Gene Hunt

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Gene Hunt
Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes character
Philip Glenister as Gene Hunt in Ashes to Ashes
First appearance Life on Mars: Episode 1, series 1
Portrayed by Philip Glenister
Episode count Life on Mars 16/16
Ashes to Ashes 16/16.
Books The Rules of Modern Policing
The Future of Modern Policing
Information
Occupation Police Officer
Manchester and Salford Police (1973)
Metropolitan Police (1981/2)
Title Detective Chief Inspector (DCI)
Spouse(s) Unnamed wife (Divorced before events of Ashes to Ashes in 1981)
Address Manchester (1973)
London (1981/2)
Nationality British
IMDb profile

DCI Gene Hunt is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama Life on Mars and its spin-off Ashes to Ashes. The character is portrayed by Philip Glenister in both Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, whereas in the American version he is portrayed by Harvey Keitel. Bantam Press have published two books written from the in-character perspective of Hunt, being the The Rules of Modern Policing (1973) in 2007, and The Future of Modern Policing (1981) in 2008.[1][2]

The character of Gene Hunt is portrayed as a "politically incorrect chauvinist" who has no qualm with using violence in order to get a result.[3] He is displayed to have a love/hate relationship with Sam Tyler (John Simm) and Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes), the leading protagonists of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes respectively, whilst commanding fierce loyalty from his subordinates, DS Ray Carling (Dean Andrews) and DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster).

The character received much critical and public acclaim for his role in Life on Mars, being dubbed both a "national hero" [4] and an unlikely sex symbol,[5] as well as being voted Britain's favourite TV hero and "top cop".[6] Ashes to Ashes provoked negative reviews, with accusations of reitition of material. [7]

Contents

[edit] Storylines

[edit] Background

During the course of the first series of Life on Mars, it is revealed that Gene Hunt's father was an abusive drinker and that his brother Stuart was a drug addict who ran away after Hunt's attempts to reform him. Revealing that by the time Hunt found Stuart, he was dead. It is also revealed that Hunt was conscripted into the British Army and carried out his national service, before joining the police at the age of nineteen. Hunt explains that while he was a young officer, he discovered that his mentor, Harry Outhwaite, a decorated war hero and local legend, was in fact corrupt. Hunt reveales that he turned his mentor in, and unable to bear the humiliation, Outhwaite committed suicide.

[edit] Life on Mars

Gene Hunt as he appears in Life on Mars

In Life on Mars, Gene Hunt is the Detective Chief Inspector in command of A Division CID.Throughout the events of Life on Mars, Gene is shown to be respected by subordinate members of his team. When Detective Inspector Sam Tyler arrives at CID in the first episode of Life on Mars, Hunt is quick to make it clear that he is Tyler's superior. He demonstrates his willingness to accept bribes from criminals - a practice which he continues until local crime boss Stephen Warren murders a girl for helping Tyler in episode "Conflict of Interest". In episode 2 of the show's second series, it is discovered that Hunt's mentor Harry Woolf is corrupt and was the mastermind behind several robberies. Hunt, despite his fierce loyalty, brings down Woolf.

Although Hunt's method of policing is brutal at times, he is very clear as to how far the police can go. He is initially disdainful of female police officers apart from WPC Phyllis Dobbs; however, he eventually accepts WPC Annie Cartwright into the CID in the second series, and learns to value her input. Hunt's major rivals while he is serving in Manchester and Salford Police, are DCI Litton of the Regional Crime Squad, and DCI Frank Morgan (Ralph Brown), who replaces Hunt when he is accused of killing a man in series 2, episode 7. In the show's final episode, Morgan goes so far as to set up Hunt and his team to confront train robbers without arranging the promised backup, in the hope that Hunt will be killed.

[edit] Ashes to Ashes

In Ashes to Ashes, Gene Hunt is the Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) in command of the Fenchurch East CID.

