Dangerous Davies: The Last Detective

This film maintains a great atmosphere while the detective encounters a variety of characters in his investigation of a case. For anyone who wants a taste of England that is not glamorous or rural or grimly urban, this is the movie to see. It's full of regular folks. Plus, the plot is well constructed (with only one rushed development) and unfolds nicely. Bernard Cribbins is an appealing actor, playing a plodding copper with a light touch. Very amusing moments at times, which contrasts with another mood, that of youthful happiness -- now lost. I'm convinced that this could have been expanded into an even longer film (or 3-part TV show). It's that kind of story, with interesting characters you want to see more of. Loved the old man! I stumbled on this as a late night broadcast and just happened to record it (with commercials). Boy was I glad I did! It appears to be unavailable for purchase.

Back in my teens I became a big fan of the novels of witty Welshman Leslie Thomas. Rude but never sleazy, funny, bordering on slapstick but never becoming childish, emotive without being mawkish and dramatic enough to make you care. Very few of Thomas' novels appear to make their mark on screen and I reckon that's because too much of Thomas' work would have to be cut, leaving what remained on screen too uninvolving. The Peter Davison TV series of recent years has been OK - I like Davison and that show has been a decent comedy drama but it has rarely felt like classic Thomas. It has taken me some 25 years to view the Cribbins version and I love it! It really is a top class effort that makes the most of everything that made Thomas so great in the first place. The film may look a little dated now but rather than spoiling it, this simply makes the whole thing more nostalgic. And what a cast! A cavalcade of British TV screen greats including Maureen lipman, Bill Maynard, a future Doctor Who and a future Eastender. Check this one out if you are proud of your Brit heritage - if you're an American who likes our sense of humour - and there seems to be quite a few of you - then you'll love it too.

Brilliant film. Love it. Definitely NOT dated - except that there's no swearing or sex. If the lack of these dates a film then perhaps you can call it dated but then in that case I'd call that a major advantage, because this one needs none of that. It's a story of a old unsolved murder, and a much maligned detective who is generally treated like rubbish but who comes through in the end. For any of us who struggle for what we think is right but only get stomped on or ignored or ridiculed, this is a wonderful film.

Bernard Cribbins is perfect casting. Anyone else would have made a hash of it. You need vulnerability for this role and he literally oozes vulnerability. Yet he knows that a young girls disappearance is really her murder and if the crime is 15 years old, that doesn't change anything. People are important - even 15 years later. Something that many mothers and fathers of missing children certainly know.

I'd like to think that there are people out there like Dangerous Davies doing their best against the odds. I'm not so sure of it though. But while this film exists it gives you hope.

An underrated British gem from a time when we had no film industry. A good script and a top British cast including two national treasures Maureen Lipman and stalwart Bernard Cribbins in a rare leading role) with some great comedic moments including visual gags that stand this out from the pilot if the TV series. Bill Maynard's dodgy Welsh accent is a bit off-putting but an all-around great film that saw several of an elderly cast in their final roles. The only shame is that it took more than 20 years to turn Leslie Thomas's stories into a TV series. The film is hard to find (I saw it on retro channel Talking Pictures TV some 40 years after its release but still stands up well despite a few comments which would not be acceptable today). Unlike the TV series Bernard doesn't have a St. Bernard but he does have the Dulux dog named Kitty.

I saw this movie when it was first broadcast on ITV in 1980, and it stuck in my mind for years afterwards as a great movie. Good story, good acting, and just the right amount of humour.

Unfortunately I've never seen it be rerun, and it doesn't appear to be available on VHS/DVD :-(