“Line Of Duty” Is One Of The Best Crime Dramas Ever Made

Crooked cops. Masked thugs. Violent assassinations. Wild heists and plots that reach the upper echelons of government. And a brave trio determined to root out every “bent brass” they can find. That’s a recipe for truly great television.

British crime drama Course of action has been on my radar for years now. I wrote something about Fear the walking dead and how much I despised Morgan, and a reader told me it was a shame because actor Lennie James is actually a great actor in the right context. They suggested I check Course of action, and I assumed he must be one of the main characters in this series.

I was wrong. James plays one of the compromised police officers that the heroes of the AC-12 series investigate during the first season. AC-12 is a fictional police force located in the Midlands region of the United Kingdom. The AC part stands for anti-corruption. Course of action is devoted entirely to AC-12’s efforts to track down crooked cops and moles within the police working for organized crime, as well as the many members of the police force, both inside and outside, who seek to restrict their efforts.

The show is written and created by Jed Mercurio who also directed the excellent Bodyguard, which is a limited series British crime thriller that I highly recommend.

I’ve been sick for the last couple of weeks and that’s given me plenty of time to binge this series. I’ve watched the first five seasons (a total of 30 episodes) over the last 14 days or so, sometimes binging an entire season in a single day. I’m not usually an over-observant, but Course of action really hooks you in, especially from season 2 onwards. While I really enjoyed Lennie James as DCI Tony Gates, the first season is clearly still ironing out some loose ends. From there, it only got better.

I haven’t watched the sixth and final season yet, but I plan to soon. I decided to write this essentially spoiler-free review before watching the last season because I heard a number of readers say it was their least favorite. I figured I should get these few praises out of the way before any crushing disappointments occur.

Which makes Course of action great is that it’s both very intelligent and very exciting. Police work is really fascinating and feels very real (but how could I know the first thing about British police procedures and rules?) and the series pays a lot of attention to detail. But on top of all the great police work, you have some really exciting, over-the-top action sequences, and lots of twists and turns and suspense. You often know who the bad guys are, but there’s still a lot of mystery about what really happened or how the AC-12 detectives will uncover the truth. It’s really cat and mouse, and they’re doing really well.

I also love both the main cast and the seasonal guest stars. AC-12’s lead detectives are DS Steven Arnott (Martin Compston), DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar). These three characters are well-drawn and likeable, although I admit to having a soft spot for Hastings and his rigid sense of duty and the rule of law, not to mention his formidable Irish accent and his intimidating death look when he is not satisfied. someone. What a gem of a character.

Guest stars include the aforementioned James as well as some seriously great actors like Thandiwe Newton and Stephen Graham. But the acting, down to the smallest details, is always excellent – ​​a perfect match for such sharp writing.

I will say that the first three seasons are by far the strongest. Seasons 4 and 5 have some good bits, but there’s definitely a drop in quality that I’ll address in a separate article, spoiler. They’re still very addictive and worth watching, but the first three are by far the best in terms of writing, character development, and story. Do yourself a favor and try it. You can find Course of action on Amazon, Britbox, Hulu and elsewhere.

I’m adding this to some of my other crime drama and mystery recommendations, including:

I’m into a huge crime/mystery drama these days, and I’m scouring the internet for the best ones to share with you, dear readers. I’m also always happy for you to share them with me, so please let me know your favorites on Twitter and Facebook.