Person of Interest is....Interesting!

Oh Michael Emerson, why the freaky look? Jim doesn't bite.

Just caught the premiere of "Person Of Interest" on CBS.

Two words: I'm interested.


I need another crime procedural like I need to be shot in my effed-up ankle, but I was pleasantly surprised with this.

I know J.J. Abrams work though Fringe (not a LOST-y here, sorry guys) and I know he can bring some major story arcs. I also know Jim Caviezel's work... though admittedly it's only from one movie. Seriously, try to see Jesus Christ in his character on this show. Go ahead, I dare you to try. Not gonna happen.

Michael Emmerson - okay, not a LOSTy but I do know the man's work from other things and he's always fun to watch.

The premise:

Caviezel plays John Reese (alias? who knows) an ex-military/ex-CIA hitman/wet-works man/very scary dude with very scary skills set, who is basically trying to kill himself the hard way. He's a man crushed by his demons, none of which we are privy to in the beginning. He has loved and lost - she gets killed somehow -  and well, Reese is down on his luck in New York City.

He manages to thwart a would-be ass-kicking on his person by five or so young thugs, single-handedly, and then the police put his prints in the database. Once on the net, they see his prints are at a dozen or so crime scenes and seriously, who is this man?

Enter - The Suit - Michael Emmerson's stiff-gated, bespectacled Mr. Finch. Finch wants Reese to help him "stop crimes before they happen." Okay, but without TARDIS? Without any time traveling mechanism?

It seems that Finch created the mother of all Big Brother spying machines, able to listening on any cell phone, hack any security camera, satellite, database, email, you name it, they can see it. Makes you want to rethink those sexting messages you sent recently, right?

The Machine cranks out social security numbers linked to persons of interest. Either they will be a victim of a crime or they will be the perpetrator, we don't know. The Machine was created to find threats of all kinds: high priority and low priority. The low priority threats are what Finch is interested in now. Finch wants Reese to be his agent of heroism to help those in need and stop the crimes if he can get there in time.

This isn't the usual formulaic crime procedural. I actually had the wrong bad guy pegged throughout most of it, and that doesn't usually happen. Too many years of crime dramas, I guess.

The action and suspense is taught. The acting is pretty damn good too.

Caviezel has this quiet intensity, with his soft spoken tenor and expressive, gentle eyes which is totally at odds with his sometimes vicious executions.  He may talk soft but he carries a big stick, and there is little doubt that he can handle the physical scenes with credibility. He blows up cars, takes down 6 or more bad guys in one swoop and handles the firearms with deadly precision.

Emmerson brings his quirky demeanor as the rich tech genius, but were are definitely left wondering who Mr. Finch really is.

All in all, this is a show that gives me something different to add to my usual crime drama diet. The characters are mysteries, the cases are interwoven and complex, and the action is spot on.

I'm impressed.