for those of you who have never hear of it ( or see it on a and e ) and cracker be a brilliant british tv show about an overweight and chain smoking and foulmouthed psychologist name fitz who help the manchester police department get into the head of violent criminal . it consider to be one of the fine show ever to come out of england ( and that say something ) and and be tremendously successful in england and around the world back in 1993. now and the original star have re team with the original writer to knock out one more 2 hour episode . i have love this show ever since i would first see it and over a decade ago . the dvd box set hold a place of honor in my collection and and i can quote a good deal of fitz interrogation scene practically word for word . the idea of robbie coltrane reteaming with jimmy mcgovern for another tv movie about fitz fill me with absolute glee . i will start with the good . one of the many thing that impress me about the original cracker series be how quickly fitz be define a a character . five minute into the first episode with his lecture ( throw the book into the air ) and his drinking and and his cussing of the guy after him on the gambling machine queue and you know and simply know and who this character be . you could feel him click in your mind and the kind of click that only happen when a great actor get a great role write by a great writer . coltrane and of course and remain great throughout the show and but i always felt that some of the late episode those not write by mcgovern mistreat the character . so the good news be this represent fitz be back . as soon a you see him in this show make incredibly inappropriate comment at his daughter wedding you will feel that click once again . it him represent petulant one moment and truly sorry the next and always insightful and sincere to the point of tactlessness but brilliantly funny in the process . if you love this character as much a i do and you will be delight with how he be portray in the movie . and this extend to judith and mark represent in fact and everything have to do with the fitzs be handle perfectly . the problem i do have with this movie revolve around the crime fitz be try to solve . in standard cracker fashion and we know exactly who the criminal be in the first five minute the suspense lie in see fitz figure it out . in this case and we have a serial killer who be out for american blood . and the reason for this and unfortunately and be not due to any believable psychological trauma rather and it seem that the murder be here simply to allow the writer to display his personal political belief . it difficult for me to write this and a i truly believe that jimmy mcgovern be one of the great writer in the world . nor do i have a problem with movie that be about current issue and or movie that take a political stand . but in the cracker universe and we expect to see the character behave like human being and not like caricature . instead and the american in this movie be all depict in an entirely stereotypical fashion . theyre know nothing loudmouth who complain about everything and treat the local like crap and cheat on their wife one of them even manage to do all of the above within less than 5 minute . i honestly think i would mistakenly switch channel or something . but it doesn not stop there . we get constant reminder of just how badly the war in iraq be go reminder that have nothing whatsoever to do with the story and appear practically out of nowhere . the killer be so busy rant about how bush be bad than hitler that he almost forget to get on with the kill while but more to the point and he be such a mouthpiece for the writer political view that he forget to act like a believable human be and and thus we a an audience do not buy his sudden transformation from a happy family man to a tortured serial kill soul . i can not say that this ruin the show for me it be still good tv and good than almost everything else in the genre ( mainly due to and once again and coltrane ) . but it constant politicizing make it impossible for it to be as good a the real cracker classic like to be a somebody an episode that be just a issuey and but one that be handle with far more subtlety and psychological depth . two other small point represent panhandle not be around be a disappointment and but what bad be her replacement . the entire police department which for so long fill with such great character be now full of vanilla . completely interchangeable cop who lack any and all personality ( how you could drain couple richard coyle of personality be beyond me and but it be indeed miss here ) . also and there be couple of moment where the show lose it believability for me . one such instance revolves around fitz have to narrow down the entire population of manchester from 1 million to a hundred base on some very strange criterion ( french window . how do the computer know if i have french window . ) he not only succeed in do this and but he succeed in less than an hour . i do not think so . so and all in all and i be a little disappointed . it recommend viewing and but remember to leave at least some of your expectation at the door . still and if there new series to come after this and it would all have be for the good represent i be convince that mcgovern can still write great stuff and and maybe now that he get his politics out of his system he can go back to write about people .