REVIEW: ‘Acceptable Risk,’ starring Elaine Cassidy, from Acorn TV

Image courtesy of Acorn TV / Provided by official site.

Acceptable Risk, the Irish crime drama starring Elaine Cassidy, focuses on a woman trying to piece together the mysteries surrounding her recently murdered husband (Paul Popowich). Sarah Manning (Cassidy) is trying to look out for her two children and start a new chapter in her life when news of Lee’s murder comes back to Ireland. He had been in Montreal, believed to have been on a business trip, but his body was found in the red-light district of the Canadian city with many questions still lingering.

Complicating the matter is that Lee worked for a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical company that likes to keep its business practices secret, and it appears in the first few episodes of this six-episode limited series that the big pharma outfit may be involved in some way. One more complication: this same company is where Sarah used to work in the legal department, and it’s also where her first husband worked — before he unceremoniously and perhaps too coincidentally fell to his death, apparently drunk, into a canal.

Yes, there’s a suspension of disbelief in Acceptable Risk, which is on DVD and streaming from Acorn TV, the great import of British, Irish and Australian dramas and comedies. What holds the show together is Cassidy, who offers a powerful centralizing performance of a woman overcoming the odds and staying one step in front of everyone else. She’s one of the best actors working in television and film.

Also impressive are Angeline Ball as Detective Sgt. Emer Byrne, who is working the case from the Dublin side, and Lisa Dwyer Hogg, who plays Nuala, Sarah’s sister who helps during the grieving and sleuthing process. It’s nice to see a drama with three strong female characters as the focus.

Morten Suurballe is just the right amount of smarmy and creepy as Hans Werner Hoffman, head of the pharmaceutical company, someone who has been recruiting Sarah to come back into their ranks. He also likes when his employees stay loyal, and he even demands they sign nondisclosure agreements to keep their company goings-on forever secret.

There are global ties to Lee’s killing that feel too far-fetched, and when the police (or garda) find out, there doesn’t seem to be enough enthusiasm on their part to dig deeper. If Lee’s backstory were actually true — involving the CIA and the American embassy — one would think there would be an even larger team of officials searching for answers. As it stands, it’s up to Elaine, Emer and Nuala to figure out what’s going on and how they might stay ahead of everyone in their personal and professional lives.

Acceptable Risk is not grade-A entertainment, but its six episodes fly by because these secrets and lies are interesting and consequential, causing the characters to spiral toward a satisfying climax in their search for justice and answers.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Acceptable Risk, starring Elaine Cassidy, Morten Suurballe, Angeline Ball, Lisa Dwyer Hogg and Paul Popowich, is now available on DVD and streaming from Acorn TV. Click here for more information.