Criminal Record review: New Apple show is the British antithesis to Delhi Crime; it’s addictive but not unmissable

The new Criminal Report crime-thriller series from Apple is weakened by a propensity for misdirection. Written by Paul Rutman, the eight-episode series pits two London investigators against each other when a seeming long-forgotten murder case appears out of nowhere. One is an experienced police officer, while the other is a wet-behind-the-ears rookie. What comes next is a cat-and-mouse game that works more like a psychological suspense story than a cop story with social responsibility, Detective Sergeant June Lenker, portrayed by Cush Jumbo, receives a distress call from a young woman who whispers to the operator that her life is in jeopardy. She says that her boyfriend is also to blame for the murder of another young woman more than ten years ago. Errol Mathis, a Black man, was found guilty of the crime and given a 24-year prison sentence; nevertheless, the woman thinks Mathis is innocent.

DS Lenker learns that the case's investigating officer was the notorious Detective Inspector Daniel Hegarty, a no-nonsense Glaswegian who was intensely and scorchingly portrayed by Peter Capaldi in the television series.Review of Criminal Record: Despite having two of the best actors in the business in Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo, Apple's new series works better as a psychological thriller than a standard police procedural. The new Criminal Report crime-thriller series from Apple is weakened by a propensity for misdirection.The new Criminal Report crime-thriller series from Apple is weakened by a propensity for misdirection. Written by Paul Rutman, the eight-episode series pits two London investigators against each other when a seeming long-forgotten murder case appears out of nowhere.

One is an experienced police officer, while the other is a wet-behind-the-ears rookie. What follows is a police procedural with a social conscience that plays more like a psychological thriller than a cat and mouse game.Few contemporary topics are unaddressed in Apple TV+'s newest drama, "Criminal Record," including misogyny, elder care, police brutality, racism, colorism, poverty, and fascism. Though co-leads Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi give compelling performances, the film's direction, script, and photography condemn it to Apple's ever-expanding collection of drab dramas.The idea isn't completely pointless: Fearful and unable to identify herself, the lady contacts a domestic abuse hotline from a phone box, sobbing as she claims her abusive boyfriend is the one behind a cold case murder that another guy is serving a 24-year term for. Before she can say anything more, CCTV footage captures her running away after being scared off by some straggling young people on bicycles.