Customer Reviews

Armchair Thriller: Set 2

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Murder mysteries with a psycho-thriller twist. British TV knows how to do crime mystery. Set 2 of ARMCHAIR THRILLER is even better than the first set. More mystery drama than psychological weirdness. These suspenseful stories are each taken from acclaimed authors' novels, always a good sign. They don't try to make a TV series from a bad book.

The series is period drama of late-70s simply because that is the date when it was originally aired. It is not intended to be a period mystery set, but it is rather nostalgic in seeing avocado green rotary telephones, bell-bottom pants, typewriters, paneled walls, 70's furnishings and wallpaper, and technology such as reel-to-reel tape recordings, VHS players, and a 33rpm record music center. Other than the occasional hair style, each suspense/mystery plot is as contemporary enjoyable as any 21st century production.

The same colored glass entry door is seen on 2 sets, 2 different stories. :}

Vol. 1 & 2 "The Chelsea Murders"
novel by Lionel Davidson
Two DVDs, one a 145 minute, 6-episode version. V2 is the same story edited down to a 103 min. feature-length form with the same cast.
Serial killer sends poetry to police. The author's initials correspond to the next victim's initials. Mary, a freelance journalist, seeking a newspaper staff position and a scoop, gets a little to involved. Will she solve the Chelsea murders before the cops? Michael Feast (Touching Evil) plays Steve Giffard.

Vol. 3 "The Circe Complex" 149 min. in 6 episodes
novel by Desmond Cory
Tom Foreman (Trevor Martin) is in jail after killing a cop and completing a large jewelry theft. Where is the stolen goods? He won't tell. Prison psychiatrist, Ollie Milton (Alan David-"The Green Green Grass"), wants the jewels and looks for help from an ex-con known as 'Cat' and Ollie's wife Val (Beth Morris). On goes the deceit and plotting to the stories surprising end.

Vol. 4 "Quiet as a Nun" 150 min. in 6 episodes
novel by Lady Antonia Fraser
Sr. Miriam dies a starvation suicide in the tower. Her huge inheritance is in trust, and the dead nun's thoughts of changing ownership may be a clue as to why--or--was it a convent murder? Jemima (Maria Aitken-A Fish Called Wanda) looks into her childhood friend's death. Is there more calamity in the convent to come? Ask Rev. Mother Ancilla (Renee Asherson) or Sister Elizabeth (Brenda Bruce-"Little Dorrit" "Men of the World"). Who is the black nun? A most interesting ending to the most interesting story.

No subtitles.
Each feature deals with criminals with a psychological make-up that makes them dangerous, hard to predict, and/or elusive. Thus: unpredictable "ARMCHAIR THRILLERs" have a mind bending twists, and surprise endings. As good as "MURDER MOST ENGLISH", another recommended DVD set.
Also there is "ARMCHAIR THRILLER: Set 1", 4 more feature-length psycho thrillers.

The first Armchair Thriller series on DVD was a real treat - four excellent thrillers made for TV. They were smart and well-acted, and it was fun to revisit Britain in the 70s: bushy sideburns, platform shoes, and garish color schemes.

The second Armchair Thriller series is a complete waste of money. I couldn't have been more disappointed. For a start, two of the four thrillers are the same - one version for a weekly TV series, and the other adapted as a TV movie. Same actors, same story. As it turned out, it wasn't worth watching once, let alone twice. The acting was embarrassingly over the top and the ending was weak.

The thriller based on an Antonia Fraser novel wasn't awful, but it dragged and I was losing interest by the end.

I didn't even bother to watch the last thriller in the set. I wasn't going to waste any more time trying to get my money's worth.

Armchair Thriller - Set One: excellent, highly recommended.
Armchair Thriller - Set Two: skip it.