Dead Gorgeous

Based on the 1989 novel On the Edge by Peter Lovesey. Dead Gorgeous owes a debt to Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train.

It is black comedy thriller set in post World War 2 Britain. Antonia Ashton (Helen McCrory) is a vixen married to dull business tycoon Hector (Ron Cook.)

Antonia finds him dull, she is cheating on him with a younger man. Only she would end up less wealthy if they got divorced.

Rose Bell (Fay Ripley) is a meek woman living almost on the breadline. Her husband is miserly civil servant, Barry. He is also a boorish drunk who abuses Rose.

Rose later discovers that Barry has been cheating on her with another woman. Hence why they are poor, he has another family to raise.

Both women knew each other during the war and reconnect. Only Antonia, a devious schemer hatches a plan to get rid of both husbands.

Antonia arranges Barry's death in a tube train accident. She expects Rose to commit an accidental death on Hector.

Maybe not original, this is a sumptuous period drama. It works as both Hector and Rose are basically decent people. Not people that should either be victims or be on the wrong side of the law.

McCrory has fun as the glamorous underhanded cheater.

While this made-for-TV movie is based on a novel by Peter Lovesey, it covers the same territory as Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller, "Strangers on A Train." The acting, sets and costumes are pretty decent, but the story movies slowly and there's little real tension. Not a bad effort, but hardly a "must see."

I saw this on Talking Pictures and recorded it.

The surprise was that I had seen it when originally aired but I had forgotten what it was called and who was in it and I had wanted to see it again, but couldn't find it.

So much better than contemporary drama with all its political correctness, inclusion, diversity et al.

Both Helen McCrory and Fay Ripley are excellent in the lead roles. Different personalities, one dominating the other although this does not really manifest itself until near the end.

The ending was a little clumsy there were a few things that could have been tidier, like taking the car back to where it normally was rather than dumping it.

Definitely worth watching.

Some have compared this film to,"Strangers On a Train", but I do not believe it should be compared at all. It is a wonderful comedy/mystery and does not have the tenseness of a pure mystery as it is a tongue in cheek comedy. The sets - clothes - hair styles, etc. are perfect to the period of 1946 London wherein two school chums meet in a queue of a Bond street store. They then set in motion the plot of ridding themselves of husbands they don't want, one probably should go,the other Hector, is standing in the way of Antonia who wants a younger college prof. I do not want to give away all of the plot - but I will say this is a very fine film that I am sending to friends - the highest compliment.

Just after the end of the Second World War, two women, unhappy in their marriages, meet up and discover a potential answer to both of their 'problems.'

I've just finished watching this; I wanted to see it so badly that I had to buy the American release and then buy a multi-regional playing DVD player. But in all honesty, all the fuss was worth it. I bought it because I'm a massive Helen McCrory fan; she's a favourite actor of mine, and naturally, she does not disappoint.

Fay Ripley is great, but Helen McCrory steals the show as Antonia; she's much missed.

Visually, it's great; historically, it's on point. McCrory has some fabulous costumes to wear. Not much to say, really-just wonderful from start to finish. There are a few surprises along the way in this amusing tale of bumping off unwanted husbands.

I see a lot of users have commented on the Hitchcock familiarity. When you see Antonia bumping off Wing Commander at the train station, you can see why. It's a great one-off drama, it deserves to be repeated on ITV sooner rather than later.

10/10.