Last season when Sons of Anarchy went to Northern Ireland for the “Gimme Back My Baby” storyline, I kept expecting James Nesbitt to play a local. How could they not get a real Northern Irish thespian to tangle with the outlaw bikers?
After watching Murphy’s Law: Series 3, the answer is simple: Nesbitt would have been too intense for such a weak season.
He would have snatched the show from Jax and Clay. Nobody wants to see guys in leather cry. Nesbitt’s Tommy Murphy is one of the great badass undercover cops on TV and in movies. He’s not a loose cannon although he hates superiors interfering with his gut reactions to get evidence on a suspect. The third series of Murphy’s Law has a six episode story arc about him going deep cover to bust a major underworld figure.
“The Goodbye Look” appears to be a simple case for Murphy. He poses as a gun dealer for a quick sale in a hotel room. While it seems mundane, the buyer (Michael Fassbeder of Inglorious Basterds) mentions the gun is being used for a hit. Murphy goes hardcore and offers his service as a hitman. His commanders thinks he’s screwed up. Turns out the evil boss wants to hire him. David Callard (Mark Womack) is an underground figure with his fingers in legitimate businesses. He’s looking to eliminate an employee for various reasons. The only big issue for Murphy is how can he kill the guy without committing homicide or blowing his cover. “Disorganised Crime” gets him deeper into Callard’s empire. He’s sent off to the countryside to retool machine guns back into automatic weapons for a gang. Murphy’s a quick study in the operation since he can’t disappoint the customers. The real trouble is that is they are connected to Murphy’s hitman victim. There’s a chance they’ll be testing the reworked guns on his head. “Strongbox” makes Murphy the go between on a counterfeit Euros shipment. A female undercover cop becomes his hook up with a notorious forger. Things go seriously wrong when she turns up beaten to death and Murphy gets abducted by the forger. The intensity of the series is arrives when Murphy gets threatened with his fingers being cut off. This scene is not for the squeamish. Things get further tangled when Callard’s customer for the fake Euros turns out to be a knighted industrialist. This case is growing by the day.
“Extra Mile” shows the limits Murphy ignores in pursuit of getting into a circle. He kidnaps the knight’s son in order to get a meeting. Turns out the kid owes plenty of cash on bad drug deals. Murphy ends up fighting fellow mobsters to keep possession of his bait. The brass want a quick collar, but Murphy wants to see how deep he can get with Callard’s operation to take it all down. “Boys Night Out” brings Murphy’s worst nightmare. As he finally gets close to Callard’s heroin smuggling operation, Murphy’s stuck in a courtroom on an old case. His cover may get blown by an overzealous press wishing to expose an undercover cop. “Hard-Boiled Eggs & Nuts” wraps up the case. Murphy needs to get the final nails to use against Callard. Time isn’t on his side since there’s a major chance Callard will destroy him with the other evidence.
This is such a gritty series as Murphy descends into the bowels of the underworld. He looks boss with his amazing fu manchu mustache and black leather jacket. There’s no question that he’ll mess up somebody’s world if he locks in on them. The six episodes run together as an epic undercover movie and not merely short TV series. The tone doesn’t back off and get cute. Ultimately the third series of Murphy’s Law is tougher than the third season of Sons of Anarchy.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. Nesbitt’s intense stares pop off the screen. The details of his Fu Manchu mustache dazzle in the transfer. The audio is Dolby Digital stereo. You can hear him simmer as tension builds up. There are English subtitles for those who can’t quite make it through the various accents.
James Nesbitt Biography is an essay about his career.
Murphy’s Law: Series 3 takes the undercover cop into a harsh realm. This is gritty and nasty as he penetrates a mobster’s empire. It’s like The Wire without so many characters. You can start watching Series 3 without having to grab the earlier episodes. For fans of crime films, this is highly recommended.
Acorn Media presents Murphy’s Law: Series 3. Starring: James Nesbitt, Ramon Tikaram, Owen Teale, Michael Fassbender and Gail Downey. Boxset Contents: 6 episodes on 2 DVDs. Released on DVD: February 15, 2011.
