How violent can the path to justice be? A question that the new thriller series "Prisoner - Auf der Flucht" raises multiple times. The six episodes, which will be available for streaming on ARD-Mediathek starting June 19, follow a corrections officer and a dangerous criminal through Great Britain. They must work together, but they cannot trust each other.
What "Prisoner - Auf der Flucht" is about
Amber Todd (Izuka Hoyle) wants to juggle everything: She just had a baby and only a few months later throws herself back into work and her continuing education in the justice system. But on her first day back at work after maternity leave as an officer on a prisoner transport, she has to deal with Tibor Stone (Tahar Rahim). The imprisoned contract killer is supposed to testify in court as a crown witness against the crime syndicate "Pegasus".
But after an attack, Amber finds herself alone with the dangerous criminal on the run. Handcuffed together, the two are now forced to work together. They are being hunted by the ruthless contract killer Nina (Leonie Benesch). The deeper she is drawn into the machinations of "Pegasus", the more Amber's principles are shaken - especially when her family's life is at stake...
The question of morality and justice
Amber's moral compass and her pursuit of justice form a central element of "Prisoner - Auf der Flucht". She wants to complete her mission and bring the prisoner to London, but remain true to her principles. But it's not just Tibor who confronts her with the question of how much blood on her hands she can live with. The series plays with the principles of all its characters and with what it takes to break them - for some it's money, for others it's family. Only with the titular prisoner Tibor is it not always clear.
"Prisoner - Auf der Flucht" particularly excels with characters like Amber Todd, whom viewers can watch as she learns the criminals' rules of the game and how to use them for herself. While there are one or two twists in the six episodes, there probably won't be a groundbreaking twist that will completely blow true thriller fans away. Nevertheless, exciting entertainment is guaranteed.
International cast featuring Leonie Benesch
The series, set in Great Britain, was produced for Sky Studios in co-production with ARD Degeto Film. Alongside Izuka Hoyle (30) and Tahar Rahim (44) in the leading roles as Amber Todd and Tibor Stone, German actress Leonie Benesch (35) can be seen as the antagonist in the role of the assassin Nina Drâgus.
Benesch is known from, among others, "Der Schwarm" and "Babylon Berlin". For her performance in "Das Lehrerzimmer", she was honored in 2023 with the German Film Award for best leading actress. Two years later, she won the award for best supporting actress in "September 5". Now she has taken on an action role for the first time, which she prepared for intensively, "but firing an assault rifle for the first time was still disturbing", she admitted in an interview with the network. "It feels frighteningly good - because of the feeling of power, and that's exactly what's unsettling about it."
In addition, German director Pia Strietmann (48, "Herrhausen", "Tatort") directed episodes four through six. BAFTA award winner Otto Bathurst (54) directed the first three episodes. The British director has directed individual episodes of successful series such as "Black Mirror" and "Peaky Blinders", as well as the 2018 film "Robin Hood". He received the BAFTA Award in 2009 for the BBC series "Criminal Justice".
After its release on ARD-Mediathek, "Prisoner - Auf der Flucht" will celebrate its German TV premiere on June 24 with episodes one through four starting at 11:30 PM on Das Erste. Episodes five and six will follow on June 26 starting at 11:45 PM.
