The greatest movie ever made..!

Expected more

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

I was fortunate enough to see THE GHOST SQUAD when it debuted in the UK on Channel 4 in 2005. In the first episode, uniformed police officer Amy Harris (played by Irish actress Elaine Cassidy, subsequently the female lead in American slasher series HARPER'S ISLAND) arrests a local scumbag and repeat offender for a minor crime. However, the man is subsequently beaten to death in the cells, and the police station is locked down as the UK equivalent of Internal Affairs arrive to question everyone. Harris realises that she's being framed for the murder by whoever amongst her colleagues is actually responsible, and the remainder of the episode is a tense race-against-time as she rushes around the building, trying to keep one step ahead of both the investigators and her co-workers, while desperately attempting to clear herself. Realising that Pete Maitland, a detective recently assigned to the station (a pre-ROBIN HOOD Jonas Armstrong) is an undercover mole, Harris exposes him to buy herself more time, and eventually uncovers the true killers. The episode ends with Harris quitting the police, knowing that because she handed in her colleagues, nobody in the force will trust her or work with her again. She's promptly recruited by 'the Ghost Squad', an officially non-existent unit of undercover officers who investigate reports of corruption within the police. Harris leaves behind all traces of her old life, is given a new identity and forced to adopt a rootless, friendless, nomadic existence, going wherever each assignment takes her and living in cheap and temporary rented accommodation. Her only contact is Maitland, who's appointed as her partner/handler, with both of them reporting exclusively to Detective Superintendent Carole McKay (Emma Fielding, a talented actress whom we don't see enough of on our screens), the secretive head of the Squad.Channel 4 spent a lot of money on THE GHOST SQUAD, and each episode boasted some familiar guest stars, such as Lloyd Owen and Adrian Lester. Jason Flemyng was a particular standout in one instalment, playing a veteran Ghost Squad operative who was cracking up under the strain, giving Harris a glimpse of her potential future. However, due to it's adult content - language, violence, sex scenes and full frontal nudity - the series was shown at 23:00 on weeknights and seems to be have overlooked as a result. Critics ignored it and most people appear never to have heard of the show (I'm always met with blank looks whenever I mention it in company). It only lasted one series, and has never been released on DVD in the UK.I have fond memories of THE GHOST SQUAD and consider it to be one of the best police dramas I've ever seen. It's a shame that it's one of those TV shows that has slipped through the cracks and been forgotten about.

It was one of the best series I have watched in a while. It is of such a compelling high standard but with an interesting twist in the last episode, which brings in the human element. The story line was quite different and shown a different part of policing otherwise never seen before. Dramas from the UK always impress me with the great scenery, even if it is in the middle of London. The cast of Elaine Cassidy as Detective Amy Harris, Emma Fielding Detective Superintendent, Jonas Armstrong as the support detective was well cast and scripted, however I felt that the casting of 'Amy' as such a young detective may be unrealistic, but maybe thats part of the cover.very enjoyable

I was a bit disappointed with this series (I haven't seen the last two episodes though). Most stories were simply too smug relying on the obvious dilemma the theme suggests... and the cinematic means as well as the narrative were always quite pretentious without being convincing, leaving loose ends all around. The distracting look of it, jump cuts and hand-held, "different" to a fault, could not hide the lack of quality in the storytelling. The acting was quite good though - and that made the episodes worthwhile, above all those less "spectacular" subject-wise -, Elaine Cassidy being a standout as usual. I think she is internationally one of the finest actresses around.

'Between the Lines' was one of the outstanding British television drams of the 1990s, the story of a police investigations unit. 'The Cops' was another excellent series, with its gritty, cinema-verite portrait of life on the force. 'The Ghost Squad', Channel Four's new drama, is an heir to both those series, with a premise similar to the former's, but put together in the style of the latter. And some senses, this is more of a handicap than a blessing, as the police drama is such a staple of the schedules that it's very hard for a program to appear fresh. The hand held camera work, the quick inter-cutting of scenes, the stock characters (most notably, the bitch of a boss who may or may not be trustworthy): it's all been seen before. Additionally, 'The Ghost Squad', whose investigators work undercover, sometimes seems to strain credibility. The requirements placed upon its officers seem immense, and to generate the story lines, they always have to get more personally involved in a case than is altogether desirable (or, more to the point, likely).But 'The Ghost Squad' does also have some distinguishing characteristics of its own. By focusing on a single officer, it retains a claustrophobic feel throughout: in general, we know what she knows, nothing more. In the lead role, Elaine Cassidy is superb, and in general the acting is good, although both her boss and partner seem a little young for their roles (surely such sensitive missions would be handled by people a little more senior?). Even if at times, the world portrayed seems just that bit more intense than reality ever is, this is still top quality drama, intelligently structured, fast moving, and impeccably executed. It surely deserved better than a late night slot and the minimal publicity it received.