GREEN FOR DANGER

GREEN FOR DANGER - 1946

RATED - NR but G/PG. Nothing offensive but mostly adult content.

RATINGS - 32 Amazon (4.5/5), 11,769 Netflix (3.5/5), 1,453 IMDB (7.8/10), New York Times (4/5).

STORY - The setting is England during 1944 and the Nazis are sending V-1 unmanned bombs over. When the noise overhead stops, you know the bomb is about to explode and you better take cover. A postman who just completed a delivery on his bicycle to the rural hospital (temporarily converted estate) nearby that operates on bomb victims becomes the next victim. While his wounds require surgery, they are not life threatening until the surgery begins. He mysteriously and suddenly dies on the table. The new hospital administrator states there will be a full inquiry. A whimsical Scotland Yard inspector is brought in who quickly sequesters the surgery team and boasts he knows who did it and will reveal the killer shortly. One of the better whodunits I've watched, it is tightly scripted and the acting is superb. Every word and gesture counts. The eccentric inspector antagonizes just about everyone with his arrogance. Did I mention the tangled web of relationships that will keep you guessing? This Hitchcock-like British murder mystery will hold you to the end. The Criterion version has been restored exceptionally well. Lu for Lu's Reviews. 10/31/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB

FOYLE'S WAR

FOYLE'S WAR - 2002

RATED - TV-PG

RATINGS - 76 Amazon (5/5), 159,370 Netflix (3/5), 831 IMDB (9.0/10).

STARRING - Michael Kitchen, Honeysuckle Weeks, Anthony Howell.

AWARDS - Nominated for several British TV awards.

THEMES - Justice, relationships, ethics.

STORY - This is a BBC made for TV series about Chief Detective Christopher Foyle (Kitchen) set in 1940 England in a small coastal community. Foyle would rather be defending his country somewhere but he must stay home solve the crimes (often related to war activities) that still occur on the home front. The chemistry between Foyle and his driver, Samantha Stewart (Weeks), and his assistant, Sgt. Paul Milner (Howell) is outstanding, as they go about solving crimes in this WWII environment which affects everyone in England. If you like WWII, detective mysteries, and character driven shows this is almost perfection. I can't recommend this highly enough. Aside from some violence around the crime scene, there is almost nothing to deter family viewing. This is about real people living out real life in a war-plagued country and they do it in a most entertaining and satisfying way. Try one and I think you'll be hooked. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 08/23/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB.