Search - The Riddle on DVD

Not many thrills in this thriller

Tracy Vest | Northern California | 09/10/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"British footballer Vinnie Jones is cast as Mike Sullivan, a London sports writer who wants to tackle hard news. When Sadie, an old friend with whom he exchanges riddles is found murdered, Mike is thrust into the investigation, despite a detective inspector who'd rather he go away. While renovating her pub, Sadie came across what could possibly be an unpublished manuscript of a dark story of murder by Charles Dickens (though it appears they had Dickens confused with Edgar Allan Poe). When Mike discovers the manuscript, he and police officer Kate read the manuscript hoping to find clues to solve the crime with the help of a homeless man (Derek Jacobi, who also narrates the manuscript as Dickens in a dual role). What they discover is a lot of corruption.

Unfortunately, the director chose to portray half the story in present day London and the remainder in Dickens' Victorian era story which coincidentally mirrors the current events (many of the actors besides Jacobi have dual roles also). It makes the rest of the movie confusing and distracting and had me nearly comatose at times. It might have sounded good on paper but the finished product was pretty boring and contrived. They even managed to make Jones, who is usually such an energetic presence in his roles seem pretty darned bland. Not worth a purchase; put this one in your Netflix queue instead.

© Tracy Vest, September 2008"

Madness, Murder, and Literature: a Classic Combination

Nevermore | 08/29/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Though it might not be considered violent compared to many thrillers, the acting, casting, and dual-story plot make this one of the most intriguing thrillers I've seen in a while. There is a subtle interweaving of stories fom the Dickens manuscript and the modern-day murder case-- some actors play double roles, which adds to the supernatural quality of the mystery.

This film does draw very loosely on events in Dickens' life and marriage, though it "re-writes" much. More interestingly, it brings out the darker side of the Victorian author's work with quotes from Oliver Twist, reference to the murders in Our Mutual Friend, and an almost Poe-like narration of a tale of madness and murder.

Derek Jacobi is versatile as ever, portraying both an insane (though well-read) homeless man, and the author/narrator of the newly discovered Dickens manuscript. Mel Smith (The Princess Bride, Alas Smith and Jones, Trevor Nunn's Twelfth Night)has a brief but amusing appearance as the enthusiastic (and athsmatic?) authenticator of the manuscript.

Not big on action, but definitely worth watching for the sake of a good story. An added bonus is that, unlike the young and beautiful Hollywood sterotypes we are so familiar with, this cast can really act."

Horrible

TB | USA | 12/06/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"A rather bad thriller with a fake dickens story woven into it. The dickens story had no real relevance to the thriller and continuously interrupted the flow of the movie. Unless you have 2 hrs. to waste, stay away from this movie."

Classy, Intriguing, recommend!

CP | Jacksonville, Florida | 12/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I loved the "history", the film was well done and I enjoyed the characters - I felt like I got to know them well. It was a fantastic ending! I'm buying it for my personal library."