Customer Reviews

Dead Cert

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

 

 

I bought this because I was interested to see what one of my favorite performers looked like as a younger woman (Dame Judi Dench), and to also see her in a movie with her husband (Michael Williams). The story was interesting to say the least, but I will not tell because I do not want to ruin it for anybody who has not seen it. I will just say that this is a great movie with a plot that will shock the viewer in the end. It is fun to watch these two play in a film together, they were only married for about 4 years when this was made. Judi Dench and Michael Williams are fantastic actors, but I have to say that Michael William's performance out shines his wife's in this(also see them both together in a funny comedy entitled "A Fine Romance")!

This is the earliest Judi Dench performance I have seen to date. She brings a special quality to whatever role she plays. Dick Francis is my favorite author. Although (as usual) the film is not particularly true to the book, it is still a good story. Always interesting taking a trip back to earlier film making. British style from the '70's, directed by the same man who did "Blowup" with David Hemmings. All in all, a good watch.

Judy Dench and her husband Michael Williams are brilliant in this 60s era glimpse into gambling & corruption surrounding horseracing. The interpersonal relationships add surprise and delicious intrigue.

This appears to be a television movie rather than a film designed for theaters. Dench and Williams have small parts. The script is shallow. And the movie as a whole is dull. A waste of great talents.

My wife and I were psyched for this movie. She has been doing a read through of all the Dick Francis novels and we had just seen the series done by Ian McShane Dick Francis Mysteries (In The Frame/ Blood Sport/ Twice Shy). Sadly, this was not worth it. The novel, set in the late 1950's (and published in 1962), was updated to the disco '70's. While the dreadful clothes, hair, and music could have been just mildly distracting, it was only the beginning of what was wrong. The book was badly replotted changing the events of the book and the main characters beyond recognition, much to the frustration of my wife.

The ONLY reason to watch this movie is the great Judi Dench. Sadly...

This thriller from Tony Richardson does a fairly good job capturing the flavor of Dick Frances' horseracing world, and I imagine fans of the writer will enjoy this little-seen picture. Others may lose patience with a movie that ultimately disappoints, due in part to the low-wattage lead and the terrible musical score, by turns jokey and obvious, that really mars the whole thing.

This was a badly acted and boring movie with Judy Dench and her husband's talented wasted.