It is revealed in the first episode of Ashes to Ashes, that following the events of Life on Mars in 1973 , Hunt worked with Sam Tyler for another seven years before Tyler's apparent death during a high-speed pursuit, in which his body was never recovered. Shortly thereafter, Hunt transferred out of the Manchester and Salford Police to the Metropolitan Police, alongside DC Chris Skelton and DS Ray Carling. Set in 1981, Ashes to Ashes sees Hunt divorced – the reasons for which he refuses to disclose, becoming angry when Alex asks him – and having replaced his trademark Cortina with an imported Audi Quattro. Hunt remains determined to crack down on crime in his division, but has become somewhat more professional in his behaviour, secure in his authority and organised in his approach since the 1970s. He has embraced some aspects of modern policing, but is convinced that old-school policing methods are on their way to being excised from the force, along with the officers who still practise them. Hunt is also seen to be one of the officers who slipped through the net of Operation Countryman. Hunt first meets Alex Drake during a police drugs raid on a party, unaware that she, like Tyler, has travelled into Hunt's time line from the future. Believing her to be a prostitute, he takes her in for questioning, only to discover that she is the new Detective Inspector. It later transpires in the last episode of series one that Hunt was the officer who took Drake's hand when she was a child, following her parents' death from a car bomb explosion, leading Alex to the conclusion that Hunt may in fact be real, rather than a figment of her or Sam's imagination.

Series 2 of Ashes to Ashes has added more dimensions to Gene Hunt. He is now somewhat of a reformed character, nowhere near as violent as he was in Life on Mars. As of Episode 4, Gene is actively fighting the corruption that is plaguing the Met. He was initiated into the Freemasons, causing Alex Drake to suspect that he had become corrupt as well, but he eventually shared that he was trying to fight them from the inside. Drake and Hunt are constantly trying to catch their superior, Charlie Mackintosh, doing something wrong, but he is always one step ahead of them. Mackintosh is shot dead in Episode 4 during a struggle with Hunt, who had been trying to prevent Mac from shooting himself over everything he has done. The shock of Mac's death and the betrayal he feels about his superior's corruption makes Hunt more determined than ever to clean up the Met. He and Drake then try to find out more about the mysterious "Operation Rose", which Mac mentioned before he died in an allusion to Citizen Kane.

In November 1982, after playing part of one of Alex's cassette taped journals which Martin Summers had planted on his desk, Gene demands an explaination from Alex who fears she has no recourse but to tell him the impossible truth of her origin. This eventually leads an angry, distrustful Gene, hours later, to suspend her, confiscate her Warrant card, and threaten to kill her if he finds her the next day at the anticipated robbery. He does find her following the foiled robbery, but instead shoots Martin Summers to save her life. Moments later, Gene accidentally shoots Alex in the abdomen during another sudden hostage stand-off. With no living, conscious witnesses, Gene is accused of attempted murder and goes into hiding. He manages to reach Alex's 1982 hospital bed and scream at her to wake up in order to clear his name. Alex hears him and sees his face through the various monitors in her 2008 hospital when she awakens from the 2008 gunshot wound to her head, which had sent her back to 1981 in the first place.

[edit] Characterisation

[edit] Personality and appearance

The character of Gene Hunt is portrayed as being a "politically incorrect chauvinist", [8] and an "old style cop, not scared of throwing a few punches to get a result".[3] Glenister describes his character as a "a maverick",[3] explaining that in his head, he lives in a western and sees himself as the sheriff at high noon, the way he goes around policing, which is probably quite true to the way it was back then. It's all black and white with Gene; there's no grey area with him. With that style of policing it was much more intuitive and not as scientific as it is nowadays; back then they had to be more instinctive with their approach. He's dealing with crooks. There's a very fine line between the criminal and the copper and I think he sometimes gets very close to crossing that line but he does always ensure he stays on the side of the law."[3] Within Life on Mars, Hunt is described by colleague Sam Tyler as an "overweight, over-the-hill, nicotine-stained, borderline alcoholic homophobe with a superiority complex and an unhealthy obsession with male bonding".[9] In Ashes to Ashes, set eight years after Life on Mars, the BBC state that Hunt's personality remains unchanged, however explain that: "Gene is a man losing his grip on the power he had as a policeman and the changing face of the police force in the eighties. He is trying to do the right thing, but finds it difficult to fit in with the times."[8] Glenister has likened Hunt's personality to football managers Brian Clough and Jose Mourinho,[3] recalling: "In a very famous clip from the Seventies, Clough was asked in an interview 'what happens when somebody disagrees with you or has a different opinion?'. He replied: 'I like to sit there, listen to what they have to say, then half-an-hour later they realise that I was right'. I thought that was so Gene."[3] Continuing with this theme, he states that Gene also "dresses like a football boss - his big camel coat and slip on shoes". In Ashes to Ashes Gene wears crocodile boots and a black three-quarter length Crombie coat. In series 2 of Ashes to Ashes, Hunt seems to be much more in control of his actions and is actively fighting the corruption that is plaguing his force.

