Reviews

Stephen Macnally excels as investigative journalist Paul Marino. Subdued & subtle but up front in yer face with the people he investigates. Robert Harland is good too doing Marino's undercover leg work. The quality of the show is underlined by the quality of the guest stars eg Peter Falk, Walter Mattau,Kevin Maccarthy, Caeser Romero, Luther Adler, Robert Middleton. The stories resonate powerfully with depth & integrity. The issues covered by this show in 1961-62 in many cases are just as relevant today. Can't understand why such a quality show was axed after one season. This is way better than any current TV shows. Well reccomended.

What really makes this movie is the superb acting of the leads. Michael Brandon is by turn charming & disturbing. Cloris Leachman runs the full gamut of emotions in her situation. The casting of the leads certainly makes for a very watchable film that seemingly flies by in no time at all. Are there better movies? Yes but this while not outstanding is certainly well above average and worth your time. The casting of the detectives too is very good as are the other characters involved in this film. At one time some of these T. V movies were to an extent looked down on. Some certainly were poor or mediocre but this is definitely a good TV movie.

Like Louis Hayward as the Saint. Sydney Tafler as usual an excellent bad guy. Some of fight scenes are a bit tame. My expectations of this film weren't high sure it has it's flaws but found it entertaining enough & there's more good than bad in this film. The England of the early 50's portrayed here seems a different world today. A film should be entertaining & hold your interest in spite of some of it's flaws it largely achieves this & that is more than Citizen Kane did ( mind numbingly boring) It's a film that somehow makes you want to go back in time to early 50's & see the UK as it was then.

Only recently discovered this show on YouTube seen two episodes so far & will definitely watch the rest of the series. The casting is great Roy Thinnes & Nancy Malone look terrific. Edmund O' Brien what can you say? The guy makes the Royal Shakespeare Company look like the local amateur dramatics! Must have been been a big blow when he left the show tho one episode I've seen was with his replacement Dan O' Herlirhy who made an excellent replacement for O'Brien & was little if any inferior. The stories & settings are great. If only TV shows today had this depth of quality,integrity & talent. Sad that this show was pulled after one season certainly deserved a better run. Tho the very different but equally excellent Target The Corrupters was pulled after one season it certainly makes you wonder what was in TV exec's minds in those days. Here in UK I can think of some stinkbomb shows that have gone on to a second even third run. If you ain't seen this show watch one & you'll soon want to watch more.

Kennedy, Bendix, Talman, Adler those names alone in the cast mean it's going to be a great movie. So many twists & turns which keep you on the edge of your seat. Filmed in b&w it's atmosphere is enhanced. Beverley Michaels not an actress I'm familiar with is excellent & her scenes with Kennedy have depth & intensity about them. The trip back in time feel is enhanced with the steam train & the old Nash cop cars. If this was remade today it would have nowhere near the depth of this film. William Talman famous as Hamilton Burger in Perry Mason was much much more a first rate bad guy in movies as shown here & as Emmet Myers in Hitchhiker a performance straight from your worst nightmares. Give me a good 40's/50's noir over anything today. Total class.

Struggled to make out the dialogue needs much clear speech from cast, Lauren Lyle is too young for the role of Pirie. Storyline o.k. But no more. Having read three Karen Pirie novels which are first rate I expected this series to be much better. A long way from the worst I've seen but still far from the best. Potentially a good series but needs to improve. No probs with Lauren Lyle as an actress but she's wrong for this role. The whole thing lacks edginess & feels slightly flat. Would I watch again maybe but only maybe. A good thriller needs tension this I found somewhat lacking. Less awful more forgettable.

Caught this one afternoon didn't have any great expectations of it especially as Hillary Brooke the leading lady I'd never even heard of. She was absolutely terrific utterly riveting to watch. Afterwards I looked her up & it said quote " she tried to break into films with little success " crazy! I know class acting when I see it & that lady sure was class. Sid James far removed from his usual comedy roles was very good too as was the guy that played the writer. Absorbing movie well worth checking out. With same cast & a bigger budget could have been even better.

Robert Beatty looks seriously untaxed acting wise in this but is a good lead. Dial 999 was probably a " strictly pay cheque " acting job for him. Fascinating to see such as a very young Peter Bowles in it & in a tiny blink & you'll miss him part Alan Browning. Of course there are better shows than this but for it's time it wasn't bad & certainly way better than modern stinkbombs like Sister Boniface Mysteries. Nice pleasant trip back in time.

