Too much of everything

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

A baby gets abducted and the prime suspect is a convicted pedophile. As emotions build up, the members of CID London have to pull themselves together to stay professional and focused. The worst episode of this otherwise excellent series is surely The Lost Child. Not only was the plot completely obvious after 15 minutes, the depiction of paedophilia hysteria was itself hysterical. The throwing of a suspect in front of speeding van by a senior police officer was completely over the top and thoroughly unbelievable. On top of that we have to suffer through the completely rubbish acting of Beatie Edney playing the role of the mother of the abducted child.Given the short running time of this episode, the proceedings felt rushed. But this could have been forgiven if the writing had been up to the standard of the previous seasons. It didn't even come close. 4/10

I, and my wife, have become 100% addicted to "Prime Suspect". We rent them, 3 at a time, from NetFlix.This is the best police series I have seen.But --- The "Lost Child" episode my have been the end of my addiction. Maybe it's because the creator and writer of the series, Lynda La Plante, was not part of the "Lost Child" episode. I don't know.Now I seem to have lost interest - because in this episode, Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison is doing the exactly same thing as she did in all of the previous episodes, i.e. Running the show. For example, I don't recall any of the other Superintendents (Tennison's immediate boss)in any previous episodes, being so involved in the hour-to-hour, day-to-day, ordering the other D.C.'s about and such about, in nearly every scene.I loved the series because it was so real. It is not so real (to me) anymore. In real life law enforcement, when a person is promoted to a higher position they do not go to work every day and do the job they have before they got promoted. I was in law enforcement and the Criminal Justice system for over 20 years and never saw this happen.My wife still is fanatically loyal to the series, but I am going to try and sneak in different Netflix movies every now and then. lol.

Prime Suspect 4 marks a departure for the series. Gone is series writer and creator Lynda La Plante. The other major change is the format; this series consists of three unrelated episodes, with some unifying characteristics.Spoilers: When we last saw DCI Tennison, she had failed to gather enough evidence to convict Edward Parker-Jones of the death of Colin "Conny" Jenkins and for running a pedophile ring; but, she gained a measure of justice by subtly providing a journalist the opportunity to reveal the story. She was able to extort a promise of promotion from her superiors, if she solved the case and gained a conviction. She earns her promotion to Detective Superintendent, even though she doesn't obtain a conviction. She also finds that she is pregnant with the child of a former lover, a married man. After the horrors she has witnessed and learned, she decides to terminate the pregnancy. This episode opens with Tennison having her abortion. She wants to quickly return to work so she doesn't have to confront her emotions. Unfortunately, her first case involves the apparent abduction of an infant. Tennison becomes increasingly desperate to recover the child; and when it is found dead, to bring the killer to justice. Although the previous series involved the dangers of pedophiles preying on kids on the street and in state institutions, this series confronts the harsher reality of a pedophile in a domestic situation. Tennison's prime suspect is a pedophile who was released after serving his sentence and undergoing treatment. Like most offenders, he was the product of abuse himself. At points he seems like he is truly trying to live a normal and healthy life; and at others, his actions are suspicious. To add to the mix, one of Tennison's detectives seems obsessed with this case. He nearly causes the suspect's death and sets into motion events which lead to his escape and taking of hostages. Tennison discovers that her officer was also the survivor of abuse, although his life took a more positive path. While Tennison attempts to resolve the hostage situation, without loss of life, she uncovers the truth of what happened to the infant victim. The siege ends safely, but Tennison has faced her own loss and had a glimpse of what life could have been like had she chosen to carry out her pregnancy. In the end, she doesn't know if she is better or worse off. The performances are good, as always, and the writing, although not La Plante's, holds up well. As always, issues are presented without providing easy solutions, much like life.A special note for Star Wars fans; check out Anthony Daniels, sans C3PO costume, as a pathologist. He demonstrates far greater skill than he was allowed to show in the other films.

I'm surprised that mine, so far, is the only comment on this t.v. movie...as far as I'm aware, the series itself, has had a huge following, reviewer pundits and real people alike, have praised it to a person. Anyway, let me tell you right away that, if like me, you're a sucker for gritty police dramas, you'll like "The Lost Child" Tennison, the heroine, throughout the "Prime Suspect"series, has been battling the male police establishment, throughout the series, getting to her present, comparatively powerful rank in the police hierarchy through hard work,obstinacy, and sheer talent for police work. She is,essentially, an ambitious career woman, but she has a romantic side and is certainly no man-hater. Unfortunately her relationships are affected by the wicked hours, which her career demands, and she has never married, so when she finds herself pregnant from her latest affair, she is faced with the choice of becoming a mother, and jeopardising her entire police job, let alone future advancement, or having an abortion - which she opts for. This abortion never looms large in the ensuing drama - it's very skilfully dealt with, in less than a couple of minutes screentime, a marvel of economy in scripting, and editing - but it's always there, as a counterpoint to Tennison's desperate efforts to find another "lost child" - a kidnap victim - before it's too late. The story takes many twists and turns,before the surprise ending, and one is fascinated, alike, by the plot, and characters (although I found the many villains a little overdrawn), the police, and especially Tennison, herself, are not always competent, nor that likeable, which figures, given the unpleasant job that they have to do, in the sleazy underworld which this series, habitually inhabits.Mirren, herself, has said that she'll make no more movies in the series, but, excellent as she's always been in the role of Tennison, the series, itself, is as "actor proof" as is another addiction of mine -Dick Wolf's American"Law & Order" - whoever appears therein, each could go on forever. As is my fervent hope.