[edit] Relationships

Of Hunt's relationship with Sam Tyler, lead protagonist of Life on Mars, actor John Simm opines that "They develop a love/hate relationship [and] have a begrudging respect for each other's methods."[10] Glenister states that: "They make a good team. Sam has the scientific capacity and Gene has the instinctive capacity and if you marry the two, you end up with the best detectives money can buy. I think that's the key to their relationship, meeting in the middle and combining the skills they have. When that works they get spectacular results."[3] He likens Hunt and Tyler's relationship to that of a football manager and star player such as Alex Ferguson and David Beckham, "when there can be friction but there is also a lot of respect. It's a grudging respect from Gene but he realises that he sees a lot of Sam in himself. He sees Sam as both his prodigy but also his nemesis."[3]

The BBC website describes Hunt's relationship with Alex Drake, lead protagonist Ashes to Ashes, as also being "love/"hate",[11] providing "an emotional pull to keep her in the past".[11] Expanding on this, it is stated that: "Alex finds Gene to be a bit of a dinosaur and instead of being in awe of him, she finds him rather amusing – much to his annoyance."[11] It is explained that Alex is "tougher than any woman he has ever met and when they work together sparks fly. In this unfamiliar territory he becomes very protective of her, but he would never admit that he fancies her."[8]

In the second series of Ashes to Ashes, Gene and Alex's relationship is seen to have improved. Gene greatly respects Alex in his own way, and both seem to be confused with their feelings for each other. When Gene tells Alex that he is working undercover to bring down corruption in the Met, she is very glad and tells him she thought she "almost lost him". When Gene suspects that there is a mole inside the Met, Alex is the only one that he does not suspect is corrupt, and he confides in her.

Hunt's officers DS Ray Carling and DC Chris Skelton are described as being "ever-faithful"[12] and "fiercely loyal"[13] to their boss. Carling is deemed to be Hunt's "right-hand man when it comes to fighting, shooting, gambling and the ladies",[12] with actor Dean Andrews stating that the two characters are both "men's men",[14] and opining that "Ray and Gene are very similar characters and Ray looks up to Gene and follows his lead."[14] However, while Carling is threatened by Hunt's relationship with Tyler in Life on Mars, feeling "mortified that he's lost his mate and thinking partner",[14] Skelton, in contrast, finds himself and his loyalty "torn between Gene and Sam".[15] Both characters follow Hunt in transferring from the Manchester and Salford Police to the Metropolitan Police Service, and appear in both Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.

[edit] Reception

Gene Hunt is described as a "national hero" by The Independent's David Usborne,[4] and as a character "taken to the nation's hearts" by The Guardian's Judith Pidd.[16] He was voted Britain's favourite TV hero in 2008, receiving over 25% of the popular vote, ahead of both 24's Jack Bauer and Doctor Who's Doctor.[6] Nancy Banks-Smith deems Hunt to have been a "roaring success" in Life on Mars,[17] while The Observer's Mark Kermode hails Glenister and Simm as being "fabulous as the timewarped good cop/bad cop odd couple".[18] The Independent's Gerard Gilbert contends that it was Hunt, not Tyler who was the true "hero" of Life on Mars, writing that: "it wasn't nice Sam Tyler that seven million viewers [fell] for, but his unreconstructed Seventies copper sidekick, DCI Gene Hunt. Played by Philip Glenister in a camel coat, kipper tie and black leather driving gloves, Hunt was the runaway success of the series."[19] He explains that it was because of Hunt that Life on Mars' spin-off Ashes to Ashes was commissioned, quoting executive producer Jane Featherstone as saying: "When Life on Mars came to end through natural causes, I think we all thought: 'Hang on, this character, Gene Hunt, is a fairly extraordinary man and we're not quite done with him yet".[19] The Daily Telegraph's Glenda Cooper has called it a "crime" that Simm received a BAFTA nomination for his portrayal of Sam Tyler, but that Glenister did not receive similar recognition for his role as Hunt.[5] As with Gilbert's assertion that Hunt, not Tyler was the true star of the show, Cooper writes: "Fans of the BBC1 hit series deliberated long and hard over the central conundrum of the cop drama: did it revolve around Tyler's apparent time travel, the significance of the combination Hyde 2612, or the Test Card girl as a symbol of death? As far as I - and millions of British women - were concerned, the only riddle was why the hell did anyone think this was Tyler's show when a brief psychological profile, cursory examination of the evidence and old-fashioned gut instinct showed that there was only one man in the frame and that was DCI Gene Hunt."[5]

