Overview: Robbie Coltrane (Cracker) and Sharon Small (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries) star in the knife-edge thriller, 'Murderland.' The events surrounding a traumatic murder are told from the perspectives of the three main characters, including the daughter of the victim, for whom the investigation becomes a haunting obsession.

DVD Verdict: This highly-impressive, three-part mini-series, opens with a mix of black and white shots overlapping those of the here-and-now color ones. Flashbacks to something that happened, something bad, something that still needs to be investigated.

Part 1 is slow moving from the off, but when the lead female of the mini-series (the grow-up girl from the black and white flashbacks) knocks on now-retirred Detective Douglad Hain’s (Robbie Coltrane) door, wow, his look of self-realization is incredible. And, as for Carrie (Sharon Small), the now-older young girl, she is fantastic in this multi-layered role.

‘Murderland,’ a phrase created for what happens to children who get too close to the crime, carries on into Part 2 concentrating on Hain’s side of things; back then and now. Showing us he was more involved in the death of this girl’s mother than just being an investigating officer, when one of the cops in the incident room says, ‘She’s heading into Murderland,’ you know what he means - and where Part 3; the conclusion, is headed.

Indeed, Part 3 opens with Carrie not knowing who to trust, but knows that as her mother was working at a local massage parlor, takes the same job - entertaining clients, hoping to run across one of the major suspects of the time who frequents it now. One of the most incredible scenes of this final episode is when she looks into the mirror after her first john and says, ‘Hello again, Mum’ - very, so very deeply sad.

The eventual conclusion of who did it, and why is well worked out, nicely done, but kind of overshadowed by what really happens in the final few frames of this compelling UK mini-series. Indeed, the true ending is, well, totally unexpected, sad, and abrupt! [RT] This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.