Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act (2006) (TV) Prime Suspect: The Final Act (original title)

Director:

Philip Martin

Writer:

Frank Deasy

Release Date:

12 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Approaching retirement, Jane Tennison investigates the murder of a missing girl. But the cracks soon begin to show as Jane struggles with an alcohol problem and the death of her father.

Plot Keywords:

Prime Suspect | Retirement | Child Murder | Hostage | Detective Series

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 7 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Helen Mirren	...	Det. Supt. Jane Tennison
Stephen Tompkinson	...	Sean Philips
Laura Greenwood	...	Penny Philips
Eve Best	...	Linda Philips
Gary Lewis	...	Tony Sturdy
Katy Murphy	...	Ruth Sturdy
Frank Finlay	...	Arnold Tennison
Tom Bell	...	Bill Otley
Robert Pugh	...	DS Alun Simms
Brendan Coyle	...	DCS Mitchell
Robbie Gee	...	DI Traynor
Russell Mabey	...	DS Cox
Laura Doddington	...	DC Wood
Heshima Thompson	...	Curtis Flynn
Carolyn Pickles	...	Pauline
Maxine Barton	...	Sallie Sturdy
Amandla Crichlow	...	Gloria
Sharon Maharaj	...	Consultant
Clive Hayward	...	Pathologist
Ricky Nixon	...	Lester Bishop
Seroca Davis	...	Delores
Ellie Kendrick	...	Melanie
Ashley Madekwe	...	Tanya
Nonso Anozie	...	Robert
Lee Whitlock	...	Jeremy
Sydney White	...	Girl on Heath
Dystin Johnson	...	Staff Nurse
Rebecca Clay	...	Staff Nurse
Tim Preece	...	AA Speaker
David Keyes	...	AA Speaker
Alex Blake	...	AA Speaker
Helen Griffin	...	AA Speaker
Amanda Wright	...	Vanessa
Lakechia Jeanne	...	Destiny
Olivia Lumley	...	Carol
Badria Timimi	...	Curtis's Lawyer
Iain Mitchell	...	Sean's Lawyer
Ronnie Fox	...	Barman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Simon Britton	...	AA Member
Laurence Richardson	...	Police Officer
Chris Wilson	...	Police Armed Responce Officer

Directed by
Philip Martin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Frank Deasy

Produced by
Andrew Benson	....	producer
Rebecca Eaton	....	executive producer: WGBH
Andy Harries	....	executive producer
Claudine Sturdy	....	line producer

Original Music by
Nicholas Hooper

Cinematography by
Julian Court		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Trevor Waite

Casting by
Doreen Jones
Liz Vincent-Fernie

Production Design by
Candida Otton

Costume Design by
Joanna Eatwell

Makeup Department
Deanne Turner	....	makeup designer
Karen Z.M. Turner	....	makeup artist
Isabelle Webley	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jane Coombes	....	post-production supervisor
Iain Smith	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Judges	....	first assistant director
Alex Kaye-Besley	....	additional third assistant director
Anna Kemp	....	third assistant director
Lisa Marsh	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Grace Brook	....	stand-by art director
Bill Brown	....	dressing props
Danny Clements	....	stand-by props (as Dan Clements)
Douglas Glen	....	stand-by props (as Douglas Glenn)
Charlie Johnson	....	property master
Mark Quigley	....	dressing props
Amanda Smith	....	production buyer
Lucy Spofforth	....	art department assistant

Sound Department
Chris Ashworth	....	sound recordist
James Dandridge	....	sound maintenance engineer
Nick Gillett	....	sound assistant
Paul Hamblin	....	dubbing mixer
Steve Hancock	....	boom operator
Graham Headicar	....	dubbing editor
Becki Ponting	....	dialogue editor
Becki Ponting	....	dubbing editor
Jonathan Rimas	....	adr mixer
Alexandros Sidiropoulos	....	foley & adr recordist
Alexandros Sidiropoulos	....	foley and adr recordist

Special Effects by
Charlie Bluett	....	special effects technician
Hugh Goodbody	....	special effects technician
David Holt	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Robin Beard	....	digital effects artist
Victoria Layson	....	graphics (as Vicki Layson)

