In a play by Oscar Wilde a character famously quipped that while losing one parent might be considered a misfortune, losing both looks like carelessness. A similar observation might apply to Sarah Manning (Elaine Cassidy), the heroine of Acorn TV’s Irish-set thriller miniseries. Sarah’s first husband, Ciaran, died in an apparent accident years before, and now her second, Lee, has been murdered during a business trip to Canada. Both worked for the same company—pharmaceutical giant Gumbiner-Fischer—as had Sarah before she retired. Lee’s secretive past, along with the fact that he was carrying a gun, increases the mystery—raising the suspicion (which is eventually proven true) that Ciaran was murdered as well. Sarah is determined to find out the truth, and undertakes a personal investigation, which also involves a Montreal police detective (Geordie Johnson), a Dublin policewoman (Angeline Ball), the German intelligence service, and the American FBI, as well as a flamboyant reporter and Sarah’s sister. Inevitably the focus of the inquiry comes to center on the firm that connected both victims, as well as its formidable CEO, Hans Hoffman (Morten Suurballe), who has powerful political allies in both Germany and Ireland. The plot of Acceptable Risk is convoluted, but the ending is fairly predictable, although the precise nature of the motive is not revealed until the finale. Compiling all six episodes from 2017, extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette and cast interviews. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)
Acceptable Risk
RLJ, 2 discs, 322 min., not rated, DVD or Blu-ray: $39.99
Acceptable Risk
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