Hunted - TV review

Hunted came to an end this week after its eight-week run. I stayed with it until the final unlikely twist, and not only because Melissa George made such a good job of the almost impossible role of gorgeous super-woman Sam Hunter. The best acting, though, came from the admirable Patrick Malahide, who made a superb elderly hard man, bent on revenge for reasons that only became clear late on.

Hunted was devised and written by Frank Spotnitz, the man behind The X Files, and this show had some of the merit of its illustrious predecessor, though there were many differences. Sam Hunter was working for a secretive (and very sinister) security company, and there were various multi-national shenanigans involving a billion pound tender for a dam project, an environmental calamity, and all manner of villains, most of whom had it in for poor old Sam.

I'm not usually very keen on stories lasting as long as eight hours. You need an exceptionally strong plot to keep the viewer interested, and although many good judges tell me that the first series of The Killing was a wonderful success, despite its length, I was slightly disappointed with the follow-up, which lasted for ten rather long hours and felt as if the script needed radical pruning. Hunted was better, because the twists and turns kept coming, and there were a couple of rather excellent twists in the final episode.

I did, however, feel that the last few minutes were rather over the top. A plot device that had been used three times already was repeated yet again, and I also became rather confused by the sheer number of conspiracies that were taking place. Hunted was by no means a masterpiece, but all in all, it was pretty well crafted, and I'm glad I stuck with it.

A Lonely Place to Die - movie review

In the past few weeks, Hunted has introduced me to the charismatic Melissa George, whose all-action style is reminiscent of the hey-day of Mrs Emma Peel in The Avengers. Her name on the credit list tempted me to watch a movie from 2011, A Lonely Place to Die,even though the film starts off focusing on a group of mountaineers, and I find it hard to exaggerate how unappealing I find the idea of risking one's life climbing mountains (walking up a lot of steps in Kotor was different!). But it's all a matter of personal taste, and I'm glad that my prejudice in favour of Melissa just about outweighed my prejudice against rock-climbing, because this is a truly gripping film, one of the most terrifying I've seen in a long time - and not just because of what happens on those mountains.

The film is shot in the breathtakingly beautiful Scottish Highlands, and we are introduced to five youngish people, including a married couple, who have hired a house in a remote location not too far from Inverness, with a view for indulging their passion for scaling sheer cliff faces. The mood of adventure darkens when one member of the group hears a strange crying when they are in the middle of nowhere. They decide to investigate, and discover a breathing tube set in the earth. They uncover a sealed hole in the ground - inside is a young girl in school uniform. She doesn't speak a word of English, and appears to come from Eastern Europe.

The gang of five then make a terrible decision, deciding to split up as they try to get back to civilisation. Needless to say, this goes badly for them. and before long we encounter a couple of seriously unpleasant guys with guns. But this pair are then accosted by two  more chaps, who turn out to be even less likeable. What on earth is going on?

The pace thereafter is pretty relentless, and I thought the script, by Julian Gilbey and Will Gilbey, was consistently effective in delivering action and excitement. There are several vivid and memorable scenes. It's genuinely scary stuff, and yet somehow the narrative -just about - maintains credibility. One piece of advice for anyone who watches it - don't get too attached to many of the characters.

Hunted - TV review

Hunted, a new BBC TV drama, the first episode of which I've just watched, is described in some quarters as being in the same vein as the long-running series Spooks. But I never saw Spooks - combining writing with working full time as a lawyer meant something must give, and for me that has usually been television series. But life is changing for me, and I thought I'd watch the start of this new series, on the basis that I might just manage to keep tuned if it proved entertaining.

I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed the first episode a good deal. It's pacy, action-packed stuff, and if you like James Bond, you'll probably like Hunted. The story began in Tangier, and within a very short time, an exceptionally attractive woman had killed an assortment of bad guys and apparently (but not actually) killed by a rooftop sniper. You don't mess with Sam Hunter, that is for sure. The part is played by Melissa George, and she turns out to work for a private security firm that involves itself in a variety of murky dealings.

Sam's whereabouts are betrayed to yet more bad guys, and she is again apparently killed, but - guess what! - she survives miraculously. Not so fortunate is her unborn child - the father is one of her colleagues, whom she suspects of being the traitor. A year or so later, and physically recovered, but scarred both in body and mind, she returns to her job, and becomes involved in a a case involving a wealthy gangster (played as creepily as ever by the splendid Patrick Malahide - how on earth was this born villain ever cast as that toff of a cop, Roderick Alleyn?).

Sam cunningly infiltrates the gangster's household, posing as a young American (apart from her lovely looks, amazing combat skills, and mastery of languages, she is also brilliant at acting and probably everything else you could imagine) but her secret is uncovered - again, the question arises: which of her colleagues is a double agent? - and the episode ended with her coming face to face with a sinister assassin. Did I mention, by the way, that Sam experienced a terrible trauma in her childhood? Yep, all the ingredients have been thrown into the mix. Hokum, perhaps, but very well done, and I shall make a point of tuning in next week. Thank goodness for part-time working....