Murder on the Home Front

Patrick Kennedy would not be unfamiliar to most viewers. He can be see in Downton Abbey, Boardwalk Empire. Day of Atonement, War Horse, and Pirates of the Caribbean, to name a few.

Her he is a doctor in wartime London trying to school the police in forensic science as he attempts to determine cause and criminal in several murders.

There is a bit of Foyle's War here, but the focus is on Doctor Collins, not the police.

He is assisted by Molly Cooper (Tamzin Merchant), who I imagine is a stand in for the author Molly Lefebure, upon which the film is derived by her memoirs.

Of course, the government is not above protecting a killer to aid the war effort.

A killer uses the backdrop of the Blitz to disguise their crimes.

What an absolutely brilliant ninety minutes of drama this was. The Blitz setting is an excellent backdrop for a murder mystery, the crimes are nasty and the detection is intriguing. You could be forgiven for thinking that Dr Collins had landed there from the future, but these pioneers certainly existed, leading to the technologies used today.

Fabulous characters, all beautifully acted. The two central characters, Lennox and Molly are a joy to watch, the chemistry between Patrick Kennedy and Tamzin Merchant is the quite wonderful and helps to engage you.

At times it's dark, serious and also funny, it's instantly a drama that grips you, it also boasts a fabulous ending which manages to crank up the tension.

Bravo, I thought this was excellent. 9/10

I gave it 9 out of 10 because I found it very entertaining. I've read some comments about accuracy (who cares); it's all about the storyline which I thought held up. In the end I want to be entertained and this film accomplished that. Very refreshing compared to the trash we have to see on TV in the US.

I also read other comments on the IMDb message board about the acting and in general that the production was like a high school play. Come on? I think the acting was fine.

In general throughout the entire movie I think they got the look and feel of the era right. I've also seen that they plan on making this into a series. Should be good!!!

Well, I won't go on and on here as I am not a movie review fanatic or even talented at describing things well. But I will say, as far as liking this movie that I loved it! I thought it was an excellent murder mystery type movie with very likable characters and I would love to see many more of these. I loved all the lead characters and thought all the acting was great. One reviewer says that Tamzin Merchant was awful. What? I thought she was perfect and I really couldn't get into any kind of sequel without her. One reviewer was disappointed that it was made by Carnival films and not BBC. I for one am glad it was not the usual boring, dragging on, BBC drama. I, if you can't tell, am American and this film was sooooo much better than the usual BBC stuff. It was not Hollywood either nor am I sad that it wasn't. Hollywood stuff gets old. All I can say is that if this is an example of British (admittedly low budget) movies today than I am ready to start watching a lot more of them. I think it was VERY well done on a whatever budget that I really didn't even notice because I was glued to the story the entire time! I was only disappointed when it ended. I could watch more of these on and on. Once again, thank you to all involved, I hope you make many more!

In 1940, in London, a prostitute is found dead in her room in a boarding house with a swastika carved on her tongue. The rookie pathologist Dr Lennox Collins (Patrick Kennedy) is summoned by Detective Freddie Wilkins (David Sturzaker) to investigate the crime scene. They meet the snoopy journalist and aspiring writer Molly Cooper (Tamzin Merchant) in the spot and Lennox invites her to be his assistant. Then they interview the Anglo-German Wilfred Zeigler (John Heffernan), who found the body and collect cards of women photos. After the autopsy, they discover that the woman had gone to the Metropol night-club and they decide to visit the place with Wilkins. Three men do not have alibi and become suspects. When two other women are murdered in the same modus operandi, Wilkins accuses Zeigler with circumstantial evidences only. When the gay actor Ronald Terry (John Bowe) is found dead apparently after committing suicide, Lennox and Molly believe the murders are connected. Lennox is not convinced that Zeigler is the serial-killer and proceeds with his investigation. Who might have killed the women and the actor?

"Murder on the Home Front" is a promising TV Movie about murders in wartime that could have been better and better. The odd story is interesting but the rushed conclusion is not satisfactory and disappoints. The chemistry between Patrick Kennedy and Tamzin Merchant is worthwhile watching with funny moments and dialogues. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Assassinatos em Tempo de Guerra" ("Murders in Wartime")