CASE SENSITIVE: THE POINT OF RESCUE

UK, 2011, 90 minutes, Colour.
Olivia Williams, Darren Boyd, Rupert Graves, Peter Wight, Amy Beth Hayes.
Directed by Charles Martin.

Case Sensitive: Point of Rescue and Case Sensitive: The Other Half Lives a to television movies adapted from novels by Sophie Hannah.

The films focus on the work of a rather tough yet vulnerable police detective in a British Town, Charlie Zailer. She is played with great strength, often rugged, often over-sensitive by Olivia Williams. Her associate, Simon, with whom she has a sexual relationship, while in public being severe and sometimes dismissive of him, is played by Darren Boyd. She is both emotional and demanding on those she interviews. He is blunt and seemingly insensitive. There are many scenes at police headquarters, with the chief often critical of Charlie, and one of the officers, Colin, continually mocking her. These characters appear in both films.

The Point of Rescue starts with a mysterious set of deaths, a seeming killing of a child and then a suicide in a bath with the husband coming home from a business trip and finding the bodies. He is immediately under suspicion and, in his grief, acts in a gruff manner, and gives grounds for suspicion. He is played well by Rupert Graves.

The plot, however, is quite complicated with the young woman confronting Graves in his house claiming to have a relationship. She also gives a false name which leads to the death of the woman whose name she had taken, one of her close friends. She is then abducted and held in an abandoned house. Audiences will probably be surprised at the identity of the killer but as the film moves to its conclusion, a case is made for the plausibility of his criminal behaviour.

The other half lives is much more straightforward in its presentation of its plot but it also has a twist. While the life at the centre and the police interactions are immune to the fore, with Charlie and Simon berse investigating, but she falling victim to suspicion and jealousy of the younger officer and the force.

A young woman, with the good teaching job, has left her husband and entered into a relationship with the pianist, with whom she is infatuated. He indicates that there is something dark in his past and she become suspicious, even to following him into London. Then her husband is murdered. The course she has lied about visiting her husband, she is arrested and is under suspicion. The musician has also clashed with a husband so he too is under suspicion. There is some ambiguity with the name merry which ultimately leads to the solution of the plot and a happy ending with neither of the suspects guilty of the crime.

The films are interesting as murder mysteries, as police investigations, as well as the unusual relationship between the intense officer and her taciturn associate.

1. The police story, an interesting case, the police and their method of investigation, following leads, gathering information, interviews, police expertise, limits? Twists?

2. The town, the police precincts, homes, schools, atmosphere? The musical score?

3. Olivia Williams as Charlie, age, experience, personality, in command, Simon as her associate, her being his boss, her interviews, his hard style, the toll on her? Detective work, interviews, leads, frustrations, consulting experts, dangers, threats? Handling the situation? And the background relationship between Charlie and Simon?

4. Simon, in himself, serious, his work, his treatment by Charlie, the sexual relationship, unemotional, looking for evidence and facts, following leads, the discussions?

5. The staff, the boss, hard line attitudes, Colin and his cheekiness, the taunts?

6. The situation: the bodies, the bath, the husband and his travel, the interviews, motivation, the friend and her child and the discovery of the bodies? The dead wife and her painting? Spanish, the story? Mark and his complaints about the police? The visit from Sally, his anger, her taking the photos, his going to the police, identifying his visitor?

7. The children, as friends, the whisperings, Amy and her mother’s death, children at six years old and what they knew and understood and didn’t understand?

8. Sally, her experience, the weekend with Mark? Confiding in Esther? The work of the hotel? Going to confront Mark, his being the wrong man, giving Esther’s name, taking the photos? Going to the zoo, trying to find out the truth, her fears? Going to the rehuge?

9. Esther, being pursued, killed, floating in the water, Sally blaming herself?

10. The diary, in Spanish, the translation?

11. Going to the expert, family cases, the study, his manner, the media?

12. Jonathan, his work with the expert? Going to the house, Sally present, the story, the threats, his skill in his work, the irony of his wife being the Spanish woman, the deaths in the bath, the child? His infatuation with Geraldine, the jealousies? Killing her and her daughter? Impersonating Mark, the affair with Sally? Abducting Sally, the confrontation with Charlie, his attacking her, backing down, his confession? Sally wanting to get back to her husband?

13. A satisfying ending for the case?