If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Helen Barlow is a senior police officer and she has set up a clandestine unit, led by Jack Quinn, to go after the criminals the police can't touch; using methods that aren't strictly legal. This means breaking into properties and illegally bugging them, threatening associates into giving up their bosses and using unauthorised electronic surveillance. The unit is small; consisting of Quinn; Jessica Jones; computer expert TomTom and new recruit Charlie and because of the way they operate they have no real backup and no legal protection should things go wrong.After watching the opening episode it came as no surprise to learn that this comes from the mind of Tony Jordan; the creator of Hustle… unfortunately this is lacking something that made Hustle as good as it was; rather than being sharp and original this felt rather cliché. There is also the moral problem of having law enforcers who routinely break the law; at one point they dangle somebody from the top of a tower block to extract information which surely counts as torture! The actors do a decent enough job with the material. All that said it still managed to be entertaining enough to keep me watching till the end of the series. There were some decent laughs to be had and even some shockingly dark moments that came as a real surprise. The ending left things open for a second series but whether it will get one is anybody's guess. Overall I'd say that it is all a bit silly but passes the time well enough on a Sunday night if you don't have something better to do.

As other reviewers here I've never written a review for any series. But what I read here made me get behind the keyboard. Clearly all the low voters have never had to endure public or commercial TV in other European countries. This show is part of Britain's BBC heaven. En indeed not every show is entitled to occupy center stage in the programming, but it definitely has the right to get shown. It's different, funny and generally fast paced. The young actors must have had a good time making it, and I certainly have a good time watching it. Yes indeed, sometimes it is somewhat taxing on your intelligence, and I would hope that the writers are less easily satisfied at a next occasion. For instance that fact that in one episode our dream team apparently has never heard of mobile telephone triangulation, only to apply it themselves in the next episode as if they've never done anything else. Please writers, don't do this to us. It puts us off from a show that is otherwise a pleasure to watch when we got nothing better to do, and, as said, many shades better than the skin cringing stuff we see elsewhere on TV screens.

This was the starting week for many series in USA and UK. Not any real diamond among them. Most of them are bad to mediocre but so far "By Any Means" is the worst.There are many problem with this TV-series.First and most important all the actors and actresses lack charisma. I don't know what they have done before B.A.M. but they are totally forgettable, performance wise, even their faces. The team of 3, have the usual snob/hype attitude, common in many series, but just doesn't suits them. No charisma at all.Second and equally important the plot. Is about a "special team" and blah-blah, blah-blah, one of them is a hacker (!), the girl is the ...locks expert, the last one is the street smart and blah-blah, blah-blah, *YAWN*. And they will catch the bad guy in a mildly smart way.Third the pace, editing, transitions between shots, photography, music and (obviously) directing are simply annoying. (If you now a things or two about editing there is something called "light spills" that is overused here.). To put it in 2 words: Poor execution.There is an arrest (in the pilot) that introduces (kind of) to the team stolen directly from an Al Pacino movie were the criminals think they are going to participate in some sort of Sports event. I saw it and keep asking my self: Are these people the Special team? That's how uncharismatic they are.Anyway this has nothing to do with other BBC series like "Sherlock" in terms of fun or intelligence and you can do perfectly well without it.Overall: Better to avoid it. (Or you will lose 57' of your life)

If you thought the BBC had been wrecking its own reputation enough recently, with its scandals at the top, it has now decided to have a go at its good name as a provider of Sunday night dramas. This series is dross - so bad it's almost good. Almost. With a few tweaks (removing the references to sex) it might be all right for Saturday early evening, when Dr Who is off the air, because children often like comics. The premise is trashy and the details are clichéd. In the opening episode, Keith Allen reprises his old OTT Sheriff of Nottingham role, the comic baddie. If only he'd had moustaches, he would have been able to twirl them. The BBC still has the wrong bosses. Give another tranche the customary payoff.