Critical reception to the character in Ashes to Ashes was more negative than in Life on Mars. Caitlin Moran, reviewing the spin-off show for The Times, stated that: "We love Gene Hunt. That’s just a fact. As soon as Life on Mars broadcast, Hunt become that rare thing, in these creatively timid and threadbare days for British drama: an instant icon. [However] in 200 miles, eight years and one sequel – Gene has gone from being a complex antihero to a cartoon hero."[7] Moran opined that:

"It’s not Phil Glenister’s fault – he continues to play Hunt with malicious, controlled glee. The problem is with the show itself. It has lost its innocence. It’s gone from being a little bit in love with Hunt – as any rational programme would be – to borderline stalking him. Every Hunt entrance is a “Hero Shot” – slow pans, moody lighting, orchestral upswell. Every scene is waiting for Hunt to enter, or animate, or conclude it. The show will give him anything he wants – machineguns, a speedboat, a ludicrous plot resolution. Most crucially and, I think, eventually fatally, Hunt’s just not being serviced with the kind of dialogue he should be getting. [...] In episode one, in his opening speech, he’s already using dialogue (“armed bastards”) that he has used before. A Gene Hunt greatest hits package, so soon? It’s inexplicable laziness."[7]

Andrew Billen shares this sentiment, writing of Ashes to Ashes that "much is secondhand and when Hunt, played as gleefully as ever by Philip Glenister, shouts an insult as lame as “hoity-toity poofter” you wonder if the writers should have thought again."[20]

Hunt has also been criticised for the prejudiced views he propagates. Writing for The Times, Tim Teeman expressed concern over an episode of Ashes to Ashes which focused on overt homophobia, writing: "No doubt the justification here is that it's Gene Hunt, everyone knows he's a bigot, that's what he'd say. And he and his mates were shown to be fools. But it was said with lip-smacking relish. Gene Hunt is on the brink of becoming a kind of icon of the sniggering, unreconstructed lad."[21] Teeman questioned; "would the BBC be so free and easy using extreme racist language as it does with gays in primetime? No. But gays are an easy target and the BBC seems to enjoy playing the playground bully."[21] David Chater, reviewing the same episode, agreed that "it would be unfortunate if Hunt became the acceptable face of homophobia in the same way Alf Garnett was lionised by National Front supporters."[22] Ashley Pharoah, co-creator of both Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, has also voiced concern on this issue, commenting: "There have been times I have wondered: have we created a pin-up boy for the Daily Mail? That wasn't our intention."[23]

[edit] Sex symbol status

Hunt has attained the status of an unlikely British sex symbol, examined by The Sunday Times' India Knight, who writes: "the combination of power and, shall we say, lack of political correctness can be a potent one - which is why everyone in Britain fell in love with Gene Hunt, the hulking great throwback in the BBC series Life on Mars. On paper the character was entirely despicable; in full flow he made his intelligent, evolved, sensitive sidekick look like a ladyboy. Men wanted to be Hunt; women wanted to be with him."[24] This assessment is supported by Glenda Cooper, who attests in The Daily Telegraph:

"On paper, it should never have happened. Hunt is Seventies man writ large and we should be grateful that species is extinct. He wears a vest and his hair looks like it was styled during a power cut. He runs along towpaths in skimpy orange swimming trunks and has a torso that's closer to a Party Seven than six pack. He has no concept of innocent until proved guilty and thinks it's acceptable to turn up to a swingers' evening with a prostitute he's just busted. He's racist, disablist and homophobic, and he calls his only female detective Flash Knickers. (And he means it as a compliment.) In fact when you see Hunt's qualities spelled out like that, it looks appalling. [However] the fact remains: Gene Hunt is my guilty secret, and I know scores of other women feel the same."[5]

Cooper asserts that: "women like Hunt because he isn't a bastard - or at least not to his team. In a world of short-term contracts, job insecurity and portfolio careers, Hunt's undying loyalty to his squad (even while rabidly insulting them) make us wistful for a time gone by when you had a job (and colleagues) for life."[5]

