BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Parker Lewis Between the Lines launched Neil Pearson's career big time, and he became the hero that attempted to crack down on police corruption. Between the Lines was a huge hit and got under the skin of British police culture under the then Conservative government (this was a few years before Tony Blair and New Labour took power).Neil's character had a fondness for the women but that didn't stop him from his commitment to his work. Tom Georgeson deserves commendation for playing the Neil's sidekick.One scene was really gratuitous. Neil's and Tom's characters, along with others, were at a seminar hosted by a nerdy guy, and before the meeting started the nerdy guy politely and condescendingly asked everyone to put away their cigarettes. Then what happened? Everyone assertively put their cigarettes in front of them as an act of defiance to the nerdy guy and probably "political correctness". Oh dear. You can imagine the writer for that episode got some satisfaction that the audience were cheering for these cigarette- wielding heroes up against the nerd.

Thorsten-Krings Between the Lines is gripping police drama about the CBI investigating abuse of police powers and corruption within the force. The first remarkable thing is that BTL has a fairly unlikeable protagonist: womanizing career police man Tony Clarke who is really blackmailed into joining the CBI. He acts so irresponsibly in his personal life throughout the series that it is really difficult to sympathize with him (and he wears the worst fitting suits I have ever seen). On the other hand he is very emotional about his job and also really professional about it (unless his private life or hormones get in the way) in spite of the fact that he really hates his job. His team consists of bisexual Maureen Connell and veteran copper Harry Naylor whose wife develops a terminal illness in the second series. These three really complex characters really carry the show. The standard of writing is also fairly high. The stories are complex and satisfying which is not easy to achieve in a 45 minutes format. However, in the second season they become formulaic in terms of the CBI's impotence to deal with corruption in the force. You can't help wondering why they bother at all. Apart from the strong performances of the cast (with the possible exception of the rather one dimensional DCS Graves) the series also has some episodes that are visually very well made particularly the inteview situation. For 1992 the first season is also groundbreakling in its depiction of nudity as you see some full frontal shots of Clark's beautiful girlfriend and you see Jaye Griffith's bottom.

ubercommando "Between the Lines" was a show which reflected British television's attitude to the police in the Thatcher years...namely, that the police are brutal, corrupt and fascist. If the show was merely about corrupt officers, then it could have made for gripping drama, but it had a heavy political agenda so corruption was always from up on high and institutionalised. One or two episodes of this might have been gripping, but it was constant and often Neil Pearson's character would often act as an apologist for the criminals. One of the more ludicrous episodes featured Pete Postlethwaite as a senior Metropolitan Police commander putting down a riot (by good lefties or course) which he agitated and he ends up quoting the speech made in the Falklands War: "The flag is flying over Port Stanley"...oh, is this a dig at Thatcher? But apart from the student level politics, the show gained notoriety and earned the nickname "Between the Loins" for its preponderance for sex scenes bang on the stroke of the 9 o'clock watershed. Any chance for Pearson to drop his trousers (but always in a sensitive way) and he'd grab it. Sometimes it seemed he'd abandon a case to get some more sex...can't say I blame him.

Sulla-2 The first two series were about the work of the Police Complaints Department. The slightly disappointing third series was basically about a team of private eyes who used to work together in the Police. I would have preferred all the characters to have remained in the Police Complaints department because to take them out, just made it into a normal detective programme. All of the regular cast were more than excellent, but my favourite was actually John Deakin, the villain of the piece. My favourite quote was when Deakin spoke to Superintendent Graves in the Toilets and went something like, " Whilst Clarke may considerably p*ss me off, my dislike of him pales into insignificance compared with my permanent and utter contempt for you. Got It ? " Some of the scenes between Harry Naylor and his dying wife Joyce ( Serious Crumpet ! )were very well done.