On Screen

At the turning of the year I've found myself viewing rather more stuff on the small screen than usual. On the way back from the UK I watched two movies - one on each leg of the journey - on the nifty small screens provided by Qatar Airways. Both featured excellent acting: All Is True, an account of Shakespeare's later years, post his retirement as playwright, saw Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench in fine form, plus a gorgeous cameo of Ian McKellen; and then The Post offered Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in equally impressive, if rather more contemporary, performances in a gripping re-enactment of the Washington Post's publication of the Pentagon Papers. To be honest, it's a shame to just pick out the big names since pretty much everyone around them was darn good.

But the performance that has blown the top of my head off in terms of its absolute perfection at every level is that of Thandie Newton in Series 4 of Line of Duty. Some stellar reviews of the show caught my attention last year and I vaguely wondered what all the fuss was about, assuming I probably would never have the wherewithal to actually watch any episodes. Then I realised that the fourth series was available on the BBC link we get on Starhub, so I ran the first episode with the Missus watching alongside and we found ourselves hooked, and savagely. Compelling stuff and Ms Newton, as the bent DCI, is just phenomenal, managing to be simultaneously deeply horrid and just as deeply sympathetic. She conveys the stress engulfing her character with such nuance and subtlety you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by it all on her behalf.

Anyway, we've got one final episode to watch and I can't wait. Though I must admit, the twists and turns are such that I suspect I'll be uncomfortably dizzied by whatever's in store.