Tomorrow night, Nine revives its incredibly popular Halifax series, but is the revival worth your time?
When we begin, a sniper is terrorising Melbourne with a high-powered rifle. As the bodies start to pile up, returning US cop Tom Saracen (Anthony LaPaglia, Without A Trace) is called in to bring the shooter to justice. He wants the one and only Jane Halifax (Rebecca Gibney, Packed to the Rafters) on his team, but Jane has moved on from that line of work. She’s now a Professor of Forensic Psychiatry at Melbourne University, in a relationship with Ben Sailor (Craig Hall, A Place To Call Home) and has become a parental figure to his daughter Zoe (Mavournee Hazel, Neighbours).
Ben is against Jane returning to police work, however, it’s clear her curiosity wins out when she assists the taskforce that also compromises Detective Senior Sergeants Nick Tanner (Rick Donald, Wentworth) and Mila Bronski (Ming-Zhu Hii, Newton’s Law). It’s meant to be a one-off consultation, but a mysterious note warning of “retribution” throws Jane for a loop and she finds herself unable to avoid helping the taskforce. Trouble is also around the corner when the mysterious Mandy (Claudia Karvan, The Other Guy) appears.
There’s obviously a lot more twists and turns instore with this telemovie, but they’re up for you to discover. Creator Rodger Simpson juggles both the personal and professional life of Jane Halifax, with a perfect script full of tension and set-up for the series ahead.
Gibney reprises her iconic role with a performance that is among her best work, and the rest of the cast assembled also shine, including a scene-stealing Hazel and Karvan. Among the guest cast featured, there’s John Waters and Justin Rosniak, just to name a few.
Eighteen years may have passed, but with a tight script full of surprises and a stellar cast full of talent, Halifax: Retribution is the revival that gets off to a fantastic start.
4.5 Stars
Halifax: Retribution airs 8:45pm Tuesday on Nine.
