Murphy’s Law: Series 2 – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews



James Nesbitt doesn’t merely play characters. He plays characters that play characters. He does it so well that you kinda lose sense of which character is at the core. His recent turn in Jekyll made him equally interesting as both the modern Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He doesn’t split up his focus. Murphy’s Law is the perfect series for a man of his talents. Detective Sergeant Tommy Murphy prefers to work undercover on extreme cases in Northern Ireland. Murphy’s Law: Series 2 gives us six cases that have him playing the homeless, a priest and a cop to get to the truth.

“Jack’s Back” has a string of killings in an area where a play about Jack the Ripper is playing to packed houses. Who is being inspired by this serial killer revival? A close police friend of Murphy’s gets knifed. Even though this would inspire a “this case is too personal” on an episode of T.J. Hooker, Murphy assumes the role of a bum to smoke out the killer. The pace of the show is rather manic like the attacks. “Bent Moon on the Rise” deals with the suicide of a promising narcotics cop. There’s a suspicion that racism within the unit drove him to this drastic end. Murphy poses as the replacement to uncover the true nature of the narcotics unit. Turns out they aren’t that clean. Although exposing the truth gets tricky when Murphy falls for a female officer that might be the ringleader. “Ringers” puts Murphy into an expensive car theft ring. This international crew steals stuff that’s normally featured on Top Gear. The operation is being run by Interpol. Murphy isn’t quite trusting his French counterpart. The guy doesn’t understand low profile operation procedures.

“Alice” starts with what should be a simple case of a boy drowning in a river. The mother believes the son was poisoned by a biotech lab that dumps product in the water. Murphy assumes the guise of a janitor to get the toxic truth. “Convent” brings strange deaths to novice nuns. In order to blend in with the religious order, Murphy becomes a priest. The main suspect is a perverted groundskeeper that has a knack for drilling holes and using the greenhouse for his special plants. Murphy connects the convent with a different biotech outfit. It’s a heavenly entry in the Nunsploitation genre. “The Group” lets us dip into the pain at the core of Murphy’s character. He infiltrates a support group for people effected by murdered relatives. He finds himself dipping into the murder of his own daughter to fit in with the others. While he give too much of himself in this case?

Murphy’s Law: Series 2 is a bleak crime drama that’s about as bright as the overcast skies of Belfast. There’s an intensity to Nesbitt’s portrayal of Murphy that is what Don Johnson craved to project during those harsh episodes of Miami Vice. He’s a cop on the edge as he gets more lost in his deep cover disguises. This series doesn’t get soft on crime or cops.

The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. There’s a course nature to the colors to make the series look rough. Watch out for interlace issues. The audio is Dolby Digital stereo. The levels are fine although you might want to turn on the English subtitles if the Northern Irish accents get a bit too rough.

James Nesbitt Biography is text about his history so far. He is from North Ireland and saved Coleraine F.C. from bankruptcy.

Murphy’s Law: Series 2 has quickly become one of my favorite cop shows as James Nesbitt dominates in the role of Murphy. The intensity level and bleak landscape reflects Murphy as a warrior of a lawless wasteland. Supposedly the episodes were an hour long when they aired on the BBC, but clock in around 50 minutes on the DVDs. Nothing feels missing so it shouldn’t bother people getting their first encounter with Murphy.


Acorn Media presents Murphy’s Law: Series 2. Starring: James Nesbitt. Boxset contents: 6 episodes on 2 discs. Released on DVD: April 27, 2010. Available at Amazon.com.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.