Love Lies Bleeding

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits

Property developer and self made millionaire Mark Terry (Martin Kemp) is a man still grieving over the cot death of his baby son and suffering marriage problems with his wife Zara (Claire Goose.) Then suddenly an old school friend, Stuart Milburn (Hugo Speer) shows up on the scene and after taking Mark on a night on the p*ss, convinces him his wife has been cheating. The next morning she is found murdered, Milburn confesses to the crime and Mark becomes the prime suspect. But this is just the beginning of a nightmare series of twists and turns that culminate in the score being settled of a guilty secret that began 30 years ago.

Although a lot of them are flawed, I've watched most of Martin Kemp's TV dramas and this one was no exception. He gives the usual sort of performance he'd give in this sort of thing, and his co-star Speer just goes through the motions in the bad guy role. But Claire Goose is a nice love interest, pretty and not giving a bad performance either, as well as husky voiced Londoner Fraser James in a big TV role after appearing in mostly TV adverts, a good presence in a supporting role.

As for the film itself, it has a basic sort of script and is a little uncredible at times, but it's full of impressive and genuinely surprising twists and turns in the tale that do keep you hooked till the end. In this respect, it achieves quite a lot as a simple TV film and is all the more commendable for it. ***

It's funny how some dramas stick in your mind, I never forgot Love lies bleeding, and fortunately it's appeared on Britbox.

Exactly as I remembered, very slick, very stylish, and more twists and turns than a rollercoaster at Alton Towers.

Each time I see Martin Kemp I am always so impressed by how good an actor he is, and as always he steals the show. He's in good company, Goose, Speer and Berrington all give fine performances.

It starts off at a fairly pedestrian pace, but very quickly gathers momentum, and becomes a very smart, quick moving thriller.

My one criticism, a few minor plot holes, how did he get out of that court? Would never have happened, but other than that, I can't believe how fresh it still looks and feels.

ITV, I miss this kind of drama, why does everything now have to be a six part series.

Excellent, 8/10.

An excellent 2 part film, shown on TV in the UK on 27th/28th February 2006.

Within the first few minutes of watching, you are hooked into the world of Mark Terry, millionaire with a broken marriage caused by the stress of losing their only child to cot death. When an old school pal comes knocking at the door, it rekindles a series of events that began 30 years ago but that ultimately ends in 4 murders. This is a story of jealousy, insecurity, rage, depression, loss and ultimately love. The main character actors all play their parts excellently - Martin Kemp, Claire Goose, Hugo Speer. Hugo in particular comes across as a very convincing "bent copper" policeman who believed he was guilty of manslaughter in his school days, was ostracised by his family and friends and ultimately became a murderer under the cover of his job.

I'm too jaded to watch something like this. I'm sure this movie could be entertaining for some people. For me, it's like watching someone get tortured. I think the main character appears to be too weak and clueless. His buddy, the main villain, is too easy to spot. There is no sincerity in his facial expressions. Therefore, he is way too obvious. Clearly, he is no sociopath. The real ones have everyone fooled, including me.

So, it's good entertainment for those who are not as suspicious as I. Maybe this could be a good test to find out just how naive someone truly is.