I wanted to comment in response to the many negative reviews of this compelling show written by those who enjoyed the original British series. While I unfortunately missed that series, this American version is dynamic, penetrating and entirely undeserving of being cancelled. Robert Pastorelli gives a daring, captivating central performance as Fitz, the cynical and self-destructive anti-hero whose gambling obsession and rough persona alienate his wife (Carolyn McCormick) and son (a young Josh Hartnett!) Fitz' demented persona make him a natural for his part-time work as a police profiler, where he maintains a tenuous relationship with the equally blunt Lt. Fry (R. Lee Ermey). Fitz is an intriguing fallen hero - up to the task of catching disturbed, violent murderers but unable to command his own inner demons which tear at the very fabric of his being. Pastorelli's intensely uncompromising performance gives the show a realistic, darkly humorous edge which is ultimately touching. Fitz' character foreshadows that of Frank Black (Lance Henriksen), whose dark, telepathic gifts cost him his family on Chris Carter's equally compelling crime series 'Millennium." Both characters need the close embrace of their families - it is what they live for - but because of their disturbing professions and intense persona's alienate their loved ones, spiritually self-destructing even as they desperately seek redemption. While this Cracker may have fallen short of the original English series - I wouldn't know - it was a breath of fresh air on typically sanitized American television and ultimately proved to be too daring to continue.
Review of Cracker: Mind Over Murder
