Paranoid [Review]

After been broadcast on ITV back in September, the successful British crime drama Paranoid is being released on dvd in the UK for everyone to add up to their collection.

Set in the fictional Woodmere police department in the UK, this thriller follows three detectives trying to solve a case involving a physician being stabbed to death in a children’s playground.

During the course of the 8 episodes clues and witnesses start piling up, and the three colleagues find on their hands a much bigger case involving a pharmaceutical company based in Germany.

Throughout their investigation they have to deal with setbacks as well as the help of a ghost detective who is anonymously trying to point them in the right direction to solve this intricate case.

When it comes to thrillers and crime fictions it is really easy to fall down the same dynamics already seen in many TV series. However, Paranoid moves away from that and prefers to focus on a single crime and carry it until the final resolution, taking a similar path marked down by the American series “True Detective”.

The structure of the story is linear and the attention always focuses on the murder, which forms the baseline in each episode. The more the story unfolds the newer pieces of information are uncovered

The suspense keeps on building up with each episode and even when the detectives seem to get closer to solve the murder, at the end something happens that either move the investigation forward towards a new direction or forces them to change strategy.

The cast ensemble work together effortlessly. Their chemistry as a group is genuine, although the presence of the romance between two of the three detectives seems a bit off and it doesn’t add much to the story itself.

As clear reminder of the title, throughout the episodes, there is always a sense of lingering paranoia felt by the main characters which transfers to the audience as well, keeping them on the edge of their seats.

The characterization of every protagonist is not superficial, on the contrary, it builds up piece by piece during the 8 episodes. The audience gets to know all of them and the more the story moves forward the more a clear picture of the characters’ personalities as well as their past is given without interfering with the main plot. Both aspects are intertwined together and they help keeping the pace of the episodes steady and smooth.

Even though some aspects of this production aren’t perfect, Paranoid is a well developed crime thriller that entertains the audience while telling a gripping story that will keep everyone on edge until the end.

Paranoid is out on DVD now in the UK.

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Federica Roberti