Four lives tells the real life story of the horrific murders of 4 young men on the very cusp of thier lives, & where the utterly shocking police incompetnce & failure to investigate, which lead to more lives being cruelly snatched away.
Stephen Merchant is utterly chilling as murderer Stephen Port. His performance is spine tingling yet almost muted making the whole persona seem eerie & sinister. Sheriden Smith as the mother of Anthony Walgate (Sarah Sac) is highly emotive & brought a tear to my eye as the mothers that lost their sons are my age & made me realise this could have happened to my son. So her performance gave me a personal connection. The supporting cast are also excellent, where I could find no fault. This deeply upsetting story is told with tact & a certain grace which I appreciate & respect, however I feel the side of the story dealing with the incompetent police investigation was slightly lacking & needed more depth. The blatent homophobia displayed by the police during the real investigation was disgusting & staggering but this is not touched upon untill part 3 of the drama.
Overall this is a great drama though & highly compelling with terrific performances. The pacing is smooth, direction is almost flawless & the photography is superb. We can also take comfort that the real killer, Stephen Port is now safely locked away on a whole life term so he can no longer terrorise the Gay community & law abiding society. Thank goodness!
8 stars for all the cast & crew. X.
