Winstone, I purchased this four-episode set, and just finished watching them all with my wife. My first reaction is sadness that there are no more episodes to watch! Each one is like a mini-movie which will thoroughly entrance, entertain and enthrall.
One of my all-time favorite movies is the '70's Coppola masterpiece, The Conversation; there were so many great things about it but some of the best were Gene Hackman's performance as the conflicted surveillance man Harry Caul, and the endlessly intricate glimpses we'd get into his shadowy world of cameras, microphones, recorders and technology. The scene at the Surveillance Product Fair is one of the best things I've ever seen in any film. The entire movie was just so smart and so complex, as were the characters. Vincent goes over similar territory, but of course, it's set in modern-day England.
Winstone the actor is a magnetic kind of guy; I would assume he's popular both with men and women. With ex-cop, private dick Vincent Gallagher, he's created a fascinatingly complicated portrait of the type he does best: a brooding, volatile, blunt force object with a tender heart, who's brutal and tactless on the one hand, yet surprisingly literate, sophisticated and sensitive on the other. In the midst of an agonizing marital breakup, he's liable to explode with outrage or break down in tears at any time. It's gotten so bad he's let it cloud his judgement, much to the chagrin of his capable staff, a diverse, richly interesting set who are all living and breathing human beings, and not cardboard cutouts.
Vincent is speaks full-on Cockney, and so Americans will have to listen carefully to catch the language. You'll be richly rewarded. The dialogue is wonderfully textured and nuanced, full of both laugh-out-loud humor and deliciously subtle irony.
I hear there is a season two; I can hardly wait.
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