Stunts
Andreas Petrides	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Astin	....	gaffer
Sean Connor	....	first assistant camera
David Gray	....	stand-by rigger
J.P. Judge	....	best boy
Jay Kemp	....	gaffer
Dirk Nel	....	camera operator: second unit
James Nesbitt	....	electrician
Micky Patten	....	grip (as Mickey Patten)
Oliver Schofield	....	camera operator: second unit
Hilda Sealy	....	focus puller: second camera
Chris Williams	....	clapper loader
Chris Williams	....	second assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Katherine Fanthorpe	....	costume assistant
Fiona MacKinnon	....	costume assistant
Joanna Macklin	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Nina Bradley	....	assistant editor
Tareq Kubaisi	....	colorist
Shane Warden	....	on-line editor
William Chetwynd	....	conform editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Daryl Griffith	....	orchestrator
Bradley Farmer	....	assistant to orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Mark Beeton	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Julie Burnell	....	production executive
Jenny Frayn	....	script editor
James Harrison-Griffiths	....	police advisor
Samantha-Jane Hunt	....	stand-in
Elliot Jenkins	....	production secretary
Stefan Kaday	....	production runner
Marigo Kehoe	....	head of production
Jen Lambert	....	unit nurse (as Jennifer Lambert)
Will Nash	....	runner
Holly Palin	....	publicist
Ian Pollington	....	location manager
Ian Pollington	....	location unit manager
Natalie Rogers	....	production coordinator
Caroline Russell	....	production accountant
Caroline Sanders	....	production accountant
Marinella Setti	....	script supervisor
Alex Wells	....	publicist
Charlotte Wright	....	assistant location manager
Ben Rogers	....	floor runner (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Granada Television (co-production)
• WGBH (co-production)

Distributors

• Granada International (2006) (worldwide) (all media)
• Independent Television (ITV) (2006) (UK) (TV) (ITV1)
• AcornMedia (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Elephant Films (2008) (France) (DVD)
• Elephant Films (2008) (France) (all media)
• Katholieke Radio Omroep (KRO) (2006) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (2006) (USA) (TV)
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (2007) (Germany) (TV)

Other Companies

• Boom  sound post-production
• Movie Lot, The  security
• Yacinsky Design  transfer

Also Known As:

"Prime Suspect: The Final Act" - UK (original title)

Runtime:

182 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Australia:M | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Elliott School, Pullman Gardens, Putney, London, England, UK

Company:

Granada Television

Trivia:

This episode was dedicated to the memory of Tom Bell (Bill Otley) 1933-2006, who died two weeks before this final TV appearance was screened.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Curtis is threatening Jane outside the hospital, his method of holding the pistol changes back and forth between shots. When seen over her shoulder, he's holding it using the standard grip, but when seen from the side, he's holding it sideways.

Quotes:

Det. Supt. Jane Tennison:[asking for a DNA test] Mr. Sturdy, unless you give us a sample, I'm afraid we're going to have to arrest you.
Tony Sturdy:[Spits in her face] There's your sample!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Screenwipe: Review of the Year (#2.7)" (2006)

Don't call me "Ma'am", I'm not the bloody Queen

The original 'Prime Suspect', an unusually tough police procedural thriller, was a landmark in early 1990s television, immediately making other hits series like 'Inspector Morse' appear tired and out-of-date. Since then, the series has retained some quality through its relatively infrequent outings, but still, the writing has not always been as good as in the first episode and in some cases has lapsed into the melodramatic cliché of the standard crime show. Gradually, I lost interest (I think about the fifth time that the whole direction of central character Jayne Tennyson's life was on the line if she didn't solve some murder in the face of the scepticism of her colleagues). But the series has always featured great acting from the incomparable Helen Mirren in that role, and in this final part she has arguably never been finer, there is some longer-term narrative development from the earlier episodes and Mirren exploits the character's growing history as the basis for a harrowing, wholly three-dimensional performance that almost seems out of place in a crime drama. Behind her performance, there's a nicely executed but less extraordinary tale of murder that could have come from any other cop show.

What's amazing about Mirren is how she truly inhabits the parts she plays: having recently seen her in Channel Four's 'Elizabeth', one can say the two series constitute a masterclass of televisual acting, ancient and modern. The series may be done; but the prime of Helen Mirren is far from over.