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Waking The Dead

Starring: Trevor Eve, Sue Johnston, Claire Goose, Holly Aird, Wil Johnson
Director: Martin Hutchings
Format: PAL Widescreen
Released: 16 Jul 2001
RRP: £12.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Classy and intelligent - By: L. Eklund, 02 Sep 2003
I watched "Waking the Dead" as a series on BBC America, then heard that there was a movie or premiere episode. Due to it's limited availability on Amazon.co.uk, I bought the film through a friend. The best testimony I can give to the quality of the film is that I've seen it several times since I got it. The story is a fresh take on an old idea, which deals with the abduction & murder of a teenage girl five years go. This murder haunts Det. Superindent Peter Boyd. He is put in charge of a new Metropolitan Police program callled the "Cold Case Squad". Now 5 years later the perpetrator kidnaps another girl. Boyd knows it's the same man & forces his superiors to let him handle it. I had several emotions for the kidnapper, but in the end alll that was left was pity. The movie was well written, directed & acted.
All the actors are fantastic. Trevor Eve is wonderful as Detective Superindentant Peter Boyd. Boyd comes across as a control freak, arrogant, egotistical & sometimes tyrannical. That would seem to make the character unlovable, which isn't true because Boyd is also haunted by the disappearance of his son. His obsession with getting the job done right is a result of that loss. Boyd is definitely a flawed man who has secrets of his own.

Sue Johnston is wonderful as Dr. Grace Foley Ph.d. She is the profiler of the group & has a unigue insite which is described as a "way with the dead". Johnston portrays Foley as an intelligent, strong woman.

Holly Aird is Dr. Frankie Wharton M.D(pathologist). She is also a driven professional. She is brillant, but lacks person skills. In her search for the truth, she sometimes forgets about the human factor. Which Boyd reminds her of, occasionallly. Aird also represents Wharton as intelligent & strong. She knows her job & is very protective of her territory.

Detective Constable Amelia Silver(Claire Goose) & Detective Sargeant Spencer Jordan(Wil Johnson) are the young police detectives who finish out the team. These two young actors bring a vibrant youthful quality to the show. The characters have an arrogance which young professionals often have. They have to be reined in by Boyd, especiallly Jordan. In a scene at a cemetary, Jordan contradicts Dr. Wharton's orders for exhuming a body. He is backed up by Boyd, but it turns out that Wharton is correct. It irked me that he would even dare to assume he knew more than Wharton.

This premiere episode brings to life several very different characters who have to form a working relationship. Throughout Series 1 & 2, those bonds become stronger, & eventuallly become friends.

I do recommend this movie. Coming from the US, we don't see good acting, writing & directing very often. It is very refreshing.