This mini-series is the ultimate psychological thriller with a powerful sense of guilt and retribution, set in St. Petersburg in the second half of the nineteenth century. Raskolnikov is a highly intelligent and striking young student who decides to test his courage and integrity by killing a mean old woman who he is sure nobody will miss. But his crime goes seriously awry and, although there's no clear evidence against him, wily investigator Porfiry sets up a complex series of traps, encounters and conversations which slowly but inexorably allow Raskolnikov to incriminate himself, and eventually confess. Raskolnikov is young, impassioned, lonely, and lost. Despite being a murderer, he is a man possessed by both good and evil who cannot escape his own conscience and his inevitable punishment.
Aired: May 22, 1979
