Product Details

• Actors: John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Colin Dexter, James Grout, Peter Woodthorpe
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Bfs Entertainment
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 1998
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303215688
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,726 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revenge & Retribution, December 27, 2004

By 

Pamela Williams (Saginaw, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Inspector Morse - Absolute Conviction (DVD)

This entry in the Morse series is somewhat unusual, in that the events unfold largely in a prison setting; moreover, the mystery focuses attention upon punishment (or lack of same) for white collar crime. Morse and Lewis are brought to the minimum security prison following the death of Lawrence Cryer, one of a trio of crooked developers who defrauded scores of duped investors. Although death by heart attack was the initial impression, signs of trauma point to homicide. There is no shortage of potential suspects or motives given Cryer's history.
The obvious suspects include investors or their relatives who were victimized by Cryer, his own partners in crime, and his young wife and/or her boyfriend among others. Morse concludes that the three partners stashed a fortune in secret bank accounts just prior to their bankruptcy declaration and imprisonment; consequently, he is convinced that the homicide is related to avarice. An ambitious police officer (Sergeant Cheatham) shares Morse's view that the death was motivated by monetary considerations and resorts to several tactics (legal and illegal) to prove his point. Later in the episode, one of the two surviving partners is poisoned and Morse becomes even more convinced that greed is the catalyst for these events. The viewer is confronted with several factors with possible relevance to the case-- the presence of a prison guard who is related to one of the cheated investors and the presence of a soon to be released inmate who had been convicted for murder 16 years earlier. In the final analysis, Morse's penchant for solving crossword puzzles helps him solve the case and discover the real motivation behind two homicides and one attempted murder. All things considered, this installment is very satisfying. The character portrayals (particularly the role of inmate Bennett) are generally very good with one exception. The role of the socially progressive female prison governor was somewhat overplayed, as this character was scripted as a rather tiresome and deluded creature who often needed reminding that she ran a penal institution as opposed to a Summer camp for mischievous adults.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This tale contains similarities to the current Bernie Madoff case, December 31, 2010

By 

Israel Drazin (Boca Raton, Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Inspector Morse - Absolute Conviction (DVD)

This A&E and BBC mystery is, as virtually all the close to three dozen just over 100 minute TV films, very entertaining, engaging, and thoughtful. The plot has some resemblance to the current Bernie Madoff swindle, although instead of many organizations being involved in 65 billion of dollars of money swindled from people expecting to make huge profits, there are only three individuals involved in this affair that robbed people of "only" five million pounds sterling. In both the real and the fictional account, many people believe that the crooks squirreled away a huge amount of money. The three conspirators have been caught and are spending a rather short incarceration in jail. The story begins when one of the three is murdered while in prison. His wife is having an affair with the son of another of the three conspirators. This second man has turned, or so he claims, to religion. The third thief states that he is preparing to leave jail and make another fortune. He has a man outside the jail who is doing research for him. This man is also murdered. There are other interesting characters, such as the head of the prison, a woman who wants to keep the prison where people are treated as human beings and who is afraid that the murders will prompt the government to close down her "kind" prison. There is also a man who was imprisoned for 16 years, who claims that he did not kill his wife, a man who Morse treated kindly 16 years ago when he was a sergeant. As usual with this series, although quite smart, Morse misreads the facts and personalities several times before getting the matter right.

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Fan, January 11, 2012

By 

Milostiva "love to read" (LA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Inspector Morse - Absolute Conviction (DVD)

Since I have purchased the entire Inspector Morse set you can surmise that I am a big fan. Oxford will never be the same.