Despite other poor reviews for this movie I enjoyed it & for me at least have seen far worse. The film simply flew by which for me is a good sign in any movie.

John Simm is an actor I generally like so with him in the lead role I thought this would be pretty decent & being based on strong novels too it should be a good sign. But somehow it feels flat & it struggled to hold my interest. Yes there are worse shows out there Sister Boniface!!! But this is just disappointing what potentially could have been very good is just mediocre & forgettable lacking tension. I remember the awful pilot show of Wycliffe & Jack Shepherd insisted on big changes for the series he was right to & series became a success. John Simm is a good actor maybe just maybe he needs to follow Jack Shepherds example cos the show for me at present isn't really cutting it.

Mickey Rooney generally not one of my fave actors is utterly riveting as the cocky, vicious corrupt union boss. Great storyline a film where you don't even want to blink & miss what the hell's gonna happen next. Tho in a non speaking role Ray Danton is chilling as a hitman he leaves you in no doubt he's a psycho that kills for kicks. The following year he played the title role in the excellent Rise & Fall of Legs Diamond & was superb in that. A very underrated movie well worth seeing.

I'm of an age when I vividly remember both Hughie Green & Jess Yeates & looked fwd to this but what detracted from it was the woeful portrayal of Jess Yeates the actor that portrayed him looked nothing like Yeates. With a better choice of actor to portray Yeates this could have been much better.

Love the offbeat stories the two great leads in the show. I know I'm in for quality entertainment with this show. Olivier Marchal I've seen in other shows terrific actor. Well recommended.

The one real sadness I have is Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper,William Talman et all are no longer with us but the real joy is that we can still enjoy the performances of this terrific cast and the truly absorbing storylines today. Great in 1957 still great in 2022 a tv masterpiece.

Having seen the original am wary of remakes this tho by no means terrible was let down by Vince Vaughan sadly not chilling & wrong actor for the role. No probs with rest of cast. Anthony Perkins was masterful in original but one actor who I feel could have been really good as Norman Bates in 1960 was Dennis Weaver just watch him as the motel janitor in A Touch of Evil truly creepy!

Saw first episode last night & wish I hadn't wasted my time on it. Ridiculous storyline, unbelievable lead character, weak acting & just painful to watch. Yet the BBC pulled plug on the first rate WPC 56 a show that could easily have been a hit series had the BBC had the gumption to show at peak time. Also pulled plug on The Coroner again a far far better show than this junk. Don't waste a second of your time on this rubbish.

Total class & David Jansenn's natural understated subtle style of acting is a masterclass to watch in itself. The guest stars are class too. Best thing on UK tv at mo nothing else comes near it.

Implausible at times yet entertaining with unexpected twists. A film should entertain this does & more so than overrated films such as Gosford Park (load about nowt) & Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (plenty of image but no plot). I didn't expect a masterpiece & it wasn't but hey I've seen much worse films than this

Not a great movie low budget somewhat dated however have seen a lot worse e.g. The Avengers movie. Patrick Allen is business like in the lead. Passable if not particularly memorable film.

Gotta admit on face of it a drama about oil discovery off Norwegian coast didn't strike me as being particularly compelling how wrong I was superbly acted & scripted it took yer thru the roughs & the smoothes, the highs & the lows for the people involved. One of the very best drama series I've seen in a long time. Only seen one other Norway TV series & that was the also excellent Wisting. Hope to see more quality Norway TV drama here in UK

This was different to what I expected neither really a show or a biopic couldn't decide whether I liked it or not still can't. Feel that this could & should have been much better

Seen opening episode implausible terrible " plot ". Lead actress seems more like a cardboard cutout than a character. As a Brit I love some of the quality Aussie dramas but this isn't one of em. As poor as the big screen adaptation of The Avengers tv series a real clunker.

Watched this film many times over the yrs & I never tire of it. Great storyline great cast. Very edgy & very atmospheric. Why oh why don't we seem able to make films like this anymore. Stanley Baker, John Crawford, Donald Pleasance, Billie Whitelaw, Vandals Godsell, George Cooper take a bow class acting &:Val Guest great directing. UK film making at it's best

One of my fave 60's movies has you hooked from the start. Harvey, Remick & Bates are excellent in the leads & the interplay between the their characters is riveting. Harvey's character is truly something else. Really enjoyed this movie & so so underrated 5 stars from me