Murder on the Home Front (2013)

Waste of Money.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

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")

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!

When a woman is found dead young home office pathologist Lennox Collins attends the scene; he soon determines that she was strangled; there is something more sinister about the case than that though; she had a swastika carved onto her tongue! His inspection of the scene is interrupted by reporter Molly Cooper but rather than getting the story she hoped for she gets offered a job as Collins' secretary. The only clue to what the woman had done earlier on the night she was killed is a letter 'M' on her hand; an indication that she had been to the Metropol dance hall. There are a handful of suspects here; including the somewhat seedy owner and a German refugee with a penchant for collecting saucy postcards. Soon another murder takes place; it appears they are dealing with a serial killer.This two part story is very much a melodrama despite being inspired by the memoirs of somebody who worked with a pathologist at the time. Surprisingly it was quite fun despite there being numerous moments when the viewer will think 'that wouldn't have happened back then'… for example at one point Molly walks down a well lit night time street… so much for the blackout! Guessing the killer shouldn't be too difficult either; in such dramas it is never the first accused or the obviously nasty person! Patrick Kennedy and Tamzin Merchant put in good performances as protagonists Lennox and Molly; I rather hope we see more of them in further stories one day. Overall I'd say this is a fun melodrama; just don't expect it to be another 'Foyle's War' or you'll be very disappointed!

"I know - let's cross Foyle's War with Silent Witness. It can't fail!" That's the crass idea behind this - the only idea behind it. Patrick Kennedy even looks like Michael Kitchen's younger brother and his character has a similar phlegmatic approach to crime solving. What a pity Tamzin Merchant is not a patch on Honeysuckle Weeks. It might just have worked if it hadn't been so creakily wooden, if the fake bomb sites hadn't had obvious cardboard bits, if the CGI had been a bit more convincing and if they hadn't resorted to gratuitous gore - but I suppose they had to put that in as part of their homage to Silent Witness. It might yet find its feet, but it's a poor testimony to the creativity of British TV. Scandinavia and the USA are bursting with good ideas. What went wrong in the UK?