Murder on the Home Front
- TV Movie
- 2013
- 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
Set during the London Blitz of 1940, this is a world where people live life in the moment. It is also a world where criminals can use the blackout and devastation to hide their darkest activ... Read allSet during the London Blitz of 1940, this is a world where people live life in the moment. It is also a world where criminals can use the blackout and devastation to hide their darkest activities.Set during the London Blitz of 1940, this is a world where people live life in the moment. It is also a world where criminals can use the blackout and devastation to hide their darkest activities.
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Not without it's charm, but overall quite flat, and join-the-dots in nature.
Felt as though I was watching a wartime Midsomer Murders.
Pleasant enough viewing but ultimately shallow, contrived and a bit hackneyed.
Felt as though I was watching a wartime Midsomer Murders.
Pleasant enough viewing but ultimately shallow, contrived and a bit hackneyed.
Not a lot of info on this one on IMDb, probably because it began as a British TV movie. It's on netflix now. Set during WW II, we follow the "Molly", who works with detectives and forensic scientists as they try to track down a prostitute's murderer. Then another murder. They must try to find the bad guy as the clues and crime scenes are all getting erased by the German bombs. It's actually quite good. Moves along slowly but surely. And of course, opium must be involved, since the original writer had also studied opioids. Some clever blending of scenes... at one point, they talk about knives, and we fade into someone carving a hunk of meat. Another time, we start by looking at a mirror ball in a dance hall, which turns into the bright, full moon. The murder victims all have some things in common, and we don't really have any obvious suspects. We plod along, following the slow progress, but it's pretty entertaining. Also the usual wartime issues, such as fifth column spies, homosexuality, woman's lib.
Directed by Geoffrey Sax, who has done a mix of British TV series and films. Looks like he worked exclusively in TV from the 1970s until about 2005, when he made a few films. This seems to be the memoirs of Molly Lefebure, who was a writer... lived from 1919 to 2013. Apparently she wrote about 20 books, among them studies on Coleridge and his family. Quite an interesting write-up on wikipedia. She actually DID work with a pathologist, and worked in a mortuary, no doubt gathering knowledge for her novels.
Directed by Geoffrey Sax, who has done a mix of British TV series and films. Looks like he worked exclusively in TV from the 1970s until about 2005, when he made a few films. This seems to be the memoirs of Molly Lefebure, who was a writer... lived from 1919 to 2013. Apparently she wrote about 20 books, among them studies on Coleridge and his family. Quite an interesting write-up on wikipedia. She actually DID work with a pathologist, and worked in a mortuary, no doubt gathering knowledge for her novels.
Patrick Kennedy would not be unfamiliar to most viewers. He can be see in Downton Abbey, Boardwalk Empire. Day of Atonement, War Horse, and Pirates of the Caribbean, to name a few.
Her he is a doctor in wartime London trying to school the police in forensic science as he attempts to determine cause and criminal in several murders.
There is a bit of Foyle's War here, but the focus is on Doctor Collins, not the police.
He is assisted by Molly Cooper (Tamzin Merchant), who I imagine is a stand in for the author Molly Lefebure, upon which the film is derived by her memoirs.
Of course, the government is not above protecting a killer to aid the war effort.
Her he is a doctor in wartime London trying to school the police in forensic science as he attempts to determine cause and criminal in several murders.
There is a bit of Foyle's War here, but the focus is on Doctor Collins, not the police.
He is assisted by Molly Cooper (Tamzin Merchant), who I imagine is a stand in for the author Molly Lefebure, upon which the film is derived by her memoirs.
Of course, the government is not above protecting a killer to aid the war effort.
A killer uses the backdrop of the Blitz to disguise their crimes.
What an absolutely brilliant ninety minutes of drama this was. The Blitz setting is an excellent backdrop for a murder mystery, the crimes are nasty and the detection is intriguing. You could be forgiven for thinking that Dr Collins had landed there from the future, but these pioneers certainly existed, leading to the technologies used today.
Fabulous characters, all beautifully acted. The two central characters, Lennox and Molly are a joy to watch, the chemistry between Patrick Kennedy and Tamzin Merchant is the quite wonderful and helps to engage you.
At times it's dark, serious and also funny, it's instantly a drama that grips you, it also boasts a fabulous ending which manages to crank up the tension.
Bravo, I thought this was excellent. 9/10
What an absolutely brilliant ninety minutes of drama this was. The Blitz setting is an excellent backdrop for a murder mystery, the crimes are nasty and the detection is intriguing. You could be forgiven for thinking that Dr Collins had landed there from the future, but these pioneers certainly existed, leading to the technologies used today.
Fabulous characters, all beautifully acted. The two central characters, Lennox and Molly are a joy to watch, the chemistry between Patrick Kennedy and Tamzin Merchant is the quite wonderful and helps to engage you.
At times it's dark, serious and also funny, it's instantly a drama that grips you, it also boasts a fabulous ending which manages to crank up the tension.
Bravo, I thought this was excellent. 9/10
This an odd sort of film. There is nothing specially good about it. The acting, the production, the effects and even the plot are all somewhat mediocre. Yet it has its moments. Setting a Jack The Ripper sort of story against the London blitz is unique in itself. But the intriguing aspect is that they have combined some pretty gory scenes with an offbeat sort of humour. I'm not sure whether it's a war movie, a murder mystery or a comedy. Maybe a bit of each. Not a great film by any means. Yet it's something different and we enjoyed it. Was this perhaps inspired by Foyle's War? It also had the look of a pilot for a planned TV series that never happened.
Did you know
- TriviaThe aircraft in the opening titles have D Day marking on the wings but it is set in 1940
- GoofsThere are many occasions where lights are shown at night, contrary to the blackout regulations.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
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- Also known as
- Evin Önünde Cinayet
- Filming locations
- The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Chatham, Kent, England, UK(London streets)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 31m(91 min)
- Color
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