In a grey, post war London, where continuing austerity and rationing have all but extinguished the final exuberant spark of V. E. Day, two bitterly unhappily married old friends are reunited purely by co-incidence.
The once rakish wing commander and war hero (Jonny Phillips) has, in Civvy Street, become a dour, domineering, philandering husband to subservient Fay Ripley. A boozy bully, he possesses all the charm of an unflushed loo! Her spirit broken, she seems resigned to her fate as the little woman, with nothing more than a lifetime of berating and belittling ahead of her.
Fascinated by the size of his wallet, brash, beautiful and vivacious Helen McCrory is married to wealthy, but tedious industrialist, Ron Cook. Short, stout and with some language limitations, his occasional gaffs simply draw disdain and derision from the exasperated McCrory, to whom he has gifted London's largest domestic refrigerator........The perfect acquisition for a wife who never food shops and can't cook!
Oozing pizzazz and self confidence, the ever effervescent McCrory is only too willing to rid her newly found buddy of her problem partner, creating the potential for a double whammy, with an insurance payout in the pipeline. The one good turn deserves another mantra does not sit quite so comfortably with the cautious, timid and decent Ripley. How will she respond to the expectations of her headstrong, at times overpowering friend?
Not especially suspenseful, but with a distinct nod in the direction of 'Strangers on a Train', a passing glance at 'Torn Curtain' and a fleeting glimpse of 'Saboteur', there is an undeniable, if playful, Hitchcockian flavour to 'Dead Gorgeous'.
The two superb actresses complement each other perfectly. McRory's virulent verbal outbursts and tantalizing facial expressions serve to endorse the view that a hugely gifted artist and national treasure has been lost. The talented Miss Ripley is equally impressive as the meek, mousey, toiling housewife, almost unwittingly dragged into a rolling chain of events, which at once solve a serious dilemma, while sparking a whole raft of more alarming ones.
