Frank Deasy Movies

Produced and aired in 2006, the final, four-hour installment of the 15-year Granada/WGBH television series Prime Suspect -- entitled Prime Suspect: The Final Act -- nominally continues to follow author Linda La Plante's literary character, Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren), but segues dramatically away from Tennison's casework and toward incidents and developments from her private life. This alteration reshapes Prime Suspect, in its concluding installment, from a detective mystery program centered around hot-button social issues (child molestation, bigotry, gender bias) into more of a domestic drama with an incidental detective subplot. The tale opens with Tennison poised on the edge of retirement, with only a few weeks of work ahead of her. In her off time, she struggles to care for her dying father (Frank Finlay), and battles her own periodic blackouts, brought on by encroaching alcoholism. The central crime plot involves Tennison's attempts to pinpoint those responsible for the sudden death of a pregnant teenage schoolgirl and bring the unsavory characters to swift justice. As she investigates, she comes into increasing contact with the girl's family, and begins to perceive the broken relationship that existed between the victim and her deeply dysfunctional father (Gary Lewis); she also befriends Penny, the best friend of the deceased -- a relationship that imparts her with much-needed insight into the case at hand. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Initially titled The Colony, this made-for-TV thriller offers the nightmarish scenario of thousands upon thousands of verminous rats swarming over a posh Manhattan department store. Inevitably, the dirty rodents threaten the entire city, and it is up to such hardy souls as hero Jack (Vincent Spano) and heroine Susan (Madchen Amick) to prevent this catastrophe. As The Rats, the film was originally slated for broadcast on September 17, 2001. For reasons that should be obvious, the Fox Network felt it would be more diplomatic to shelve the film for a while--for 367 days, to be exact, so it would not appear to be a tasteless exploitation of the first "9.11" anniversary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Despite a preponderance of heavy Scottish accents and often indecipherable slang, the British miniseries Looking After JoJo made for compelling viewing. Set in Edinburgh during the 1980s, the program starred Robert Carlyle as JoJo McCann, a petty thief freshly sprung from jail. With nothing better to do, JoJo became a courier for his drug-dealing Uncle Harry. In disturbingly casual fashion, the series detailed the collateral damage wrought by the drug trade, and the inevitable destruction of JoJo as a human being. The first of Looking After JoJo's four 50-minute episodes was broadcast by BBC2 on January 12, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this psychological drama, every significant moment leading to John Healy's slide into alcoholism and his unlikely redemption is shown. As the son of an Irish father growing up in England, he is mercilessly ridiculed by his schoolmates. It's little wonder that he takes to boxing as a means to self-esteem. However, his boxing days are soon over, and when his fragile self-esteem deteriorates, he hangs out with homeless alcoholics and gets imprisoned with them. While in prison, he grows intrigued by the game of chess, and soon he's beating everybody in sight. After he gets out, he begins to be a power in the chess world, but his lower-class origins keep him from enjoying the social success that should come with that. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide