Power Play and Legacy || Review Of Thriller Series - Criminal Record (2024)

A most brilliant plot and well executed storytelling that keeps viewers on the edge of their seat. I wasn't expecting this when I started to watch this eight-episodes British crime thriller but seeing Cush Jumbo as one of the lead, I knew it would be worth watching. Her performances in The Good Wife, a spectacular American legal drama and its spinoff The Good Fight are so good and leave no room for doubt about her acting skills.

I applaud the creator of this series, Paul Rutman, for an outstanding job thanks to the two leads, Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi. They are just the best and fitting for this thriller. Their performance is impressive, realistic and gives this series some authenticity. A junior or rookie officer going against a possibly corrupt and sinister senior officer will most likely bring up conflict and abuse of power and these two actors delivered spectacularly. I'll say they both deserve an award for their roles.

I admire Cush Jumbo's character in this series. Pushing against a strict system that is historically white and male-dominated while being a woman and mixed race is no easy feat. She's tough, uncompromising yet emotional and empathic when she needs to be. Everyone can relate to her rather than if she was cast to be a badass police officer.

Peter Capaldi on the other hand does the great job of being sneaky, sinister with those eyes, calculating and using everything within his power as a senior officer to frustrate Jumbo's efforts to overturn the conviction. That's what a corrupt senior officer would do. So I'll say they both played their parts well.

Though much attention and screen time were given to the two leads, there were some supporting cast members that I feel deserve good attention such as the lawyer, Sonya, working with June Lenker and Errol Mathis, the convict, and his mother. Their acting are great but their roles deserve to be explored.

Every episode is charged with complex storylines, intrigue and suspense and admirably, Rutman ties them up neatly at the end without leaving plotholes or cliffhangers. Themes of race and racial profiling, politics, and corruption are addressed in this series.

The only area I would fault this series is the visuals. They are dull and give a gloomy vibe. I wish Paul Rutman had invested in more lighting or changed the style of his cinematography to give the series a sleek and clear look.

Overall, Criminal Record is a phenomenal thriller series that explores the power balance in the police force and the length people would go to protect secrets buried long ago. I enjoyed binge-watching and highly recommend it to fellow crime thriller lovers. I'll give 4 stars out of 5.

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