Inspector Banks - The Complete First Season - DVD

Film: Back in 1987, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his team solved their first case. Conceived by the British writer Peter Robinson, Banks went on a gangster hunt in Yorkshire, the home of his literary creator, in the following years in several successful stories. In the process, various real-life locations were the inspiration for the fictional town of Eastvale, where the crime novels are set. After 25 books, the time was ripe for Inspector Banks to keep law and order on TV screens.

After a successful pilot, Inspector Banks - Murder in Yorkshire then went to series in 2011. Robinson was also allowed to see for himself on the set whether his template is also adequately implemented and seems to be absolutely satisfied with the result. And he can be, because the first four cases of the Inspector Banks, very charismatically embodied by Stephen Tompkinson, offer the best crime entertainment. Banks and his team are much darker than his British colleagues Barnaby or Lewis. The dynamic between Banks and his new colleague Annie Cabbot (Andrea Lowe) has a very special charm, because between the two of them is not necessarily the sexual tension, which is so often used, expressed in affectionate banter, prevails. Rather, two distinct egos meet here, who sometimes are completely on the same wavelength and then again don't seem to be compatible at all. But also the rest of the team fits very well into the stories. Even if the characters aren't drawn as carefully as Banks and Cabbot, they never seem superficial or completely interchangeable.

What also makes the series interesting is that you can tell Banks isn't letting the work leave him cold. How he deals with the fact that some crime scenes really upset him is really well portrayed by Stephen Tompkinson. Inspector Banks - Murder in Yorkshire suffers from a few little lengths and fans of other British crime series might miss the dry British humour that is usually used. Nevertheless, a very positive overall impression prevails in the end, which makes great desire for further film adaptations of the popular novel character.

The episodes in detail:

DVD 1:

<x><N</x>Pilot: Aftermath

In a small town in East Yorkshire, five young girls have disappeared without a trace. The townspeople are in a state of alarm. One night, police officers Janet Taylor and Dennis Morrisey are alerted to a suspected family dispute at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Payne. In the hallway of the house, the two find the unconscious Lucy Payne on the floor with a severe head injury, and worse is to come: when Taylor and Morrisey discover the strangled body of a young woman in the basement, a man with a machete goes after the lawmen. After fatally wounding Morrisey, his colleague Taylor manages to subdue the aggressive perpetrator with her baton. Chief Inspector Alan Banks is unable to question the perpetrator, who has fallen into a coma and is Marcus Payne, but the four bodies of blonde women with traces of abuse suggest a serial offender. There is still no trace of the fifth missing girl, Leanne Wray.

Banks hopes she is still alive and does everything he can to find her again. The investigator feels harassed at every turn by the young and determined Annie Cabbot of Internal Affairs. After a complaint from Payne's doctor, Cabbot is now tasked with finding out if Taylor really used the force required by purely official self-defense in making the arrest. Even the wife of the suspect, Lucy Payne, is no help to Banks in the search, because she pretends to have known nothing of the cruel crimes of her husband. (Text: arte)

No smoke without fire

The fire on a boat puzzles Banks and his team, as there are two victims with seemingly no connection between them. Leslie Whitaker, an antiques dealer, burns to death in agony in his boat. As it turns out, the fire was started deliberately. In the boat, DCI Banks (Stephen Tompkinson) and his team find a painting by William Turner and a large sum of cash. Was it a case of art fraud? In order to obtain an expert opinion, DS Cabbot (Andrea Lowe) seeks out art historian Mark Keane (John Light). When the body of Christina Aspern washes up a short time later, Banks and his team are faced with a mystery, as there is no apparent connection between the two victims. (Text: ZDFneo)

DVD 2:

When Dusk Comes

A rape leads Banks and his team to a case from the past. After a night of drinking, Hayley Daniels is found dead in the storage room of gift shop owner Timothy Randall (Ian Bartholomhew). It turns out that Haley was raped. Since Randall gave false information regarding the discovery of the body, he quickly becomes a suspect. Annie Cabbot (Andrea Lowe) gets her first murder case as lead investigator. She must solve the murder of Karen Drew, who was completely disfigured after an accident. At the crime scene she is reminded of a past case, and it turns out that the murder victim Karen Drew is also an old acquaintance of Banks (Stephen Tompkinson) and Cabbot. (Text: ZDFneo)

Cold as the grave

An armed robbery puzzles DS Cabbot, as it appears to have only involved an old van. Banks is asked a favour by Chief Superintendent Rydell. Outside a bar, Tony Grimes (James Boyland) is knocked out and his car is stolen. The culprit is petty criminal Charlie McKay (Sam Chapman). When DS Cabbot (Andrea Lowe) and DC Blackstone (Jack Deam) go to confront him, they find him dead. Everything points to the deed of a gang. Rydell (Colin Tierney) asks Banks (Stephen Tompkinson) to go to London to look for his daughter Emily (Scarlett Patterson). Banks finds her at the home of Barry Clough (Terence Maynard), an unscrupulous club owner. Shortly after Banks brings her back home, she disappears again. Did she know too much about Clough? (Text: ZDFneo)

Picture + Sound: The picture reproduces the dreary, rather gloomy atmosphere of the crime thrillers well through a coherent, somewhat reduced colour scheme. The image sharpness is in the brighter scenes at a good TV level, in the darker scenes, on the other hand, some minor blurring and slight image noise are detectable. The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound offers only a few real surround moments. In return, the dialogues sound clear and well understandable from the home theater boxes and also the rather restrained soundtrack provides a suitable atmosphere. Good!

Extras: Bonus material has the first season unfortunately not to offer.

Conclusion: Inspector Banks - Murder in Yorkshire is a suspenseful, gritty crime series from the UK that pleases with a great lead actor, good character development, engaging cases and a very atmospheric look. Even if loosening humor is scarce and the DVD has no additional material to offer, the first four cases of the investigator from Yorkshire can be warmly recommended to lovers of British crime fare. Recommendable

Source: Sebastian Betzold (review) / ZDFneo + arte (synopsis)