Director: Marc Evans

Cast: Luke Evans, Keith Allen, Caroline Berry, David Fynn, Oliver Ryan, Alexandria Riley, Charles Dale, Steven Meo, Richard Corgan, Kyle Lima, Steffan Cennydd, Anastasia Hille, Roger Evans, William Thomas, Suzanne Packer, Sarah Jane, Owen Teale, Ian Saynor, Rhodri Evan, Simon Nehan

Available On: BookMyShow Stream

Duration: 3 Episodes, 48 Minutes Each

‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’: Story

DSU Steve Wilkins (Luke Evans) reopens two unsolved murder cases from the 1980s. Forensic methods link the crimes to a string of burglaries. Steve's team has to find more evidence before the perpetrator is released from prison. Will he and his team be able to finally get justice to the victims of these horrific crimes? Will he be able to stop him from getting released from prison? Will the convict again commit another such crime? Or will Steve be able to catch hold of his beforehand? Well, for all that you’ll have to watch the show.

‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’: Performances

Luke Evans is the pick of the characters. He may look like the stoic nonchalant cop from the outside, but the turmoil going on in his personal life gives the character the necessary pathos. Luke Evans’ performance brings that relatability factor out perfectly. He manages to show his inner emotions making the character more likeable and, thereby, strong.

Keith Allen as the striking nemesis to Luke Evans’s character has come up with a performance that’s again so very relatable. The way the crimes are described in court, and the way he shows his facial antics after each of them is read out is what makes the character memorable.

The rest of the supporting cast is decent. However, there’s no stand-out performance in any of them.

‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects

Nick Stevens’ writing is what makes you stay on the tenterhooks every single minute of this series. While you know that there is one suspect but the way the twists and turns happen and the evidence crops up so as to convict that suspect of the murder charges, is what makes this a class apart. Some of the twists are expected, but there are quite a lot of twists which come totally unexpected and out of the blue.

Marc Evans’ direction adds to the value of the story, which was already intriguing. Usually, filmmakers tend to show the murders happening just so as to get the audience to empathise with that character or make them feel more attached to the story, but Evans decided to not take that route. The decision to not show any of the murders happening actually and yet get the audiences interested in those murders is fantastic. To show the lead investigator as vulnerable and actually having emotional turmoil in his personal life was also a great way to show that the cops care. Otherwise, in such cases, the police tend to look very judgemental?and have preconceived notions about certain aspects. There are not many shows or films which are able to do justice while adapting a screenplay from a book, but Nick Stevens and Marc Evans manage to get pretty close to making the show as interesting as the book.

Picking up the exotic locales to get the necessary feel for the story makes Baz Irvine’s cinematography one of the best things about this show. The open landscapes of Pembrokeshire used in the shots make the story not only visually appealing but give the screenplay the necessary loneliness it demands. Numerous long shots help showcase how well the actors were prepared for the shoot.

Tim Hodges’s editing was on point. The episodes were around 48 minutes long, and not for a moment you felt that you were abruptly left hanging for the next episode. All the 3 episodes had the necessary lows and highs needed to get the perfect finish at the end.

Music obviously plays a very precarious role in making a crime thriller feel like a murder mystery. Carly Paradis’ background score and music don’t actually manage to get that emotion out of the audience. It was probably the only low point of the series.

‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’: Can Kids Watch It?

Yes

Outlook’s Verdict

‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’ brings a certain eeriness to it while also maintaining the necessary thrill and excitement needed for a crime thriller. To add that, the brilliant writing and the superb locales make this show a Must Watch. As it has a certain degree of predictability,?I am going with 3.5 stars.