Messiah V: The Rapture

Messiah returns, with a brand new team. Ken Stott retires as DCI Red Metcalf and he is replaced by Marc Warren’s DCI Joseph Walker.

For those who don’t know, ‘Messiah’ is a series of television movies (in two parts) which revolve around a team of detectives who investigate a number of grisly murders. The word ‘grisly’ is probably too soft because the murder scenes in Messiah are horribly (and accurately!) done! The first ‘Messiah’ is a television classic, I would recommend you check it out!

Apart from the Doctor Who link with Marc Warren (Love & Monsters), Nina Sosanya, who was in the episode ‘Fear Her’, playing Trish (the mother of Chloe). She also appeared alongside current Doctor, David Tennant, in Casanova. For Lost fans, Marsha Thomason (Naomi) played DS Mel Palmer.

The story starts in Israel, Joseph Walker unknowingly drives his girlfriend’s brother, who turns out to be a suicide bomber, into a packed public area. This provides the main focus of this, the fifth story in the series (although unrelated to the previous four), as the girlfriend turns up again later.

Meanwhile a serial killer is on the loose. A family is brutally murdered and then two sisters, one while under police protection. It’s shocking to say the least! The killer leaves a sign, written in sand, at the scenes of the murders. With the Hebrew lettering and the sign facing east, it becomes apparent that the killer has got an infinity with god, religious texts and the end of the world. As the body count rises, including a women with acid poured into her eyes and another girl with her heart ripped out, the team think they have the killer but then comes the ending……

Overall, it’s a solid continuation of the series. Marc Warren does well in the lead role and he really brings the grief of his character to life. As always, the murders are gruesome, the story is well written and everything is set at a good pace.

8/10