“The Victim.” / “The Heist at Hatton Garden.”

“The Victim” (Britbox) Scottish thriller. Plot: A bereaved mother whose young son was murdered by an older boy 14 years prior, goes on trial for inciting murder after she is accused of posting online the new identity and address of the man she believes murdered her son.

       Starring the always-dependable Kelly Macdonald as the “avenging” mom, this short 4-episode drama is very “factual” although the story is fiction. Essentially, how social media ruins people prior to police investigation or court decision, or even per common sense. (But there's more as the series rolls on, no spoilers here.)

       Overall acting is exemplary. Add James Harkness as the mistakenly accused Craig Myers and Karla Crome as his wife Rebecca, and John Hannah as DI Stephen Grover. The series is not vindictive or judgmental but forgiving, climaxed by a powerful ending. 🎥👍📽

“The Heist at Hatton Garden” (Amazon Prime). The true story of an audacious heist executed by an elderly gang in the heart of London’s diamond district. Experience how these small-time crooks pulled off a crime of such scale and ambition that it became the robbery of the decade.

       Good for binge-watch since the series is only 4 episodes, 1 hour each. Entertaining. Grimly funny, stupidly sad. Yet these oldie (with none not so old) criminals were career thieves who ventured a one-last heist. 

        Exemplary acting from British veteran thespians Timothy Spall, Alex Norton, Kenneth Cranham, Brian F. O'Byrne, Geoff Bell, and David Hayman. 🎥💻📽