Prisoner review: Sky’s handcuff thriller is an explosive rollercoaster that’s worth the ride

In Prisoner, the new high octane thriller from Sky Atlantic, a prison transport officer and a contract killer partner in a race across the country, after a violent ambush leaves them handcuffed together and pursued by ruthless criminals. 

It’s an outlandish premise but the show moves at such a breakneck pace, you’ll barely have time to register your incredulity. 

Screening now on Sky Atlantic and NOW, Prisoner is loud, fast, and extremely entertaining.

Created by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Matt (Bridge of Spies) Charman, Prisoner stars Izuka Hoyle as Amber Todd, a prison officer returning from maternity leave, and Tahar Rahim as Tibor Stone, a high-value witness due to testify against a powerful crime syndicate. 

When their convoy is attacked en route to the Old Bailey, the pair become unlikely allies.

In the chaos, Amber makes a desperate split-second decision: she handcuffs herself to Tibor to prevent his escape. Unfortunately, this also means the pair are now physically attached while fleeing an organised army of gunmen determined to ensure Tibor never reaches court alive. The series proceeds with admirable commitment to escalating danger, moral compromise and plenty of spectacular violence.

“The engine of the show [is] a relatable, decent person handcuffed to someone that was an absolute enigma and was capable of anything,”  says Charman, speaking at the London premiere of the show.

It’s an outlandish premise but the show moves at such breakneck speed, you’ll barely have time to register your incredulity…

Big action with moral complexity

The opening episode of Prisoner sets the tone, with a ferociously staged tunnel assault sequence that immediately announces the show’s cinematic ambitions –  ricocheting gunfire, exploding vehicles, a gun-totting drone. Home cinema enthusiasts are going to have a blast with this series.

Of this explosive scene-setter, Charman says: “I wanted an extreme encounter that would be traumatic for Amber, that would start their relationship together in a place that was just forged with fire and blood –  something that would wrench her out of her life.” 

What prevents Prisoner from becoming a routine chase thriller is the chemistry between its two leads. Hoyle gives Amber an appealing combination of resolve and visible exhaustion. She’s competent, frightened, morally grounded. Rahim, on the other hand, is a ruthless hitman (with 47 known kills to his name, we’re told). The twist is though he’s also diabetic, and needs insulin shots, making him also uniquely vulnerable.

“We had to find a way to create a sort of mystery around my character, to create a sort of fascination and some sort of fear at the same time,” says Rahim, “and we finally found him pretty easily – he’s a sociopath.” 

Charman serves here as creator, writer and showrunner, and his fingerprints are visible throughout. The show combines propulsive action, with shady characters and copious twists.

He says that the original idea emerged from something almost absurdly ordinary: spotting a prison transport van while driving his children. 

“We pulled up a set of traffic lights, and I was not really concentrating, and the kids in the back were like, ‘Dad, Dad, what’s that?’ I said, Well, this is a van that they use to move people around. People have done, you know, bad things, and they’re moving them from one prison to another, who’s in the back, I don’t know, who’s in the front, I don’t know.”

The writer says he became fascinated by the unseen dynamics. From there came the central image that drives the entire series – two people literally chained together while trying not to kill each other.

“It all started with that little idea.”  

Of her unlikely predicament, Hoyle says: “I loved the concept of being handcuffed to somebody, the difference between the two characters, and Amber being this everywoman in a not everyday scenario. I really loved getting into that…” 

The directorial team brings considerable pedigree to the series. Otto Bathurst, whose credits include Peaky Blinders and His Dark Materials, directs the early episodes with cinematic flair confidence. Later instalments are handled by Pia Strietmann, charged with maintaining the show’s taut momentum.

The supporting cast is stacked with familiar faces, including Eddie Marsan, Catherine McCormack, Leonie Benesch, Finn Bennett and Youssef Kerkour, many of whom seem to harbour secrets of their own.

Providing a backdrop to Prisoner is a fully fleshed out world, where secretive forces within the fictional National Crime Unit are not necessarily moving in the same direction as our protagonists. 

“I’d been to visit the National Crime Agency a few years earlier; they’re sort of our FBI, but they don’t get a lot of press,” says Charman. “I wanted to put them on screen, so they became our NCU.” 

Charman confides that toy cars and hand-drawn diagrams were used extensively to map out the many chase sequences and ambushes. The stunt team also relied on elaborate harness systems and careful choreography to keep everyone attached – and intact- during the more punishing sequences.

That attention to detail shows on screen. The action has weight and clarity, the cinematics and sound design immersive. Sure, the series occasionally asks viewers to accept decisions that no sane human being would make outside an action thriller – but Prisoner understands that credibility and entertainment are not necessarily tethered together. 

Prisoner is a ride well worth handcuffing yourself to. The show is available now on Sky Atlantic and NOW.