Prime Suspect 1 [DVD]

This is a general review, meant to encompass the entire "Prime Suspect" series. DCI Jane Tennison, by far, is one of the most complex female characters ever written for television. She is layered, she is difficult and she is sublime. She is a character that many women can relate to. Her depth dives fathoms deep. She's soft and she's surly. She's a woman navigating the world and landscape of men; but her woman's heart is never absent.Dame Helen Mirren, a mistress of her craft, has not shied away from the darker sides of this character, as can be seen in "Prime Suspect Seven." American television could learn a lot from this series of stories. Our counterparts, across the pond, show us how to get it done.These stories are not for the faint of heart. They're gritty, realistic and heart-wrenching. They're about character. If you're looking for "Law & Order," they're not for you. But if you're looking for something that delves deeper into the human machine, or character driven stories that make you think, they are definitely for you.And Jane Tennison, well, she's simply luminous. She's tough and she's admirable, she's weak and she's flawed, and she's REAL!

It is hard to remember that 15 years ago this was a groundbreaking portrayal of police procedures and investigations. The issues of sex discrimination and entrenched ideas were very relevant when this was first broadcast. Helen Mirren's portrayal of the ambitious DCI Jane Tennison who gives up so much to be successful drives this very riveting police drama. It's realistic portrait of a murder investigation set the tone for police dramas to come. This is not a glamorous world, but one of petty jealousies, of family bitterness, of hours of mundane work, and the occasional breaks that we now take for granted in a dramatic series.This should be on anyone's "must have" list, along with the rest of this compelling series. Unlike so many other detectives from England, Jane Tennison is not someone who provides a familiar feeling, the neighbor, the co-worker. Yet her drama is what lifts this production above any contemporary story and can be enjoyed many times without the sense of it being a rerun.The only problem is that there are only 6 of these remarkable stories to enjoy.

Even with the sound problems and lack of subtitles I still like the show. I mean Helen Mirren!! How can you go wrong. Purchased the second season and hope I still feel the same way.

Helen Mirren is such a good actress, and this series is indeed true entertainment. I was a little put-off by how it was packaged. There was no explanation of what we were getting other than "Series 1". It ended up being one story, of four hour long episodes, but we had to watch it all to learn that. There is no explanation on the product or the listing under Amazon. We didn't know if it was her entire first season, how many shows were included, how long they were. Not sure what we were spending our money on, except that we knew we liked her and the series. Still glad we got it.

I liked Prime Suspect when it was on PBS on its first American run. Now,truthfully,I’m finding it rather annoying. The amount of cigarette smoke emanating from the police inspectors made me queasy, And Helen Mirren plays her character as being tough as nails. Can’t relate.

Helen Mirren has to be one of the greatest actresses I've ever seen. A compelling, riveting story which completely engages you, this is the first segment of a multi-part series made over many years. The series follows the heroine of the story, the first female police inspector to run a homicide unit, on the one hand contending with an overtly hostile "old boys club" , an idiot self centered live-in boyfriend, an unsupportive boss and a baby faced, likable serial killer.........and to add to her troubles she's got a tiny little drinking problem on the scale of "Godzilla has foot odor", all done in an understated, stiff upper lip, wry British humor style. A must have for any video collection. Highly recommended.

We gave this a good try. Watched the first episode twice and the second episode once. The sound quality just does not make it. We miss 15 to 20 percent of the dialog. It's a shame because this looks like a really good series. Poor sound quality seems to be a consistent problem with BBC productions. With the poor sound quality we really need the Closed Captioning or Subtitles. I have tried every setting on the Sony DVD player that I can find, but no Closed Captioning or subtitles. The box indicates that it has Closed Captioning, but I can't get it to work. Too bad!

Overall, a good little series, with some bizarre serial-killing going on, as only the BBC can do it. Disturbing ending that is designed to make you really "wonder" about the world in general.

Love this. Good plot line, along with Jane Tennison's struggle against the male bastions (the worst thing is that it's probably accurate). I don't think the subsequent episodes were as gripping.

obviously this is an old programme so not full screen but you get used to it pretty quick

Brilliant drama which I have owned previously but which got lost in a house move. An excellent price and speedy fast delivery.

30 years after it first came out still a brilliant drama.

I think this was the best in the series and was glad to see it was still available. Good story and leaves you wondering who really did it for a long time.