Review of Conviction: The Complete Series

Introduction

Cop dramas are something that the UK does particularly well. I`m not talking about the `one hour` weekly episodic series that lasts 24 weeks, as the Americans have got that series down to a fine art. Those series rely on fast moving storylines where everything is wrapped up over around forty minutes of viewing time (plus the obligatory twenty minutes adverts), with possibly the odd two-parter happening once every blue moon.

The UK cop drama is best served with slow paced drama, the current favourites being a two hour show or two-parter as standard. Think of how many currently fall under that umbrella. Morse (and probably the forthcoming Lewis), A Touch Of Frost, Midsommer Murders, Inspector Lynley, Silent Witness, etc, etc. It`s rare now that a cop drama lasts longer than that, although to prove me wrong BBC1 showed a three-part Messiah series last week, but still…

Anyway, Conviction is a mini-series from the pen of Bill Gallagher and lasts for six (!) hours. It`s a one-off mini-series that was nominated for a BAFTA for best production this year, losing to Channel 4`s Shameless.

Anyway, Conviction is based around a small police investigation team and their families. A young girl is found murdered by a skateboard ramp in a nameless Lancashire town and the murder team led by Ray Fairburn (Nicholas Gleaves) starts to investigate. One of the early suspects is known paedophile Jason Buleigh (Jason Watkins), although the team can`t find enough evidence to hold him and they are forced to let him go after intervention from his lawyer, Beth Caffrey (Zoë Henry), Ray`s sister.

Convinced that they had their man, Joe Payne (Ian Puleston-Davies) get drunk, falls out with his wife at their anniversary drinks and convinces fellow copper, and Ray`s younger brother, Chrissie (William Ash) to stake out Buleigh`s house so they can watch him. This being a slightly unconventional drama, Chrissie`s dad Lenny (David Warner) is out cold in the car after drinking a little too much as well. Finding Buleigh in a local church praying, the two kidnap him and drive to the local woods. Joe takes the lead in trying to scare Buleigh, who provokes him into losing his temper and lashing out and killing him (in a quite bloody scene).

From hereon in things start to get complicated as the two, particularly Joe, try to cover up their crime. Relationships and behaviours change, something not unnoticed by thoughtful and all-knowing copper Robert Seymour (Reece Dinsdale) who is something of a local police oracle despite being only a Detective Constable (having eschewed many attempts at coercing him into taking promotion exams…). Fellow detective Lucy Romanis (Laura Fraser) gets herself too involved with an informant, a move that complicates things as the investigation gathers pace.

Whilst Chrissie`s conscience is bothering him, hard man Joe suddenly finds himself seeing and talking with an apparition of the dead Buleigh. With things spiralling out of control and the ever panicking Joe trying desperately to keep himself clear, it is Alzheimer sufferer Lenny who may yet drop the two in it when he gets events mixed up in his head and starts talking about killing someone in the woods himself.

Video

Picture is good as you would expect. Contrasting shades used for different parts of the storyline plus a strange editing style that takes some time to get used to. Sometimes the story jumps ahead, sometimes it moves ahead in one particular direction only for you to discover that it is just a character imagining things, sometimes blanks are filled in on glimpses of the same shot earlier. Very jarring at first, but you do get used to it.

Audio

Nothing to write home about, but good enough. Lack of subtitles from a BBC series is not good though…

Features

Photo Gallery - just a set of stills from the series. Not too many and nothing you won`t see on screen, bit of a waste really.

Filmographies - text sections on seven of the leading actors in this series. Haven`t seen one of these for a while…

Conclusion

Not sure whether Conviction is a good title for this mini-series, Complication would have been a better one. Confusion could have applied, but this was well written so only the less attentive viewer would end up in that state of mind. In the end, over the six hour running time, there are numerous threads that need to run their course and end up resolved. Inevitably some do and some don`t. The ones that don`t are annoying but you never know why that happens, it`s unlikely the author just forgot about them. A case in point is the treatment of Beth`s family by vigilante people who vandalise her home when they find out she is representing Buleigh. This isn`t resolved but just disappears before the mid-point, never to be referred to again.

You can forgive the odd slip though, as on the whole this is quality drama across an unusual six hour span. No complaints at all about characterisation as you get right behind the character of each of the major players and feel the guilt as the net inevitably closes in on the guilty. In the best mystery tradition, those who commit the crime find their secret will never be kept a secret and more people are drawn into the plot. This has repercussions that not only affect their families lives but also lead to irrational behaviour and costly mistakes due to the distraction of everything unravelling.

The performances are all good, all the actors give quality performances whether in a professional capacity or within their respective family units. Many believe, as I do, that your normal length cop drama doesn`t allow good character growth and personal drama behind the main story. Here the length of the drama gives the author ample time for the characterisation and the personal drama within each of the families is central to the story. Despite all the good performances here, only one really stood out for me; David Warner is superb as dad Lenny, a man who used to be a copper himself but now is slowly breaking down with Alzheimer`s. One of the funniest moments with him is a police interrogation after he mistakenly assaults a man painting a garden fence. Female officer Lucy starts to question him, but Lenny thinks he is the officer conducting the interview and starts to give her the third degree. Lucy is rescued by Joe who goes along with Lenny`s belief, leaving Lucy a bit dazed by the experience.

I thought initially that six hours was too long, and I may still be right about that. There is a plot line around the midsection that just feels a little forced and wraps itself up very neatly, although it does move things along slightly character-wise. Maybe it should`ve been extracted from the final cut as it shifted the focus of the story for a while, but that`s a minor quibble for a mini-series that has quality stamped right through it. I can`t believe I missed this when first transmitted, as a one-off it`s certainly worth watching although I wouldn`t bank on another series being made. Some things are best left alone…