Murder on the Home Front
Murder on the Home Front
| 09 May 2013 (USA)
Murder on the Home Front Trailers

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.

Reviews
Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
Paul Evans A killer uses the backdrop of the Blitz to disguise their crimes, as they set about killing women, and engraving swastikas on their tongues, The Police call in home office pathologist Dr Lennox Collins to assist. The Police are convinced that German Ziegler is guilty, but Collins together with his assistant Molly sets out to prove his innocence and find the true killer, trouble is forensic science is still in its infancy.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
Claudio Carvalho 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")
carbuff 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.
walsh-campbell The premise was so good. What a shame the final product is so mediocre. This program should be used in film school as the perfect example of style overwhelming the fundamental purpose of a film, which is to tell a story through the compelling representation of characters pursuing their objectives in a believable context (which can even be an imaginary one).Everything about the style of the film is excessive—gesture pushed to the point of camp.They should have focused more on good casting and getting the best, most three-dimensional performances from the actors, so that we would believe in them and care about them. Given the historical context (London during the Blitz), achieving that goal should have been extraordinarily easy.Patrick Kennedy as Dr, Collins was actually quite good. Tamzin Merchant as Molly Cooper was pretty awful, really. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no chemistry between their characters—which isn't too surprising, since Ms. Merchant's character is basically missing in action.All in all, I recommend you give it a miss.