Customer Reviews

Inspector Morse - The Day of the Devil

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In "The Day of the Devil" we find our self-assured bachelor, Inspector Morse, confronted with a serial rapist and murderer who escapes the mental hospital. To make matters worse, this criminal is also a master of disguise, resourceful, and deadly. After abducting an innocent housewife, he begins to make his demands on the police and Inspector Morse.

Morse's sleuthing is consistently frustrated by the murderer who remains one step ahead of him at every turn. But as he and Lewis methodically follow the trail of evidence and build their case, another set of facts and relationships begin to emerge. There are accomplices and help from unexpected sources.

The writers dismiss the issues of devil-worship and the occult as they toy with the theme in this episode. The mysterious quickly gives way to the ridiculous and for an uncharacteristic moment, the plot becomes sloppy and poorly written.

All in all, though, this is an interesting episode in an engaging series.

An episode that hits the ground running - wire to wire action; and because the action is non stop there really isn't time for the personal Morse and his idiosyncrasies, which is disappointing, but then again this is a very different Morse than we usually get and we can appreciate the change of pace because the story is so well done. Excellent turns by James Grout (Superintendent Strange,) and J. Richard Griffiths (Cannon Appleton.) This is a thriller with two big twists, both saved for the closing scenes, and they do twist and surprise. A first rate Morse entry.

One of my favourites of all of the Morse series, this is more of a treatise on the relationship of men to women as opposed to the superficial concerns with satanic worship which permeate the plot.

All of the usual attributes of a good Morse yarn are here for viwers to enjoy, the calm piecing together of the disparate clues and evidence, the thought that looks into motive and intent and the characteristically typical Oxford outlook for our Chief Inspector.

The villain at the centre of attention is a clever serial rapist who is a Satanist, and his escapee from a high security medical facility. At the other end of the spectrum is a timid female psychologist who is overlooked by any of the male company she happens to be in and a female police officer who befriends her, a woman with strong feminist views and who is a tower of strngth in an emergency.

As the plot unfolds we are given an insight into Morse's own romanticised views of women and his apparent perception of them as the weaker sex, although I do feel that there is a much more complex side to this which is oft overlooked.

As the mystery unfolds, the satanic aspects recede into the background and the vengeful determinism of a strong female persona is thrown very much into the fore.

A very clever and thoughtful episode which casts a great deal of doubt upon the simplistic views of men as strong and women as weak stereotypes which continue to dominate in many societies. Including this one.

This is another excellent BBC Chief Inspector Morse film, staring the late John Thaw as the irascible, persistent, dedicated detective who walks up to the line in challenging his superior when he knows that he is right. A dangerous paranoid prisoner, Barrie, who is convinced that the devil exists, that he is a protected disciple who can't be caught unless he is betrayed, escapes from the prison hospital under unusual circumstances. He got into the infirmary, slipped sleeping pills into the guard's drink, disguised himself, and hid in the car of one of the female psychiatrists who is leaving at that time. How did he get the sleeping pills and the disguise, and how did he know about the doctor's car?

Instead of escaping to London, Barrie travels to Oxford, Inspector Morse's town, and is not recognized because he uses other disguises. He travels around in a van, but Morse is unable to find that any van was stolen. Where did he get the van? Is he being helped? Why did he come to Oxford?

Barrie calls Morse and insists that he bring the female doctor to Oxford. Morse is unable to figure out why, and he refuses. Barrie kidnaps a woman to show Morse that if he does not comply with his request, he will hurt people. The woman is the wife of a brutal wife beater. Why did Barrie choose this woman? The husband is later killed. Why? Is there a connection to the case?

There are interesting subplots, such as should women exert themselves, as a female police officer insists, or retain their femininity, as Morse maintains.

When a dedicated Satanist escapes from a high security mental institution, Inspector Morse and Sgt. Lewis enter the case, and when a local woman is abducted by the escapee, fears for her life arise. The suspense is almost palpable as the patient, whose female psychiatrist unwittingly provided the vehicle by which he escaped, uses a series of clever disguises to terrify the Oxford area. The manhunt becomes more and more tension-filled as information about the patient's past crimes combines with new information about his possible involvement with a satanic cult in Oxford.

The church, Oxford University, researchers on the occult, and local bookstore owners all figure in the mystery. The psychiatrist finds her own life in such peril that she is granted round-the-clock protection, yet the murderer manages to elude police and become the suspect in a bizarre murder.

John Thaw as Morse and Kevin Whately as Sgt. Lewis continue the fine acting that has made this series such a long-time success with viewers. Keith Allen, as John Peter Barrie, the escaped patient, is eerily menacing, often using his eyes to convey his disguised identity to the viewer, and Harriet Walter, as Dr. Esther Martin, provides the sympathetic concern one would expect of a psychiatrist, however naïve she might be. Richard Griffiths, as Canon Humphrey Appleton, conveys the gravitas one would expect of a member of the clergy, along with good sense in the search for the escapee.

In this episode the cinematography (Colin Munn) is especially important in the creation of atmosphere, with dramatic scenes taking place at night and in ill-lit, closed places. The contrast of light and dark with the addition of dramatic, well-placed color give intensity to scenes of satanic worship, despite the hint of tongue-in-cheek humor. Beautifully focused throughout, this episode maintains its tension right up to the shocking conclusion, one of the best endings of all the Morse episodes. First-rate Morse. n Mary Whipple

I discovered the Inspector Morse series by way of the Inspector Lewis police drama. In Inspector Morse, Kevin Whately (who plays DI Lewis in the Inspector Lewis series) is DS Lewis who works under the relentless, and ever perceptive Chief Inspector Morse (John Thaw). Both Thaw and Whately are credibly cast in their respective roles, with the more academic and intellectual Morse providing a nice contrast to the more down to earth Lewis.

I am impressed at the quality of the script and the engaging storylines in this series. In The Day of the Devil, the Oxford police are in an uproar when a convicted serial rapist, John Barrie, escapes from prison. Chief Inspector Morse comes under pressure from his commanding officer to ensure Barrie is captured as soon as possible. This however proves to be a Herculean task as Barrie is a master of disguise and in possession of a sharp mind. He also seems to be in possession on a car and a place to live, which leads Morse and Lewis to suspect he has some assistance. The question is, who?

As the investigative team of Morse and Lewis comb the countryside, unearthing clues in pursuit of Barrie, a housewife is abducted and later released, unharmed, by Barrie. This leads Morse to wonder at the change in Barrie's modus operandi, and not only that, Barrie seems obsessed in getting in touch with Dr. Esther Martin, who was Barrie's psychiatrist in prison. Meanwhile, Barrie's interest in the occult also leads to an investigation of the local Satanist cult in Oxford, since a day revered by Satanists is fast approaching. Morse and Lewis scramble to figure out the links in the case before someone gets seriously hurt.

There is suspense and tension throughout the story, and part of what makes this series so addictive is the intricate plot with red herrings that make it difficult to figure out motivations and who the actual perpetrators are. Highly recommended for fans of high-quality British crime dramas.

This is a nice outing for Morse--a linear tale with minimal twists. A convicted rapist has escaped from prison and is returning to Oxfordshire for several purposes. The first is revenge; the second seems to be to torment and taunt Morse by assuming seemingly-impenetrable disguises. The putative action involves devil worship, but Morse immediately perceives that the evil here is human and not supernatural or metaphysical. The catch-me-if-you-can story involves a twist or two but I won't spoil it by revealing them. There is some interplay between Morse and Lewis and a few Morsean one-liners, but the focus here falls upon the plot and the clever villain.