Before Adolescence, Philip Barantini Made Another Crime Gem With 100% on RT
This is a realistic project that will make you take a new look at many facts related to the work of police officers.
As we saw in Adolescence and Boiling Point, director Philip Barantini is not a fan of the boring approach. He employs a surprising number of cinematic devices, such as long takes and expressive noir lighting.
And while Barantini's new standout show Adolescence, which has a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score, has already managed to become this year's breakout hit, his other crime project, which received a perfect score from critics – The Responder – remains in the shadows.
What Is The Responder About?
Police officer Chris works the night shift. He meets with his family only for breakfast, and after a nap, visits a therapist. He is assigned an inexperienced partner, and at the same time a large shipment of cocaine disappears from a local drug dealer.
The cynical protagonist suddenly develops fatherly feelings for both the girl who stole the drugs and his new partner – it turns out that working alone was much easier, and now the grip of real danger begins to tighten around everyone Chris knows.
The Responder Was Made by an Ex-police Officer and Is as Realistic as Possible
The Responder is not your average genre flick, elevated above its competitors by the participation of Martin Freeman, but a first-class spectacle.
First-time author Tony Schumacher, himself a former Liverpool policeman, not only manages to fill the events with a lot of realistic details, but also proves to be a master of psychological tension and adrenaline excitement at the right moments.
The Responder Is More of a Psychological Drama Than a Police Show
A show about the everyday life of police officers could be about shiny boots, shootouts and tense chases, but you won't see that in The Responder.
The series shows the other side of police work: lack of interest, monotonous calls every day, professional burnout. The plot develops slowly, gradually immersing us into the atmosphere of the characters' lives.
This is what distinguishes the series from others that attract viewers with sharp topics, humor or dynamics that don't give a second to think. The Responder reminds us of such a strong genre as psychological drama, which is usually based on the main thing – brilliant acting.
The Responder Is One of Martin Freeman's Best Roles
The Hobbit trilogy gave Martin Freeman a certain aura of a good-hearted and friendly man. But it turns out that Freeman is a guru of transformations, and in The Responder his skill will be revealed from an unexpected side.
This is his most multifaceted role, combining aggression, walking on the edge of a breakdown, which is unusual for this actor, and tenderness, sensitivity in the image of a man traumatized and exhausted by his profession.
