Taggart (TV Series) Cold Blood (1987) User Reviews

Mark McManus is Taggart

[bethwilliam · 8/10 · 10 July 2005]

Imagine Kojak without Teli Savalas. That is what Taggart is without Mark McManus. However, this movie was made before McManus was taken from us and the series became deadly serious.

Diane Keen plays the scorned wife who shoots dead her unfaithful husband in the car park of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. The only trouble is the autopsy finds that he was already dead.

This plot has been used a number of times before and you will probably work it out long before the final credits. I did. However, Taggart isn't just about the storyline. There are the lingering shots of Glasgow, the rough humor and the obligatory 3 "deid" bodies that make up a Taggart movie. We are also treated to a beautiful shot of Loch Lomond and its surrounding hills.

Mark McManus was not a brilliant actor. But he was Taggart and that makes this movie worth watching.

Cold Blood

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 17 March 2020]

Ruth Wilson (Diane Keen) is a woman on a mission. She has come up to Scotland to shoot her husband dead at the car park of the Scottish Exhibition Center.

The reason is; she thinks her husband is having an affair and she is insanely jealous.

What is an open and shut case becomes more complicated. The police pathologist discovers that the victim has been dead for some hours and had been stabbed.

As the dead man's wallet and watch is missing, Taggart homes in on a knife wielding mugger with a peculiar tattoo.

This is a shorter story as it was shown as a Christmas special. There are still enough suspects, blind allies and suspicious behaviour from the wife of Superintendent McVitie. She knew the victim.

As always Diane Keen is delectable. As Ruth Wilson shot her husband in such a brazen and public manner, it hints that there is more to this killing.

Killing in cold blood

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 12 August 2018]

Have always adored detective dramas/mystery series. This has been apparent from an early age, half my life even, when getting into Agatha Christie through Joan Hickson's Miss Marple and David Suchet's Poirot and into 'Inspector Morse'.

Whether it's the more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' (and its prequel series 'Endeavour') and anything Agatha Christie. Whether it's the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' (though that is balanced brilliantly with comedy too). And whether it's the light-hearted ones like 'Murder She Wrote'. 'Taggart' is one of the biggest examples of the grittier ones, especially the Mark McManus years and the earlier James MaPherson episodes.

"Cold Blood" is very good. There is still a sense of things still settling and not yet found its groove understandably, with it dragging slightly occasionally, but what made 'Taggart' such a good show when it was in its prime is evident here and the tone has been established well. The characterisation here is meatier than seen previously, therefore more interesting with more development to Taggart.

Really like the slick, gritty look and Glasgow is like an ominous character on its own. The music matches the show's tone and has a good amount of atmosphere while the theme song/tune is one that stays in the memory for a long time. Really like Taggart and Jardine's chemistry here, which sees some priceless exchanges with them, and it is already more interesting and settled than with Taggart and Livingstone.

As to be expected, "Cold Blood" is thoughtfully scripted with nothing ridiculous happening and things being taken seriously without being too morose. The story is involving in its complexity with nothing being what it seems, making the most of the long length (have generally found the 2000s episodes too short and rushed) without padding anything out. Some parts are not for the faint hearted but nothing feels gratuitous and the investigations are compelling and with enough twists to stop it from being obvious.

Will admit though that the ending was not that much of a surprise to me, figured it out early on.

Good acting helps, with Mark McManus being a suitably tough and blunt presence throughout and James MacPherson being every bit his equal. The supporting cast and chemistry don't undermine them in any way, Diane Keene and Robert Robertson making the most impression.

Altogether, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Classic Episode that deserves a second look.

[vanfox12 · 9/10 · 8 August 2010]

I was too young to remember this first time round but i do sort of recall seeing this episode when it was first shown back in 1987. I came across this episode again having bought the DVD for this off Amazon. The main reason for this is that it featured an actress called Margo Gunn who has since featured in two more episodes since with the most recent being The Knife Trick in 2009 and having seen her other appearance in Instrument of Justice (1993) was keen to look at this episode again as far as i am aware it hasn't been repeated on TV since.

This is a classic Taggart episode with a classic twist. A jealous wife Ruth Wilson(Diane Keene) supposedly kills her husband in Cold Blood because she suspects he is having an affair while away on business with Geraldine Keenan (Margo Gunn). Of course we find that this is untrue and in fact he was dead before she shot him six times. However we then find that she did indeed kill him but not with a gun but she had stabbed him in the back and had gone back to finish the job as it were in order to get herself off. Add to this Diane Keene's character having an affair with Geraldine Keenans Brother Rikki who is former friend and associate of Mr Wilson and a petty thief plus a Chinese connection and you have the ingredients for a classic Taggart. As always Mark Mcmanus is his consummate self and the supporting cast are all excellent. As i say a classic episode that deserves a second viewing.