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TELEVISION/DVD REVIEW: FTN reviews Low Winter Sun Complete Season 1

October 29th, 2013 by Irwin Fletcher Comments


Low Winter Sun (2013)
Starring: Mark Strong, Lennie James, James Ransone

Murder, deception, revenge and corruption that starts with the murder of a cop by fellow Detroit detective, Frank Agnew.

Detective Frank Agnew (Mark Strong) is asked by his friend and fellow Detective Joe Geddes (Lennie James) to murder a fellow Police Officer. Reluctant at first, Frank knows that the officer was dirty.

This one act sends Frank down a very dark path where he slowly unravels the corruption of not only his friend and accomplice Joe, but of a lot of others in the city of Detroit. Charged with finding the murdered officer’s killers, Frank must now not only cover his tracks, but bring to book a murderer who does not exist.

The corruption that the murdered officer was involved in ranged from money collections, drugs, murder, torture and more despicable acts. In a city where The Mayor wants a quick result and a police force that has corruption on so many levels, can Frank stay true to his oath of “To Serve and Protect” or will he sink along with the slime of the city?

Low Winter Sun is a wonderfully written expansion on the 2006 British Mini-Series that stays true to the original, yet expands on the core theme of police corruption and original characters. The script is not only punchy but very realistic, with no over-acting scenes.

The storylines are very gritty and with so many characters in this series, it is hard find to any who have some redeeming qualities. This is a series where the line of good/bad is clearly blurred. As a result there is virtually no humour whatsoever throughout the entire series.

What is most memorable though is the quality of the acting. Mark Strong gives a superb performance as an American Police Detective struggling with the demons he has created himself. The supporting cast are also on top form with each actor fulfilling their characters motives and enticing the viewer to dig deeper into the story.

This is not your typical cop show where there are shootouts and car chases in every episode, Low Winter Sun is the complete opposite. It uses gritty realism and intelligent scripts backed by superb acting to create a story that is both plausible and yet fantasy at the same time.

Whilst a second series has yet to be confirmed, this is one cop show that will surely require repeated viewings that will keep the viewers thrilled and chomping at the bit for each next episode.

4 out of 5 Nerds

WIN a copy of Season 1 here

I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.