The Commander
The Commander. 2008. (DVD 791.4572 Command)
Lynda La Plante has a real knack for creating hard hitting, intelligent crime dramas, especially ones with strong female protagonists in positions of power at Scotland Yard, a historically male dominated institution. Think DCI Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) in the excellent British series Prime Suspect. In this series that aired in the U.K. from 2003 to 2006, La Plante introduces us to Commander Clare Blake (Amanda Burton), the highest ranking woman officer in the Metropolitan Police Service (the Yard's newer, hipper moniker). Her mission is to clean up the sullied reputation of the force by routing out internal corruption while overseeing a huge caseload of gruesome murders and unsolved cold cases. She's made some enemies on the way up, and is constantly fighting to keep the all-too-critical media at bay.
In the premier episode, she's faced with a new murder that matches the m.o. of James Lampton (Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey's Earl of Grantham), a recently released man who completed his 12-year sentence for murdering his girlfriend. Lampton is now a hugely successful author touting his book on criminal rehabilitation for which Blake, the arresting officer when he was convicted, wrote the introduction. There are those in the force who see a way to sandbag Blake's career by nailing Lampton as the killer. Taut, well-paced, finely acted with a tip-top cast of British actors, The Commander is bound to please fans of the genre.
(Barbara L., Reader's Services)
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