Inside Man

Part Silence of the Lambs and part rash decisions leading to unfortunate outcomes, Inside Man, the recent BBC series not to be confused with Spike Lee's 2006 heist flick nor the recent thriller starring Lucy Hale and Ashley Greene, is more notable for the performances than the plot. However, there's still some interesting pieces worth watching (especially for those seeking it out for the reunion of Steven Moffat and David Tennant). One-half of the series involves a death row inmate (Stanley Tucci) solving crimes from behind bars who agrees to an interview with a reporter (Lydia West) if she can agree to one simple rule. The other involves a series of unfortunate events and misunderstandings involving a preacher (Tennant) from locking a young woman (Dolly Wells) in his basement. 

The stories are connected through the reporter who met the missing woman and would like the convict's help. However, he'll only offer her an interview under the rules she never mention her missing friend again.

The sequences in the prison work better for me than those involving the poor decision tree of the preacher (and his family) whose rash actions never consider anything beyond immediate consequences. Tucci is no Hannibal Lecter, but he's smart enough to sell the premise and is given more to do than Tennant who runs around frantic for most of the series. For those not walking in as fans of Tennant or Tucci, it's a hard sell at three-hours given some of the uneven storytelling, but there's just enough here for a marginal recommendation for the right audience.

• Title: Inside Man (2022)
• IMDb: link