''Crime and Punishment'' is a two-part British television

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

series, based upon the 1866 novel of the same name by

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

, that first broadcast on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

on 12 February 2002. The novel was adapted for television by playwright Tony Marchant, and was directed by Julian Jarrold.

John Simm John Ronald Simm (born 10 July 1970) is an English actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Sam Tyler in ''Life on Mars'', the Master in ''Doctor Who,'' and DS Roy Grace in ''Grace.'' His other television credits include '' S ...

stars as Rodya Raskolnikov, a former student who plans the murder of a pawnbroker to alleviate his financial problems, but also as an existential exercise, feeling himself able to commit such acts without guilt, remorse or justification. The series was broadcast over two consecutive nights, airing in the 9:00-10:30pm slot. The series was released on DVD on 25 August 2008, via 2, Entertain.

Production

The series was filmed in St. Petersburg. Simm said of his role as Raskolnikov; "The hard job for me is to make the viewer understand why Raskolnikov kills. But that is helped by seeing the place that he has to live in, it was absolutely disgusting. He is a very intelligent guy, who is slowly driven to madness by the things he sees around him."

Reception

The series gathered mixed reviews in the press, with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' claiming that "As Raskolnikov, the murderer,

is the spindle the whole thing whirls around. He gives a vivid performance and looks like a vicious angel. In the current Augean state of the stables, I am not able to find fault with this well-bred winner"; while '' The Telegraph'' were more scathing, writing "It's as if scriptwriter Tony Marchant and director Julian Jarrold had decided to take the setting and crime-drama structure of Crime and Punishment and ditch the philosophical core, the engine that gives everything meaning."

Cast

as Rodya Raskolnikov * Ian McDiarmid as Detective Porfiry * Shaun Dingwall as Razumikhin * Geraldine James as Pulcheria * Kate Ashfield as Dounia *

Lara Belmont Lara Belmont (born 1980) is an English actress, best known for her role as Jessie in the 1999 film ''The War Zone''. She also appeared in ITV Network, ITV's lavish costume drama ''Henry VIII (TV serial), Henry VIII'' as his eldest daughter Mary I ...

as Sonya * Mark Benton as Zosimov * Katrin Cartlidge as Katerina * Alice Connor as Polya * David Haig as Luzhin * Martin Hancock as Koch * Anna Hope as Nastasya * Philip Jackson as Marmeladov * Sean McKenzie as Semyonobvich * Roger Morlidge as Lt. Gunpowder * Jake Nightingale as Artisan * Tim Potter as Nikolai * Nigel Terry as Svidrigailov * Darren Tighe as Zamyotov * Heather Tobias as Lizaveta

Episodes

References

External links

* {{Crime and Punishment 2002 British television series debuts 2002 British television series endings 2000s British drama television series British crime television series English-language television shows Films based on Crime and Punishment 2002 television films 2002 films Films directed by Julian Jarrold British television films