QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1958)

Andre Morrell as Professor Quatermass

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (LIVE BBC Television mini-series in six parts/1958). Director: Rudolph Cartier. 

Professor Quatermass (Andre Morrell of Behemoth, the Sea Monster) is consulted on a plan to put military bases, complete with missiles, on the moon. At the same time a possible unexploded bomb is discovered at a subway excavation in Hobbs Lane, a populated area of London. Quatermass feels that the bomb theory is improbable, and eventually a space vehicle of some kind is uncovered in the rubble. Inside the ship are found several deceased insectoid and crab-like aliens with antennae that are later determined to be five million years old and from Mars! But is it possible that the aliens and their ship can still be influencing modern-day Londoners all these centuries later? 

one of the Martians

Quatermass and the Pit is the third in a series of BBC TV serials concerning the exploits of Professor Quatermass, herein played genially by the ever-professional Andre Morell. (Like the first two serials, this was also turned into a theatrical film under the same title and is also known as Five Million Years to Earth.) Pit is full of interesting concepts, including a machine that is used to get visual impressions from the brain, and it is generally well-acted. Cec Linder is cast as Dr. Roney and Christine Finn is his chief assistant, Barbara Judd. Anthony Bushell is vivid as Colonel Breen, who turns out to be not too tightly wrapped. 

Morrell and Linder

Pit holds the attention for the most part, but it also has a bit too much padding, and the ending, which depicts a martian "wild hunt" to purge mutations that is re-enacted on Earth, reminds one of the later film Lifeforce, with its rioting in London. The budget is too low to make the most of these sequences and the finale is dragged out. However, it must be remembered that this was actually shown LIVE and considering the limitations of the format it is rather well-done for its time. However, I daresay the basic story is better told in Five Million Miles to Earth. This and the other Quatermass serials -- Quatermass Xperiment and Quatermass II -- were scripted by Nigel Kneale. 

Verdict: Interesting if imperfect live sci fi. **1/2. 

AND NEVER LET HER GO

Mark Harmon and Kathryn Morris

AND NEVER LET HER GO (2-part 3 hour mini-series/2001). Director: Peter Levin. 

Anne Marie Fahey (Kathryn Morris) believes the stories that lover Thomas Capano (Mark Harmon) tells her about his failing marriage, but while she tries to break it off with him more than once, she keeps getting pulled back in -- this despite the fact that she eventually gets a nice boyfriend named Dan (Rick Roberts) and that Thomas already has a long-time mistress named Christine (Rachel Ward). One day Anne completely disappears, alarming her siblings. Detective Gugliatta (Paul Michael Glaser of Phobia) and FBI agent Connolly (Steven Eckholdt) combine forces to try to find out if the self-assured Capano is behind his latest girlfriend's disappearance. Meanwhile Capano's mother (Olympia Dukakis) excoriates Thomas' brothers for not being more like Thomas even as the authorities move in ... 

Harmon with Rachel Ward

And Never Let Her Go is a true story based on the book by Ann "Ghoul" Rule. The telefilm is interesting, but it would have been much tighter if it had been cut by an hour -- the second half is especially talky and tedious at times. It is greatly bolstered by excellent performances across the board, however. Kathryn Morris is outstanding as Anne, and Harmon, usually a lightweight, really delivers in his portrait of the determined and sinister Capano. The members of the supporting cast, especially Dukakis and Ward, are also on the money. 

Verdict: Some top-notch performances put over this true crime drama. ***

 

INJUSTICE

James Purefoy

INJUSTICE (5 part British mini-series/2011). Director: Colin McCarthy. 

I often find British mystery mini-series to be a little too deliberately-paced -- I generally prefer the "let's get on with it" pace of Law and Order -- to hold my attention for long, but happily that wasn't the case with Injustice. In this very interesting limited series lawyer William Travers (James Purefoy), who gave up criminal law after a kind of breakdown, agrees to represent an old friend, Philip Spaull (Robert Whitelock), who has been accused of murdering his mistress. Meanwhile Police Investigator Mark Wenborn (Charlie Creed-Miles), who has faced Travers in court as a witness, looks into the cold-blooded killing of a man that Travers once got off a murder charge. Wenborn, a rather nasty character who has a physically abusive relationship with his frightened wife, who remembers him as a kinder person years ago, begins to wonder if Travers had something to do with his old client's death even as Travers -- a regular Perry Mason -- insists he is taking Spaull's case only because he is convinced of his innocence.

Verdict: Although frankly a little far-fetched at times -- for instance, defense attorneys wouldn't make much of a living if they only took on innocent clients -- Injustice is very well-acted, keeps you in suspense, and has several interesting twists. This is streaming on Amazon Prime and is well-worth a look for mystery fans. ***. 

DEXTER: NEW BLOOD

Father and Son: Michael C. Hall and Jack Olcott

DEXTER: NEW BLOOD (2021 Showtime mini-series).

Dexter ran for several seasons and was certainly an unusual series. The anti-Hero, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), was a serial killer who only murdered people who really deserved it, such as other serial killers, child molesters, or those who had gotten away with murder. His task was made easier because he worked for the Miami police department, and part of the "fun" of the show was watching him stay one step ahead of his colleagues, especially his detective sister. The show ended with Dexter presumed dead, but turning up far north in a small town in upstate New York.

