Kill or Cure

British comedy by the director best known for the four Miss Maple movies starring Margaret Rutherford. Terry Thomas is a clumsy detective who's been called to a health club to investigate the strange things going on. When he gets there he finds it be very difficult handling all the clues he thinks point him in the right direction. Police Inspector Lionel Jeffries regards Thomas as being the strange thing going on. Lovely Movie.

"Kill or Cure" is an unusual film. While the plot is that of an Agatha Christie story about her recurring characters, Tommy and Tuppence, the story has been altered to make it a comedy. So instead of the husband/wife duo, you have Terry-Thomas as the Captain...a private detective AND photographer (it seems being a private eye doesn't pay well...so he takes photos to make ends meet).

The story begins with a rich elderly woman hiring the Captain over the phone. She wants him to stay at a health clinic and investigate some crime...and she'll tell him about it when she sees him at the clinic. As for the clinic, it's a place which believes in taking all the fun out of life and replacing it with vegetable juices, physical therapy which is akin to torture, and keeping the residents freezing 'for their own good'...and, naturally, the Captain hates it. However, before he can meet the old lady, she's murdered...and there's a large reward for solving the crime. However, it's not as easy as all that...as he'll soon find out for himself.

Terry-Thomas could be very funny. However, apart from the potentially funny setting, not enough is made of it when it comes to laughs. Now I am NOT saying it's a bad film...but it certainly isn't exactly a comedy though it is supposed to be. An okay offering...very watchable but missing what it needs to be a must-see.

This is a rather enjoyable little early British comedy. Amazing to see how actually little British comedy changed over the decades. This movie is in the same trend as for instance the Pink Panther movies (although obviously less brilliant) and gives a fun take on the murder-mystery genre. A genre director George Pollock knew really well since he directed many Agatha Christie novel movies, including the four earliest Miss Jane Marple movies, starring Margaret Rutherford.

The movie is nothing too fancy and its kept very simple, with its story and characters. It's also obviously fairly low-budget all. But lets face it, the murder-mystery movies from the '60's themselves also weren't that much special in terms of originality and re-playability. In that regard this movie is a fitting one, that takes on all the typical genre clichés, without ever really becoming original on itself, though the movie does a good job at keeping it a secret who the killer is, right till the end.

The setting of the movie is a comical fun one; a health clinic but its potential isn't used to the max in this movie. There are too few references reminding us of the fact that this movie is set in a health clinic. I mean were are the mud-baths, the face-masks, cold-water baths, disgusting food, etcetera. I remember a "Dalziel and Pascoe" episode that used this in a far more effective comical way and "Dalziel and Pascoe" isn't even a comedy-series but a serious' English detective-series. So I felt that it was a bit of a missed opportunity, to make the movie effectively more fun and comical-like.

The actors aren't much special but they known how to handle the comedy-genre well. It also provides the movie with some fun comical characters, without overly trying to be funny. Such as Det. Insp. Hook (Lionel Jeffries) but also the main character played by Terry-Thomas is a good and fun one, that knows to carry the movie effectively.

A good fun movie. I mean, there basically is no way you wont enjoy watching this movie.

6/10

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"Kill or Cure" is a nice little British comedy from the 60s. Terry Thomas stars as a (sort of bumbling) private detective, and tries to solve a mysterious murder at a health clinic for a £2000 reward. It gets the job done as a comedy, as most of the jokes hit. The idea for it is good, and though The screenplay isn't amazing, it's still good nonetheless. It has a few other British stars, and each of the cast members act their roles well. It also works well as a mystery, and plays out as a good murder mystery film. Overall, it's a nice, lighthearted comedy. Personally, I liked it and recommend it. 6/10.

Typical silly comedy vehicle for Terry-Thomas/Sykes/Jeffries to show their comedic talents. Even though I last saw it 30+ years ago I still remember it had me in stitches. A shame it is no longer available for viewing either on TV or on VHS/DVD as it was a good example of British comedy in the late 50's early 60's period.