BBC Drama - Good Cop (2012)

Posted on the 15 October 2012 by Thepopcornpreacher @ThePopCornPreac
Now I know this isn't strictly a film review!  However, I felt it appropriate to spread this out to a wider audience as I have just finished watching it and it was truly intriguing. I hope you will head over to BBC Iplayer and watch it straight after this review!

Plot
When his partner is heavily beaten by a Liverpool mob, Sav becomes bent on finding and killing the criminals that did this. It is a compelling and dramatic portrayal of unfortunately rather 'real' events.
The reason I think it hit so hard was because it was gritty, real and posed a strong question which I often battle with, and it is whether you can justify the cold blooded killing of other people if what they have done could never be fixed even with a really long prison sentence.

Acting
Sav played by Warren Brown and savs father was a really heart warming relationship and one I can completely relate to. I loved how they included the fathers love of literature and used it to explain the story surrounding the good cop at each stage in the narrative. It really helps to slow each episode down and almost reflect on the crazy episode we have just watched. All the criminals are more aggressive and darker then the next and help to add the whole realistic feel of this 3 part drama.

Positive Points
  • Gritty and authentic
One element which is paramount in any true to life portrayal of an everyday job is that the work and criminals these characters face all feel alive and as if taken from somebodies past experience. Good Cop captures this beautifully, from a simple car thief who has a habit for breaking into cars to a harden mob leader who won't stand for anything. Each character feels a part of their own role and each episode focuses solely on developing the story of one of the main gang members and the whole of the police department.
  • Camera work
The shots in each episode have been really breathtaking, long establishing shots of the Mersey-side coast line and close up vignettes of intense character expression come together to make a really beautiful piece of TV Drama.

Points for improvement
 
It is very difficult for me to fault this as it was a drama I think designed to be spread over a another couple of series so the story is currently undeveloped for a reason. So I won't say there was anything bad about this as a police drama.

 Popcorn Preacher's After Word
In summary, I would say you should all go and see this drama it is a truly beautiful portrayal of the police force, whilst also showing you the darker sides of life on the front line of crime. Real characters, a compelling storyline and beautiful camerawork help to make this a truly awesome BBC drama.
 
If you enjoyed this review and want to see more TV reviews; let me know in the comments down below!
If you enjoyed be sure to share this around so more people can see it.  Thanks for reading and Keep on Preaching!