Created By Ed Whitmore
Starring Aidan Gillen, Keeley Hawes, Holly Aird and Shaun Parkes
There’s a comfortable familiarity in ITV’s Identity for fans of police procedural shows. The troubled cop who plays by his own rules solving a self-contained criminal mystery each week with unorthodox methods. Sexual tension between said cop and his gorgeous female colleague, who places complete trust and respect in him despite his dangerous and thoughtless policing. A back-up team comprised of a nerdy computer tech, a cool, laid-back younger detective and an impeccably-dressed, by-the-book cop who’s a stickler for procedure and who’ll stop at nothing (bar breaking the rules) to get our maverick hero canned. Genre fans will know exactly what to expect from Ed Whitmore’s crime-of-the-week mystery thriller, and while it offers nothing new, it boasts a great cast and is certainly slick and entertaining enough to provide a fun, diverting dose of the familiar.
Identity is a 6 episode miniseries centred around an elite police unit formed to tackle identity-based crimes. DSI Martha Lawson (Keeley Hawes) is the hard-working head of the Identity Unit who has just hired DI John Bloom (Aidan Gillen) – a cop who just spend 15 years undercover before being shot and tortured by the criminals he hid amongst. Naturally, Lawson has seen a cop movie or two in her time, as hearing the police chief describe Bloom as “damaged goods” and a “loose cannon” only confirms that she was right to hire him. Hell, “loose cannon” is practically police code for “the best damn detective in the history of forever”. So together they and their crack team set out to help rid the country of identity-stealing killers and other sinister credit-card snatching ne’er-do-wells, one case at a time.
One of the most damning failings (aside from the rigid adherence to its police procedural framework and tropes) for the show is the overwhelming lack of character. Each episode’s focus is aimed squarely and exclusively on the week’s mystery, with character development not just nudged into the background, but punted over the horizon, never to be seen again. As such, the entire cast (save for Gillen) are given zero material to work from: we learn nothing about them at all, aside from their job titles (even their names are impossibly hazy throughout). Lawson constantly reiterates that she trusts renegade Bloom completely, though we’re never quite sure why, since she has no reason to – they don’t really know each other and the two of them barely interact. It feels distinctly like a few episodes of character material were jettisoned somewhere along the way to air.
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It’s a problem carried over into the overarching plot too. In the first episode we learn that renegade cop Bloom hasn’t left his undercover life behind and is still (unbeknownst to his fellow cops or superiors) a functioning member of the criminal underworld. It’s a great idea that lends the series a much-needed shot of refreshing originality to help it distance itself from cop drama cliché. Sadly though, Bloom’s criminal life is almost an afterthought for the writers; we get a tiny scene surrounding Bloom’s double life at the end or beginning of every episode, but that’s all.
Similar story concepts (like, say, the titular character of Dexter juggling a life as a forensic cop with life as a serial killer) work so wonderfully because the two threads dovetail perfectly: equal time is devoted to each half of the dichotomy, and it’s exhilarating to watch as the character’s criminal dealings bleed over into their cop life, threatening to expose them as they struggle not to get caught. Identity’s plotting isn’t as elegant, and by the time Bloom’s duality does come to the fore-front for the final episode, the storyline’s so underdeveloped that it has no real impact.
For all its character problems though, Identity’s creative team clearly lucked out by hiring lead actors who excel even with minimal material. Aidan Gillen is marvellous to watch, whether he’s channelling Tommy Carcetti for a rant of self-righteous indignation or torturing suspects like an Irish Jack Bauer. The actor’s shifty charm lends the character an engrossing level of ambiguity even when the writing fails to capitalise on the same quality. His gangster persona is a joy to behold, too, if only because criminal Bloom – ever the master of disguise – simply parts his hair on the opposite side and wears a gaudy white pastel suit borrowed from Sonny Crocket’s wardrobe to avoid being recognised as a cop. When Keeley Hawes is around, she’s an effortlessly charming presence as always – gorgeous, commanding and eminently likeable. The two play off each other well, injecting a sense of life and chemistry into a clichéd partnership.
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While the overarching plot and character is scant and threadbare, the standalone crime stories are the series’ greatest source of entertainment. Starting strong with an opening episode surrounding an identity thief stealing the personae of unfaithful husbands to frame them for murders, the show only gets better with the following two stories, which focus on a young Chelsea girl assuming the identity of a woman she murdered, and the former accomplice of an child murderer whose witness protection cover has been blown to the public. Boasting outstanding performances from guest stars Joanne Frogatt and Sarah Smart respectively, the second and third episodes are the riveting highlights of the series. While the other episodes don’t deliver on quite the same level, they certainly offer a few fun and engrossing stories; I tore through the series in a single night without a dull moment.
Identity doesn’t bring anything new to the police procedural table and the few detours it does take towards the truly original are unfortunately road-blocked by an underdeveloped long-term plot and a complete lack of character development. Even so, fans of cop dramas and crime mysteries who haven’t become fatigued by the exponential amount of similar shows around will likely find much to enjoy here. It clips along at a speedy pace with no shortage of flashy style, packing a handful of entertaining, engrossing mysteries and elevated by an incredibly talented and watchable lead duo and some exceptional guest performances. Identity is flawed and familiar, but fun nontheless.
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On the DVD:
With ITV DVD’s release coming out practically a fraction of a second after the release date, fans of the show get to own it without delay, but unfortunately without any extras; there are no special features, save for a lone English subtitle track. Still, the DVD gets a fantastic-looking video transfer, even in SD, with a solid if unspectacular Dolby Digital 2.0 audio mix.
Rating:
Identity is available to buy on DVD from 16th August 2010.
Click here to order the DVD from Amazon.co.uk.