Out

A gritty gangland British TV drama, this six-part 1978 miniseries centers on Frank Ross (Tom Bell), released after an eight-year prison stretch for a botched robbery and so intent on tracking down the snitch responsible for the job going sour that he has little time to deal with his institutionalized wife, troubled teenaged son, needy mistress, or a buddy who's deeply in debt to dangerous creditors. Ross's convoluted search for the truth involves a wide array of criminal types—as well as corrupt cops—and by the time the credits roll many have been severely injured. Although Bell's central performance is rather impassive, Out features an excellent supporting cast, including Norman Rodway as Ross's steely nemesis, DI Bryce, and a young Brian Cox as crime lord Tom McGrath. And the atmosphere of London's dark side in the 1970s is well captured, although due to the program's age the visuals aren't very crisp; night scenes in particular look somewhat murky. Regardless, viewers interested in British crime drama will easily make allowances in view of the engrossing narrative which steadily ratchets up the tension. DVD extras include episode audio commentaries by writer Trevor Preston, director Jim Goddard, and producer Barry Hanson. Recommended. (F. Swietek)