Dangerous Davies - The Last Detective
1981
A detective who is a danger to both himself and others finds himself investigating a fifteen year old murder, unofficially. Based on the book by Leslie Thomas. Read more
| Starring | Bernard Cribbins, Bill Maynard, Joss Ackland, Frank Windsor |
|---|---|
| Director | Val Guest |
| Genres | Thriller |
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Dangerous Davies - The Last Detective
A detective who is a danger to both himself and others finds himself investigating a fifteen year old murder, unofficially. Based on the book by Leslie Thomas.
| Starring | Bernard Cribbins, Bill Maynard, Joss Ackland, Frank Windsor, Maureen Lipman |
|---|---|
| Director | Val Guest |
| Studio | ACORN MEDIA |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 50 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 12 Jan 2004 Production year: 1981 |
| Format | DVD |
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Most helpful member's review
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
'Right!' said Fred. 'You're nicked...'
How interesting to see Dangerous Davies in its seminal form, portrayed not by Peter 'Doctor Dishy' (Dangerous) Davison, but by national treasure and grossly underrated actor Bernard Cribbins. I'll lay my cards straight onto the table here. I think that this DVD is a hidden gem, and well worth renting. Why you ask? After all, it's a very old, very low budget TV movie. Well that may be so, but my recommendation is underpinned by a multiplicity of reasons. Firstly, Cribbins gives a top-drawer performance as a man ill-treated by life in general and the police force in particular. Yet he carries himself with such honesty and decency as he doggedly pursues the killer of a young girl, murdered some 15 years before the movie starts. And although you'd normally associate this actor with comedy roles, he conducts a particular interrogation with quite unaccustomed brutality when a slippery suspect is cornered on the London Underground. Cribbins also shines in the many comic moments of the film, as indignity after indignity is heaped upon his bumbling character. You really do feel for him each time he leaves hospital because you know it won't be very long before he's back in there. However, incapacity is an obstacle that Davies near-ignores in his quest to crack the case, and it really is rather amusing to see a detective with enough bandages to make the Invisible Man jealous produce his warrant card each time he finds a new potential witness to interview. Supporting Cribbins is a great cast. Bill Maynard is perfect as Davies' sagacious, amateur sleuth sidekick, Maureen Lipman does a good comedy turn as an inebriated, sex obsessed housewife, Frank Windsor provides the key to the whole mystery as a medically retired police officer, Joss Ackland is suitably terrifying as Davies' boss and Bernard 'M' Lee (probably giving his final performance) is a welcome sight as the wise old desk sergeant. Doctor Who fans will also wish to look out for Colin Baker (Davison's successor), who manages to squeeze a brief appearance into this film just as he is going on to greater things in a certain science fiction show (called Blake's Seven)?
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Most recent members' review
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4 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Don't Watch the TV Version - Watch This
We've got all the Dangerous Davies books and they're great but what have those TV idiots done to them? The TV series is dull, monotonous and lacking in humour so don't watch that - watch this!! Bernard Cribbins is a much better Davies and there's plenty to laugh at even though the plotline is serious. Give this one a try what have you got to lose?
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A detective who is a danger to both himself and others finds himself investigating a fifteen year old murder, unofficially. Based on the book by Leslie Thomas.... -