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Messiah (2020)

2020 · Drama,Mystery,Thriller · crime-detective-puzzle, crime-psychological-profiler, crime-procedural

Messiah poster

Messiah is a prestige BBC serial-killer thriller from 2001, adapted from Boris Starling's novel, following troubled Detective Superintendent Red Metcalfe (Ken Stott) as he hunts a methodical killer leaving silver spoons in victims' mouths across London. The show belongs firmly in the tradition of intelligent British crime drama: atmospheric, character-burdened, procedurally grounded, and unafraid of darkness. Its team of investigators each carry personal dysfunction — gambling, estrangement, illicit attraction — that bleeds into the case. Reviewers consistently praise Stott's performance as the gravitational core, the stylish cinematography, and the sustained mystery engine, while acknowledging the finale strains credibility. It sits in the Se7en tradition without being derivative, offering an essentially British register of unease and moral weight.

From the reviewers

It is stylishly and beautifully filmed with a lot of atmosphere, while the locations are also used to great effect. The music is suitably ominous while never being too obvious.
'Messiah' is very intelligently written, it is never stilted or clichéd and constantly keeps the mystery elements alive. The stories are gripping throughout with lots of twists and turns and genuinely surprising solutions.
The only motive I didn't completely buy was in the first series, which felt implausible and underdeveloped, it didn't seem like a good enough reason to murder all those people in such a gruesome manner.
There are some clever and very gruesome murders that never are gratuitous (especially in the first series) but are not for weak stomachs
Ken Stott is exceptional as the main character, and it is some of the best acting he's ever done. He is terrifically supported by Neil Dudgeon (who has never been better), Michelle Forbes, Frances Grey, Edward Woodward and especially a sinister Jamie Draven, in fact everybody is good.

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