Quiz question. What was the first TV series to be turned into a feature-length movie? You’d have to go back to the 1950s and a hit detective series for the answer.
Dragnet had started on the radio in the US, became essential TV viewing, and, in 1954, moved onto the big screen. A classic multimedia franchise. Small-screen shows have continued to inspire movies ever since, from The Untouchables (on TV from 1959 to 1963, with the film released in 1989) to the more recent Downton Abbey, which draws to an elegant close this year with The Grand Finale. But it’s not just big shows that make the transition. Tucked away on Netflix is The Unforgivable (2021), a film that started life in 2009 on British television as a mini-series, The Unforgiven.
With rainy Seattle replacing Yorkshire as its setting, the story centres on Ruth Slater (a make-up free Sandra Bullock), released from prison after serving 20 years for a violent crime. All she wants is to lead a quiet life and reconnect with her sister, but her victim’s family hears she’s back, and, although her parole officer tells her she’s not allowed contact with them, it doesn’t bode well.
Tracking down her sister, who’s now in her mid-20s, is difficult because she’s been adopted. Ruth’s crime — she shot and killed a police officer — took place at her childhood home, which is now owned by lawyers John (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Liz (Viola Davis). And when she turns up at the house in obvious distress, John offers to help her, but it’s not the simple solution that it sounds.
It’s a complex narrative for under two hours, but The Outrun (2024) director, Nora Fingscheidt fits in everything to produce a tense character-driven thriller with some genuine white knuckle moments. The stripped-back Bullock is impressive in the lead, allowing us only glimpses of the softer side of her character and concentrating on her distant manner.
But the sadness of her time in prison and her longing to be with her sister is never far from the surface, and, like her, we can never escape it. The movie’s drab colour palette reinforces the pervasive sense of gloom and grief so that, while she looks for redemption, it’s all too clear that life won’t ever be straightforward for Ruth and there are no easy answers on the cards.
The eyecatching cast, which includes Viola Davis, Jon Bernthal and Rob Morgan, delivers throughout and while we don’t see enough of Davis, some of her scenes are among the most memorable in the film. As her husband, Vincent D’Onofrio, is more than simply a compassionate lawyer. His military background gives him a respect for the law and its process, so once he discovers the truth of Ruth’s situation, finding a way to do the right thing is a struggle. It’s a characteristically strong role for the actor whose breakout in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987) was searingly spectacular, dominating the first third of the uncompromising Vietnam War movie — even in the face of R Lee Ermey’s bullish drill sergeant.
In a career that’s alternated between the big and small screen, D’Onofrio has displayed a remarkable ability to make a role truly his own. Crime fans know him best as Detective Goren from Law And Order: Criminal Intent, the hyper-intelligent, intuitive investigator with an unerring ability to get under a suspect’s skin. Although it was never confirmed in the show, viewers constantly speculated that his unconventional style and awkwardness in forming relationships with others pointed to him being on the autistic spectrum. He played the role for ten years (2001 – 2011).
In Netflix’s three seasons of Daredevil a few years later, he became the bald, white suited and husky-voiced Wilson Fisk, the ultimate villain with his combination of extraordinary physical strength and the most ruthless of criminal minds. Although Netflix cancelled the series in 2018, this year saw the return of Fisk and Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Daredevil: Born Again on Disney Plus. Now Mayor of New York, Fisk’s ambitions are threatened by a chaotic city and his rivals in the criminal underworld, while Daredevil constantly stands in his way.
What was originally planned as a single 18-part first season was split in half, so season two will last for nine episodes. Filming is due to wrap in the coming weeks, with fans having to wait until March of next year for the latest head-to-head between their favourite vigilante and villain. And their patience is being severely tested after that cliffhanger of an ending to the first season, one that came with an uncomfortably topical angle. Mayor Fisk/Kingpin had declared martial law and was deporting political dissidents and anybody else he didn’t like to a secret prison.
Whatever comes next is likely to pick up where the first season left off and that points to most, if not all, of the cast returning and at least one new ally for Murdock. Krysten Ritter is back as Jessica Jones, while Camila Rodriguez is still Angela Del Toro, but this time in a mask and with more to do. But, despite all the speculation, a connection with Avengers: Doomsday is looking unlikely, even if season two’s finale drops just before the movie’s release date. As things stand, there seems to be little to link the two.
For now, the countdown is on as we wait for the return of one of Marvel’s most-loved shows. It scored 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Unforgivable is on Netflix in the US and UK. All episodes of Daredevil: Born Again and Daredevil are on Disney Plus in the US and the UK.