Rough Treatment

January 1, 1990
Inspector Charlie Resnick, first encountered in Lonely Hearts , counters a drug-trafficking ring and suspected police corruption in this well-executed and very human British police procedural, set in an unnamed Midlands city. When Jerzy Grabianski and Trevor Grice burglarize TV director Harold Roy's house, they find his bored wife, Maria, who becomes attracted to Jerzy. Among the valuables the thieves snatch is a kilo of cocaine which Roy, dabbling in drugs and on the verge of losing his job, has been keeping for a dealer acquaintance. Maria supplies a false description of the criminals, prompted by her interest in Jerzy, who returns to begin an affair and negotiate selling back the cocaine. Resnick concentrates heavily on the case, meanwhile contending with other crimes that include a possible Chinese feud. On the domestic front, the inspector attempts to sell his house because it holds unpleasant memories of his failed marriage, and the superintendent's daughter is arrested for shoplifting. Harvey's policemen are real people, some appealing, some not, and all suggestively portrayed.