Harry's Movie Review

Culprits puts a family man in the crosshairs of his own past. Joe Petrus built a clean life across the Atlantic, fiancé and step-kids in tow, only to watch it unravel when someone starts hunting down everyone involved in a crime from three years ago. The setup works. It is interesting, and the show does not waste time getting there.

Nathan Stewart-Jarrett carries the weight of Joe's panic without resorting to histrionics. You watch him calculate his options, weigh what he will risk for his family versus what he owes his old crew. The supporting cast grounds the story in specificity. Niamh Algar and Gemma Arterton bring texture to roles that could have been thin. They move through scenes as people with their own stakes, not just obstacles for Joe to navigate.

J Blakeson directs with restraint. The pacing stays tight, and the show resists the urge to add unnecessary drama. There is one genuine limitation: the mystery of who is hunting them unfolds predictably, and once you sense where it is heading, the final stretch becomes less about discovery and more about watching the pieces fall as you expected.

What lingered after watching was the core tension. Not the revenge plot itself, but the moment Joe realizes that returning to London means choosing between two versions of himself. That conflict, small and personal, mattered more than any action beat.