6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Approaching retirement, Tennison investigates the murder of a missing girl.
Starring: Helen Mirren, Stephen Tompkinson, Laura Greenwood, Eve Best, Gary Lewis (III)Drama | 100% |
Crime | 29% |
Mystery | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
(Spoiler alert: The following assumes that the reader is familiar with all previous series of Prime Suspect. If you haven't seen all previous series, proceed at your own risk. A spoiler-free overview of the Complete Collection can be found here.) First Broadcast: October 15, 22, 2006, (U.K.); November 12, 19, 2006 (U.S.) If the first series of Prime Suspect was infused by the exhilaration of Jane Tennison's first major case, the last, unambiguously titled The Final Act, is imbued with the weariness caused by a long career of heavy responsibility. It is also about the conflict of emotions as Tennison looks back, takes stock and prepares to lay aside the burden of law enforcement. Old age, as Bette Davis famously said, isn't for sissies. When you're Jane Tennison, neither is retirement. Two unique elements distinguish The Final Act. The first is that, for once, no one is trying to push Tennison aside or get her out of the way. No one needs to do so, because she's just a few weeks shy of retirement. Indeed, the case at the center of The Final Act will be her last. The second element is the amount of time devoted to Tennison's personal life. There are no more love interests, old or new, but family matters are a major concern, and, as Tennison stares at the yawning gap of empty time before her, she leaps back and forth between introspection and sheer, unadulterated terror. The Final Act was one of the last projects written by Irish screenwriter Frank Deasy (Prozac Nation) before his untimely death at age 50. The director was Philip Martin (Murder on the Orient Express).
The Final Act has been transferred to Blu-ray in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Please see the Video section of the Complete Collection review for an overview of Prime Suspect's video presentation. The extra screencaps with this review include sample comparisons between the Blu-ray and Acorn Media's DVD release of Series 7. The 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray opens with the disclaimer quoted in the Complete Collection review. Julian Court (Ripper Street and Luther) photographed The Final Act, which was shot on Super16, presumably for consistency with previous series of Prime Suspect. As with Series 6, The Last Witness, the Blu-ray image for The Last Act offers a noticeable improvement over the first five series of Prime Suspect and, indeed, improves upon Series 6. Within the limitations of 16mm, the image is sharp, detailed and well-defined, with none of the blurry or grainy shots that are a regular feature in the first five series and the occasionally softer shots of Series 6. Colors are natural and properly saturated, black levels and contrast look appropriate, and the grain pattern appears natural and film-like. At 192 minutes, The Final Act is the shortest series of Prime Suspect, but this is also the disc with the most extras. Still, compression artifacts were not a factor.
For The Final Act, the producers of Prime Suspect recruited composer Nicholas Hooper, who would shortly go on to score the Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince chapters in the Harry Potter franchise. Hooper's score is more traditionally dramatic and extensively used than in any prior series of Prime Suspect, and it's a fitting accompaniment for The Final Act's emotional depth. The Blu-ray's DTS-HD MA 2.0 track reproduces the orchestral performance with good fidelity and a wide (for television) dynamic range. The dialogue is clearly rendered, even when muttered (some of Bill Otley's statements are barely whispered), but American ears may need the assistance of subtitles when dealing with the rapid, accented speech of younger characters such as Curtis Flynn. As with most British TV, sound effects are functional, and the action is front-oriented, but there is a general sense of environmental ambiance when the stereo track is processed through a surround decoder.
Jane Tennison leaves the Metropolitan Police with her head defiantly unbowed, never taking the easy path, always having done what's right (as her father says). Her current boss refers to her as "old school" police, and there aren't many women of whom that can be said. As Tennison strides off the screen, what does her future hold? Will she drink herself to death, as DCS Mitchell predicts? Will she reconcile with her sister and nieces and finally develop a family connection? Or is there some yet undiscovered new chapter in life for Tennison? (A vague reference to Florida is dropped at one point.) Viewers are free to speculate. Whatever happens next, Tennison has left her mark. "I won't miss Jane in the short term", Helen Mirren said when she completed The Final Act, "but probably, as more time passes, I will." Highest recommendation.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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