Description

Helen Mirren is Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison and has been transferred to a new station and now has the job of cleaning up the streets of Soho.D.C.I. Tennison takes the team into the underworld of teenage prostitution, pornography and runaways in the third season of Prime Suspect. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The only one to buy after the first.
The only Prime Suspect installment (other than the original) to be authored by Lynda La Plante, Prime Suspect 3 once again displays the hallmarks of La Plante's journalistic research base for creating fictional characters. In this case, "rent boys" are the fuel: young male prostitutes/street kids, and in particular one heartbreaking interview where a rent boy had told La Plante that he couldn't have AIDS, because he was only 15.

Tennison finds herself investigating the burned body of a murdered rent boy found in a drag queen's flat, and begins to discover criminal ties from a community center that lead up into the highest ranks of the police, and she doesn't know whom to trust. Also, her old nemesis from PS1, Bill Otley, is part of her new team. With the amazing Helen Mirren, and an extraordinary support cast including Tom Bell, Ciaran Hinds, David Thewlis, and Peter Capaldi, this is, after the original, the strongest installment in the series.

Better acting than television usually offers
Happy day! All of the Prime Suspect movies have made it to DVD.

I saw these in the early 90s on A&E and was astounded by how good Helen Mirren was, working inside an organization that did not always want her to succeed (apparently she is too good a detective to ignore, but as a woman - and her own woman - her flaws get her in trouble with her superiors).

All the flaws of society and of the police in her part of the UK visit her. Like the rest of us, she tries the best she can to do her job, in this case, to lead a team of detectives and ordinary police to solve the violent crimes she faces in post-Thatcher England.

Riveting stuff. Incredibly well written, but occasional strong language may put some off. (Older DVDs released by PBS had the expletives dubbed over, badly done. I've reordered these in DVD and am hoping it's the original UK version, bad language and all. Hardly gratuitous, though)

For TV, only the Sopranos comes close to the level of these five mini-series (ok, maybe some other Masterpiece Theatre productions are this good, but this one's contemporary).

Some of Mirren's best work is here. See them if you can!

Thank you for doing the right thing, media moguls, and getting these to DVD!

Not That Good The Second Time Around
I enjoyed this series very much when first televised on PBS. I found revisiting a very unpleasant experience. First, the quality of the PBS tapes was very marginal, very dark with significant volume control problems (volume running from a silent feature to deafening when left to run).

The subject matter (case) will prove highly objectionable to anyone other than sophisticated adults. The cast is excellent, Helen Mirren always gives excellent performances.

It is now gathering dust on my shelf.

only got part 1 of prime suspect 3 no part 2
the tape would have been great if i had gotten all
of it
nothing worse than only 1/2 of a story

Prime Suspect 3 is Fantastic!
Prime Suspect 3 is a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Helen Mirren is so realistic in this movie. Anyone that enjoys the Cracker series starring Robbie Coltrane will definitely want to see this movie as well! Mystery, murder and intrigue are all in this movie! ... Read more

Description

When a U.S. submarine accidentally collides with an armed Soviet sub spying off the coast of America, it sets off a suspenseful chain of events that could lead to all-out nuclear war. Based on true events, this ' 'taut thriller' ' (People) raises the action stakes on a crisis that heated the Cold War at sea up to boiling point. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Take it or leave it
This movie wasn't bad, but it was by no means great. I found it quite difficult to follow the storyline, and the special effects were less than convincing (is it just me, or did they use the exact same shot of the Russian submarine, like, 5 times?) Some of the acting, Sheen and Hauer included, seemed forced.
The first 45 minutes of the movie were nearly unbearable, but towards the end, the pace picked up and it became more interesting. I even enjoyed the ending.

(Note: If you are buying this movie for the performance of Dominic Monaghan [as I admit I did], don't waste your money on it. He is hardly shown and has ONE line. Just a heads-up)

Hardly Serviceable
Little more than a serviceable introduction to the historical proceedings. Wooden acting all round. In fact, Sheen looks like he's sleepwalking (or punchdrunk) through the thing. Still, Hauer does manage to conjure some sympathy as the Russian captain who does his best to save all his men, though, regardless of what he does, he can't win back home with the Soviet officials. Otherwise, there are handful of interesting insights into submarine culture--if what we're seeing is an accurate portrayal.

Overall, Hostile Waters the feel of a mediocre (to bad) TV movie (which I'm assuming it isn't), including some particularly unconvincing special effects--to the extent that, though this was made in 1997, I would've guessed '87. It just looks that dated. Only Hauer and Sheen's haggard appearances are any clue that it was made later.