[edit] American character

In 2007, a television pilot for an American version of Life on Mars was filmed by 20th Century Fox Television from a script by David E. Kelley. Irish actor Colm Meaney was cast as Hunt, the precinct captain of a Los Angeles police department. Meaney had not seen the British series but bought the DVD sets at an airport after filming had been completed.[25] The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike delayed the start of the series until 2008. By then, the ABC network wanted the pilot to be reshot without Kelley's involvement. Meaney was not hired to play Hunt again; instead, Harvey Keitel played him.[26] The setting of the series was moved to New York and Hunt was changed to a police lieutenant,[16] the typical rank of a New York City detective squad's commander.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Adams, Guy; Gene Hunt (8 October 2007). The Rules of Modern Policing - 1973 Edition. Bantam Press. ISBN 0593060202. 
  2. ^ Adams, Guy; Gene Hunt (23 October 2008). The Future of Modern Policing - 1981 Edition. Bantam Press. ISBN 0593062035. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "BBC - Drama - Life on Mars - Philip Glenister as DCI Gene Hunt". bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/characters/gene.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  4. ^ a b Usborne, David (18 May 2008). "The Gene Genie gets an LA makeover". The Independent. Independent News & Media. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-gene-genie-gets-an-la-makeover-830371.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  5. ^ a b c d e Cooper, Glenda (13 April 2007). "Why women love DCI Hunt". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Group. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/04/13/nosplit/ftphil13.xml. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  6. ^ a b Media Monkey (4 July 2008). "Gene Hunt is top cop, says poll". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/mediamonkeyblog/2008/jul/04/genehuntistopcopsayspollT. Retrieved on 2008-12-03. 
  7. ^ a b c Moran, Caitlin (2 February 2008). "Why Ashes to Ashes doesn't work". The Times. Times Newspapers. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3271604.ece. Retrieved on 2008-12-03. 
  8. ^ a b c "BBC - Drama - Ashes to Ashes - Gene Hunt". bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/ashestoashes/characters/gene_hunt_person_page.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  9. ^ "TV's top 25 put-downs published". BBC News website. 26 February 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7264321.stm. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  10. ^ "BBC - Drama - Life on Mars - John Simm as DI Sam Tyler". bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/characters/sam.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  11. ^ a b c "BBC - Drama - Ashes to Ashes - Characters - Alex Drake". bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/ashestoashes/characters/alex_drake_person_page.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  12. ^ a b "BBC - Drama - Ashes to Ashes - Characters - Ray Carling". bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/ashestoashes/characters/ray_carling_person_page.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  13. ^ "BBC - Drama - Ashes to Ashes - Characters - Chris Skelton". bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/ashestoashes/characters/chris_skelton_person_page.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  14. ^ a b c "BBC - Drama - Life on Mars - Dean Andrews as DC Ray Carling". bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/characters/ray.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  15. ^ "BBC - Drama - Life on Mars - Marshall Lancaster as DC Chris Skelton". bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/characters/chris.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  16. ^ a b Pidd, Helen (11 October 2008). "US critics savour first taste of Life on Mars". The Guardian (Guardian News & Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/oct/11/television. Retrieved on 2008-10-19. 
  17. ^ Banks-Smith, Nancy (11 April 2007). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/apr/11/tvandradio.comment. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  18. ^ Kermode, Mark (23 September 2007). "So, is there really Life on Mars?". The Observer. Guardian News & Media. http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,2174932,00.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  19. ^ a b Gilbert, Gerard (28 January 2008). "Ashes to Ashes: Bang to rights". The Independent. Independent News & Media. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/ashes-to-ashes-bang-to-rights-774753.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  20. ^ Billen, Andrew (16 January 2008). "Ashes to Ashes". The Times. Times Newspapers. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3193653.ece. Retrieved on 2008-12-03. 
  21. ^ a b Teeman, Tim (7 March 2008). "Cutting Edge: Phone Rage; Ashes to Ashes - Last Night's TV". The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3497027.ece. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  22. ^ Charter, David (6 March 2008). "Crufts; Ashes to Ashes; Phone Rage; The Sopranos - Tonight's TV". The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3490038.ece. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  23. ^ Billen, Andrew (27 February 2008). "Horizon; The Hard Sell - Last Night's TV". The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3440099.ece. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  24. ^ Knight, India (28 September 2008). "Be honest: we all love the sexist alpha male". The Sunday Times. Times Newspapers. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/india_knight/article4837668.ece. Retrieved on 2008-12-02. 
  25. ^ Utichi, Joe (12 November 2007). "Exclusive: Colm Meaney Spills the Beans on Life on Mars US". Rotten Tomatoes. http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/lake_placid/news/1688281/exclusive_colm_meaney_spills_the_beans_on_life_on_mars_us. Retrieved on 3 March 2009. 
  26. ^ Mitovich, Matt (24 July 2008). "Scoop! Keitel Lands on Mars as Homicide Boss". TV Guide. http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Harvey-Keitel-Joins/800043842. Retrieved on 3 March 2009. 
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