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: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302901731
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,120 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Morse's investigations into the apparently motiveless murder of a young woman lead him to question his own driving ability and to consider selling his coveted Mark 2 Jaguar. Former Minder star, Patrick Malahide, plays a brash car salesman. James Grout (Mother Love with Dianna Rigg), appears as Chief Superintendent Strange.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Driven to the Wrong Conclusion, June 15, 2002

By 

Wilson Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inspector Morse - Driven to Distraction [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Like a lot of the Inspector Morse films, a big clue to cracking the case is contained in the title. Including Morse and Lewis, there is a third person who plays an equally significant part in the investigations in this film: DS Maitland, an expert on crimes against women, of which this case is. She just happens to be one, too. This is perhaps the most straightforward storyline, with only a few twists and turns, one of which crops up at the very end, turning the investigation upside down, and also causing everything to fall into place and make sense. Morse is adamant he has his man from the very start and his contempt for the individual, not only an arrogant car salesman but a blackmailer and convicted wifebeater to boot, blinds his judgment. There are many red herrings in this case and the general rule in writing a "whodunit" - i.e. make the last person the viewer would expect to have done it, do it - is employed cunningly. Overall, this is another shining example of the classy series, brilliantly written by Academy Award Winner Anthony Minghella and directed by Sandy Johnson. It is not difficult to see why this is one of the Morse films Colin Dexter selected as his favorites.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intricate. Unexpected. Thought-Provoking. Sad., August 23, 2005

By 

Jeffrey E Ellis (Naperville, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inspector Morse - Driven to Distraction (DVD)

The story opens with murder. A single woman is found slain and there are precious few clues. And then another victim is killed in a similar fashion. There are still no clues. Suddenly, a correlation appears to surface: the women bought their cars from the same dealer. Morse and his crew spring into action swiftly to bring their man to justice. Ignoring procedures, protocols, and even the law, they rush to judgment.

"Driven to Distraction" is a fine piece of mystery writing but the saddest of the Morse episodes. Without revealing too much, we find our lovable curmudgeon a little less lovable. He takes on a decidedly more human (i.e. flawed character) than before. There is a reflective sadness about this episode that is rather haunting.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Let's Talk Cars, May 7, 2007

By 

William J. Thor (Vero Beach) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inspector Morse - Driven to Distraction [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This entry provides another variation of stories in the Morse series. The apparent unrelated murder of three women challenges Morse to find a common denominator which will tie the deaths together. With no apparent link, Morse begins to reach for clues. The music of Cole Porter is our background sound track as Morse becomes obsessed with an auto dealer as the culprit. To this end homes are entered and searched without a warrant and an arrest is made without probable cause - all of which incurs the wrath of Superintendent Strange - so much so that he pulls Morse off the case. Lewis is also upset with the irregularities and withdraws from assisting Morse. As usual Morse continues, unofficially, along with a police specialist, who deals in crimes against females. With only two other legitimate suspects we are in for quite an ending. Along the way Morse attends driving school and discusses his Jaguar at length. The story is straight forward; a solid four star effort.