Monroe: Class of 76

(2005)
Technically the title is merely Class of 76, according to the IMDb, but the above was how Netflix titled it and so I present it that way should you desire to track this down and watch it for yourself. Tom Monroe (Robert Carlyle, sadly best known to American audiences from the execrable Once Upon a Time) is a rarity in procedurals these days; hes just a normal cop with no hidden powers or secrets. Hes the lead investigator on an apparent suicide, but as he digs deeper he begins to suspect that while the man did take his own life, sinister forces drove him to it. As he researches the case he discovers that this suicide is the fourth death in a primary school class of 32 children, the first of which, yes, was killed in 1976. Monroe heads to the scene of the original crime in Crofton to further develop the investigation, aided by Sgt. Steven Grant (Daniel Mays, youd recognize him). The more Monroe learns the less sure of anything he is, and the investigation takes a turn for the bizarre as a nonaging child appears to be involved at one point. The script isnt as tight as it needs to be; at times it reads like a first draft, where the same information is doled out a few times, or we learn of clues later on in the search when they could have saved precious time had they just come out in normal conversation. Theres a subplot with Grants wife trying to befriend Monroe and set him up with a friend that goes absolutely nowhere, and several times throughout the two-and-a-half hour run time the proceedings felt like padding, as if they had a ninety-five minute plot that they had to stretch for the TV movie format (which this originally was). Also the solution, once we reach it, is confusing and needlessly complex; I was left scratching my head at the end, a little. Maybe it was because I watched this the day after The Sweeney, but I enjoyed it, flaws and all. Carlyle is very good here, drawing in the viewer even though Monroe is not terribly social. Hes a dedicated policeman, and its his perseverance that leads him to his goal he reminded me in spots of Wallander, a normal guy who just works really hard at his job. It helps that Mays is sharp as well and fun to watch; hes kind of a nebbish, but he genuinely likes Monroe and wants to help his older colleague out. Theres a lot of pretty English countryside shown off, and a quaint seaside location where the murders initially take place. Most of the acting is solid, and the ploy is engaging, if far too complex and poorly explained. I liked the character of Monroe enough to hope they might have featured him in another, better film, but no such luck. If you like Brit TV and have a few hours to kill while youre puttering away on your iPad or alphabetizing your DVDs, this is perfectly acceptable fare. Its not bad, but it could have been better. May 6, 2013