A missed chance
Having read the book first I really looked forward to the movie as a chance to dispel some of the strange ideas we have about Soviet sailors and to shed a little light on a very shadowy place in the worlds militaries.This chance was missed however by skimming over the cause of the events and failing to show the almost superhuman efforts the Rissian captain and crew went through to save the situation. Rutger Hauers performance as a consumate submariner and commanding officer are as close to reality as this movie comes. Surely a missed chance.

A BORING WHITEWASH; READ THE BOOK INSTEAD
Read the book, but DO NOT BUY THIS TRAVESTY! Worse than a made for TV oversimplification, this HBO film completely distorts and actually REVERSES essential facts of the true, exciting and important story detailed in the book upon which it is based (St. Martin's Press, 1997). Anyone with respect for the history of submarines and submariners should avoid this poor "dramatization." It isn't even a "taut thriller," as People Magazine was quoted as saying. It's just a boring whitewash of the actual events. Besides failing to show that an irresponsible cowboy US Submarine Commander (James Von Suskil of the USS AUGUSTA, the man and the ship both cowardly renamed in this low-budget stinker) recklessly caused the accident, they depicted the Russian Captian receiving a hero's welcome when he returned to the USSR, when in truth he was tragically court-martialed and imprisoned after taking necessary steps to save his crew and the eastern seaboard of the US! Why do people make movies like this, and why do actors like Max Von Sydow and Martin Sheen participate in covering up the misdeeds of a reckless US sub commander and the depraved indifference and cruelty of the Soviet Navy toward its own sailors. The simple truth of the book would have been far more exciting and enlightening. Shame on everyone associated with this little piece of anti-history!

Nice little submarine flick
Not "Das Boot," but don't overlook this one. Rutger Hauer gives an excellently controlled performance as the captain. No phony baloney. Very gripping towards the end. Worthwhile. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

One you missed at the theatre.
Saw this little gem when it originally was released theatrically. Needless to say, I was impressed.

Starring a terrific Gabriel Byrne (does this guy ever age?), it is a very tight story of a newspaper reporter (Byrne) who comes across a story of a Member of Parliament having an affair with a prostitute, who is also seeing a KGB agent.

But things are much more complex than they initially appear, and it becomes a much thicker paranoia thiller (one of my favourite themes). If you liked "The Parallax View" (1974) - or favour conspiracy theories - then you'll like this very British effort.

Watch for the gaggle of reporters camped on the Minister's doorstep. Durning the scene, a car backs into one of the reports, knocking him down. It is never explained...

The DVD transfer is exceptional, though in typical MGM fashion, there are no extras except for the original trailer.

A thinking person's movie
Fast moving all too credible movie showing dealing with the issue of press freedom versus what should be considered secrets of the state.
Great casting. This is a gem that is surprisingly little known.

Defense of the Realm
Overlooked. Something of a quiet sensation when it came out in the mid 1980's. Starring Gabriel Byrne(in his first lead role), Greta Scacchi, and Denholm Elliot. The script could have been written by John Le Carre. A complex, claustrophobic, dark, fast-paced film which requires alertness on the part of the audience. Not available on DVD in the U.S.

An absolute cracker
The showbiz adage of 'never work with children or animals' was, within the British film industry, extended to 'never work with children, animals or Denholm Elliot'. He was, rightly, labelled a 'scene stealer' and with his passing, one of the 'true stars' were lost.

Gabrielle Byrne and Greta Scacchi star in this 1984 UK film, but the film, despite featuring a young Robbie Coltrane ( Cracker ), is forever Elliot's. Massively underrated, this film is a powerful indictment of the true 'powers that be'. Governments come and governments go, but the engine room remains in place, along with the stokers.

Is this a political thriller, a journalistic thriller, a shadowy thriller even - scary too, maybe ?. Probably all and more besides. It's very taut, very fast, very complex and, perhaps, very true to life ( the scary bit ). Underhand and double dealing are rife and little mercy is shown to the designated stooges. Elliot, as Vernon Bayliss, suffers no fools here and realising the enormity of the truth and confiding in nobody, pays a heavy price for his refusal to be swept along with the tide of seemingly incontrovertible proofs. Perhaps Fox Mulder saw this film and coined 'trust no-one' from Elliots' performance.

What is sure, though, is that a field day awaits conspiracy theorists who watch this. There is no sex, no violence and no profanity and I defy anyone to watch this film only once. ... Read more