The Price of Crime Vol. 2 - DVD

Content: "The Price of Crime", the award-winning series by successful author Lynda La Plante, goes into the second round. After the first box could already inspire with two exceedingly exciting and first-class staged cases, the second set now proves that the series can also meet the high quality standards after its successful debut.

MURDEROUS WAY:

A little girl disappears without a trace while delivering newspapers. At first, investigators are in the dark, with only a description of a rust-colored Mondeo as a pertinent clue. But an anonymous tip leads Detective Michael Walker (David Hayman) and his team to wealthy businessman Karl Wilding (Anthony Higgins), in whose boathouse the bloody clothes of little Helen are found. Is Wilding actually the murderer?

At the same time, DI Pat North (Kate Bufferey) must contend with wine merchant Stephen Warrington (Richard E. Grant), who claims that a house in his immediate neighborhood houses a brothel. What at first seems like a trivial matter soon turns out to be an absolute nightmare for Pat, as Warrington proves to be a pathological stalker with uncontrollable mood swings. And soon it even seems that he, too, is involved in the murder of Helen Booth...

"Murderous Delusion" from 1999 is another powerful installment in the suspenseful series, which is especially thrilling with Richard E. Grant's superb performance. What Grant delivers here is scary good in the truest sense of the word. He provides some moments that are so intense that they are hard to take. But Kate Bufferey also shines in this episode. How she is gradually driven to the brink of a nervous breakdown by Warrington is embodied strongly and really believably by Bufferey.

The relationship between Pat and Michael, which is still in its infancy here, is still a good catalyst for further tension here, though it gets a little overused in the next episode. Here, though, the whole thing still works very well. Overall, "Mörderischer Wahn" is an exciting two-parter that can convince with surprising twists and great actor performances.

BACKGROUND:

On Michael Walker's birthday, of all days, Pat North receives word that she is being appointed to a special commission that will reopen old cases. For Pat a sure promotion, for Michael a slap in the face, he himself had hoped for a promotion soon. But the relationship between the two is also put to the test when Pat's first assignment deals with an old case of Michael's: the homosexual James McCready (James Wilby) is said to have killed his partner eight years ago. According to a statement by his daughter, McCready was convicted at the time, though he had always insisted it was an accident. Now the daughter has retracted her statement and supports her father's claims. But Michael still doesn't believe in McCready's innocence and has very personal reasons for it...

Every series is allowed to have a little hang-up once in a while. So is "The Price of Crime", which presents what is arguably the weakest installment of the series to date with the 2000 two-parter. Sure, the whole thing is still quality crime entertainment. But in direct comparison to the previous episodes, this two-parter just can't keep up. There is too much focus on the private problems in the relationship between Pat and Michael, which can't be compensated by the actual case. Because this is not uninteresting, but not as exciting as "Mörderischer Wahn". If the series had previously distinguished itself by a rather professional coolness, here some incongruous soap elements creep in, which clearly dilute the viewing experience.

Viewers who have become fans of the series through the first three cases will definitely be well entertained despite the weaknesses. But if you're looking for an entry-level episode, this is definitely not the one to choose!

Picture + Sound: Especially in the darker scenes, the picture is arguably grainy and also has visible weaknesses in the areas of detail sharpness and contrast. Small bits of dirt can also be spotted here and there. Coloring, on the other hand, is coherent and overall the nearly ten year old episodes are on average TV level. The sound is dominated by the dialogues, which sound a bit more front-heavy mixed in the German version and seem much more harmonious in the English original.

Extras: Unfortunately, apart from a couple of trailers from the provider on the fourth disc, there is again no bonsum material in Vol. 2. Too bad!

Conclusion: The second box set of "The Price of Crime has one great and one rather average two-parter to offer. However, "Murderous Delusion" is so well done that this episode alone is enough to justify buying the box for fans of the series. In terms of technology and bonus, there is still room for improvement. Therefore, as with Box 1, the same applies to the second box: here, the content quality is the only clear reason to buy, the other aspects, however, can only convince to a limited extent. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp