Murder on the Home Front

6.6
2013 1 hr 31 min Thriller , Crime , Mystery

At the height of the London blitz, Dr Lennox Collins, pioneer of the new forensic science, is enlisted by DI Wilkins after prostitute Mary Williams is strangled and a swastika carved on her tongue.

  • Cast:
    Tamzin Merchant , Patrick Kennedy , Emerald Fennell , James Fleet , Iain McKee , Ryan Gage , Holly Atkins

Reviews

BlazeLime
2013/05/09

Strong and Moving!

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MoPoshy
2013/05/10

Absolutely brilliant

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Usamah Harvey
2013/05/11

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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Brenda
2013/05/12

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

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Claudio Carvalho
2013/05/13

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")

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blanche-2
2013/05/14

"Murder at the Home Front" is based on the memoirs of Molly Lefebure, secretary to pathologist Dr Keith Simpson (the pathologist) during WW II. She was the first woman to work in a mortuary, and known by Scotland Yard as "Miss Molly."During the London blitz, Dr. Lennox Collins (Patrick Kennedy) is assigned to do an autopsy on a prostitute who was strangled and a swastika carved on her tongue. Merchant is Molly Cooper, a reporter who becomes Collins' assistant.The chief suspect is a German, Wilfred Ziegler, who discovered the body. However, he is left-handed and the killer was right-handed.The trail leads to a club, the Metropole, where Mary spent a lot of time. Molly goes there and meets the club's owner, Danny.Two more women are murdered, and a gay actor, Ronald Terry, is put at the scene. Then Terry commits suicide, it seems, though after Lennox and Molly investigate, it turns out to be murder.Ziegler confesses and is sentenced to be hanged, though Collins is not convinced. He begins to suspect a conspiracy - at the very top. This film took a few hits from reviewers here, possibly because people were expecting more, along the lines of Foyle's War. Well, Foyle's War has no peers as far as I'm concerned. This was okay, not as terrible as described.The character of Lennox Collins (Patrick Kennedy) is based on a famous pathologist, Keith Simpson, a pioneer in the field, who solved many murder case. Kennedy gives a solid and probably a realistic performance of a dedicated doctor. If it wasn't the most exciting thing you've ever seen, I imagine he was going for an accurate approach.I didn't think Tazmin Merchant was so bad - compared to whom? The actors on Beverly Hills 90210? She was fine, and as far as no chemistry with Dr. Collins, I thought the scene at the end had plenty of chemistry and was lovely.I will concede there were some silly choices made, such as a lit street during the blackout and a certain amount of predictability.It looks like this was supposed to be a series, as there is one listed on IMDb.

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carbuff
2013/05/15

Comes across as a pilot for a PBS murder series, which probably didn't quite have the ratings to justify it's production.It's pretty well-done, but definitely not first-class. Much along the lines of "Foyle's War", also being set in London during WWII, but without nearly the same level of care and attention to detail put into it. There are a few graphic scenes, but overall it's a pleasant enough production, although fairly predictable. Still, it's better than nearly all American TV, most of which demonstrates either very poor or exaggerated character development, preferring to simply kill time between spilling blood instead. Overall, not a great British TV production, but not bad either.

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pawebster
2013/05/16

"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?

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