A Time to Kill

A fast moving mini-movie (61 minutes) attempts to solve the mystery of the poisoned wife. So many suspects, so little time! But enough time to cram in a few great cameo performances from some British legends. Joan Hickson is especially delightful practicing her 'Miss Marple' character. It's all a bit silly, and the finale is ridiculous, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

A man and a woman are poisoned. The woman dies, but the man survives. The finger of blame begins to point at the man. A policeman and a newspaper journalist pursue the truth.

Usually, these little British B-movies contain a host of wonderful supporting role performances, which are by-and-large the reason for watching. Sadly this example of mid-fifties 'wodunnit' cinema is almost entirely without merit, suffering from unimaginative scripting, cardboard leads (Rona Anderson is particularly two-dimensional) and clunky supporting cast (Kenneth Kent as Dr. Cole and Hélène Burls as housekeeper Mrs. James appear to have wandered in from a pantomime). The convoluted plot tries to throw suspicion on any number of the local population, but by the denouement the viewer has long-since stopped caring.

Only Joan Hickson and a hilarious cameo from Dandy Nichols offer any respite, with Hickson's dotty Miss Edinger juggling her dachshund Putzi and Nichols' waitress stomping around the obligatory café, crossing out items on the menu - "Beans is orf"!

Although only 65 minutes long this film contains enough plot lines for a film twice its length.There seem to be so many clues that seem to lead nowhere.Near the end Joan Hickson phones Russell Napier to tell him that she knows who the killer is but wont say over the phone.However there is no subsequent scene where she reveals the name of the killer.If she did that of course would spoil the climax.However it rather renders as redundant these scenes.This film is fairly average and so the main enjoyment is spotting actors like Hickson,John Le Mesurier and Dandy Nicholls doing their best with their small parts.It could have done with more clarity in the writing

A woman has died while she was with John Horsley. It turns out to have been strychnine poisoning, and Horsley is a chemist who keeps it at his home. When another woman dies the same way, the womanizing Horsley looks headed for the hangman's noose... but his fiancee, Rona Anderson doesn't believe it. She begins to investigate on her own when the local constabulary refuses to ask for Scotland Yard's help.

It's a handsome little second feature, with some fine eccentric performances Jack Watling, the essential Joan Hickson and the seemingly inevitable John Le Meseurier. I suspected the killer from the beginning, but I couldn't put together the clues for the motive.... making this a good mystery.