Olcott, Hall and Jones

Dexter: New Blood takes up a decade later, when Dexter, under an assumed name, has become firmly established in the small town of Iron Lake. The utterly far-fetched premise has him becoming the boyfriend of -- get this -- the female Chief of Police, Angela Bishop (Julia Jones)! You would think that our dear Dexter would want to stay as far away from the police as possible, and if he had this mini-series might have had a very different conclusion. Another complication is that Dexter's son, Harrison (Jack Olcott, a 21-year-old actor successfully playing about 16), finding out that his father is alive, comes looking for him. But does the boy carry his own "dark passenger," and exactly how much does Dexter want to share with his son? And considering the number of women who have disappeared from Iron Lake over the decades, could there be another serial killer at large, and will he or she wind up on Dexter's kill table?

Like the original show, Dexter: New Blood is extremely entertaining, well-acted, and suspenseful. It also has a satisfying, dramatically-right conclusion, although it will undoubtedly disappoint those who were hoping to see another mini-series about Dexter. Michael C. Hall is superb as the conflicted, confused, morally ambiguous Dexter, and he is matched by Olcott as Harrison, who clearly has problems of his own. Jones, Jennifer Carpenter as Dexter's late sister (appearing in fantasies), Clancy Brown in a fine turn as respected townsperson Kurt Caldwell, Alano Miller as Coach Logan, among others, all help make the occasionally absurd proceedings more convincing. The series is also unpredictable, and may not go in the directions you think it will. Dexter: New Blood can be gruesome at times, but nothing over the top, and there are no scenes of (practically) lip-smacking torture porn like you will find in Criminal Minds: Evolution. Pat Irwin's theme music is a decided plus. 

Verdict: Surprisingly moving wind-up to the strange Dexter saga. ***. 

JACK THE RIPPER (1988)

Michael Caine and Lewis Collins

JACK THE RIPPER (two-part mini-series/1988). Director: David Wickes. 

In Whitechapel London in 1888, Scotland Yard Inspector Abberline (Michael Caine) is assigned to the case of the grisly murder of a young prostitute over the objections of the local constabulary. Abberline, who "tibbles" a bit too much, is partnered with the handsome Sgt. George Godley (Lewis Collins, who looks like something out of Gentleman's Quarterly.) As the murders continue, and "Jack the Ripper" sends a letter to the press, Abberline is concerned that the killer may be a member of the royal family. 

Armand Assante

Suspects include actor Richard Mansfield (Armand Assante), who is starring in a theatrical version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; clairvoyant Robert James Lees (Ken Bones), who allegedly has visions of the killer; Prince Albert Victor (Marc Culwick), who visits the fleshpots in Whitechapel; vigilante George Lusk (Michael Gothard of Lifeforce), who stirs the populace up against the police; Sir William Gull (Ray McAnally), one of the queen's personal physicians; coachman John Netley (George Sweeney); and others. 

Michael Caine pursues the Ripper

I first watched this when it aired in 1988 and found it riveting; less so this time around, although it is still entertaining enough. The problem I have this time is that the alleged solution, which was touted at the time as being a brand-new theory but really wasn't, has since been discredited and the reputation of a perfectly innocent, indeed admirable, man has been besmirched. Michael Caine gives a dynamic performance -- too dynamic, as he seems to be ferociously chewing on the scenery in several segments, his character's anger and frustration notwithstanding -- Lewis Collins provides a more restrained and credible counterpoint to Caine/Abberline. I far more enjoyed the performances of such excellent players as Armand Assante (who is just perfect as Mansfield) and the amusingly-named Ken Bones as the psychic. There's a little too much of George Lusk in this story, although he is well-played by Gothard, and there are other good turns as well, especially from Jane Seymour as, I believe, a fictional artist named Emma. Susan George and Edward Judd are also in the cast but I didn't recognize either of them. 

Verdict: Interesting take on Jack the Ripper -- employing mostly real-life characters -- as long as you recognize that the denouement is crap. ***.

INTRUDERS

 

INTRUDERS (1992 two-part mini-series). Produced and directed by Dan Curtis. 

"Half the time you think you're going crazy. Half the time everyone thinks you are." 

Psychologist Dr. Neil Chase (Richard Crenna) encounters people who have had weird and frightening experiences that they can't explain or clearly remember, but it seems to point to alien abductions. The story focuses on Mary Wilkes (Mare Winningham), who is afraid the aliens might also have an interest in her young son, Timmy (Joseph and Christian Cousins); and Lesley Hahn (Daphne Ashbrook), who is at first thrilled at her pregnancy but then horrified after the aliens apparently take her baby. Chase learns that the government knows about the aliens but is denying everything until they know exactly what and who they're dealing with while the abductees suffer horribly. Chase risks his professional reputation by going public with what he knows. 

Marie Winningham

Many of the stories of alien abductions have been successfully debunked by now, with scientific explanations for much of what happens to the "victims," but this telefilm proceeds with the premise that the aliens and their experiments on humans are real. One man in a survivor's group hates the aliens and is sick of being treated like a guinea pig, while Mary, incredibly, comes to see the aliens -- who kidnap and experiment on people without their consent and steal their babies -- as having benign intent! Intruders examines all the usual conspiracy theories and folklore about alien abductions, and does a fairly good job of dramatizing them. The acting is more than adequate. Other cast members include everyone from Jason Beghe to Ben Vereen. The aliens themselves are strictly by way of Close Encounters. A sappy "happy" ending doesn't help. 

Verdict: All you need to know about alleged alien abductions. **1/2.