No, that’s not the Twelfth Doctor Who in the graphic above. That’s London Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty (aka, Peter Capaldi) who becomes a prime part of a tangled series of crimes for this Apple TV+ 8-episode police procedural.
Writer/creator Paul Rutman’s Apple TV+ series “Criminal Record” begins on an unassuming night in London. Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi), moonlighting as a chauffeur, drives a luxury car down the dark streets. It sets the mood for the darkness to come.
Elsewhere in London, an anonymous, frightened young woman frantically calls Emergency Services from a public phone booth. She quickly tells the Emergency Services operator her boyfriend has been trying to kill her and that he killed an ex-girlfriend years prior, but another man is currently serving a 24-year prison sentence for the crime. Before the operator can get further details, the call drops.
Detective Sergeant June Lenker (Cush Jumbo), who is the other face in that graphic above, arrives at her desk the following day and she’s asked to review the tape of the phone call of the terrified woman who called Emergency Services. Though Lenker’s apprehensive at first, she cross-references any prisoners who are serving 24 years for murder. After stumbling upon the name Errol Mathis (Tom Moutchi), June begins following a trail of clues, leading her right into the office of DCI Hegarty, who was in charge of Errol’s case more than a decade ago.
Hegarty comes off as a cranky, defensive detective. He’s not impressed with Lenker and her investigation and tries to scuttle the process. But Lenker senses she’s on to something rotten in the murder case and persists. I still have four more episodes to watch of this disturbing, well-acted, and intense drama. GRADE: INCOMPLETE (but trending towards a B+}
This is a complex one. I like the two leads though.
Patti, complex indeed! A very twisty plot!
Does anyone else remember Peter Capaldi from 1988’s LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM, co-starring another fresh young face, Hugh Grant?
Fred, I’m heading for my Library’s movie collection to see if LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM is available. I’ve heard of it, but never seen it!
It’s an intentionally goofy adaptation of a Stoker story, from after Bram was on his downslope. Even given odd makeup and visual effects, that Amanda Donohoe starred made noting the male cast members difficult.
Todd, thanks for the background. The London setting affects the entire series for me.
And I was describing THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM film…haven’t had the pleasure of the miniseries as yet.
I’ve enjoyed Capaldi’s work since “Local Hero” and “-White Worm” is a great 80s flavored romp (believe it or not the book is even more batshit crazy. Stoker was definitely a first-draft writer who apparently never kept notes and had a poor memory for what he’d just written). Capaldi was also in an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere” back in the nineties. By no means a great effort but worth a lazy glance. Happy to read this looks like a quality project.
Byron, CRIMINAL RECORD, with a good script and a top-notch cast, is well worth a look.