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Never Come Back

08/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you love Hitchcock thrillers, you'll love "Never Come Back" It's London, during the so-called "Phony War"; handsome young Desmond Thane (Nathaniel Parker), who has pretensions of writing the great war novel, is making a living by day writing for a women's magazine and boring his colleague Marcus (Jonathan Coy), with tales of his nighttime exploits and theories on free love. Then Desmond's carefree life begins to unravel. First he's stalked by the fiancé of one of the woman he had a brief fling with and then he meets the enigmatic Anna Raven. At first glance Anna would seem to be the ideal woman for Desmond, but now that the shoes on the other foot, Desmond suddenly becomes very traditional, wanting to know more about Anna than she's willing to reveal - and this is Desmond's undoing. One night, in Anna's flat, Desmond comes across a diary. The diary appears to be written by Anna, but by this time Desmond knows Anna well enough to realize that the diary is pure fiction. And boring fiction at that. But why? When Desmond confronts Anna about the diary he suddenly finds himself sucked into a whirlpool of deceit, murder, torture and probable treason.Although produced in 1989 as a television mini series, originally aired on the BBC in three or four cliff-hanging episodes; producer Joe Waters and director Ben Bolt, have lavished all the care and attention on "Never Come Back" that one would normally expect on a movie. The cast they've assembled is first rate - perfect for their roles. Desmond Thane was Nathaniel Parker's ("A Piece of Cake", "Far From the Madding Crowd", "Vanity Fair", "The Inspector Linley Mysteries") first staring role and he's on screen virtually every moment of the film. A tour de force of acting skill and sheer physical stamina - we watch Desmond go from charming young cad to terrorized victim. James Fox is excellent as Foster, Thane's nemesis. Alternately charming, then sinister, Fox is the perfect upper-class, establishment villain. Suzanna Hamilton is suitably enigmatic as Anna Raven. And the three principal leads are supported by an excellent cast. The only criticism I could make of the production is that perhaps the director and cameraman tried a bit too hard for a film noire effect. True many of the scenes were set in London during the wartime blackout, but a few of the scenes were so dark that it became difficult to see, on first viewing, exactly what was going on.To recap, if you're a fan of good, old-fashioned thrillers, order a copy of "Never Come Back, pop it into your DVD-player, then grab onto the arm of your chair and watch "Never Come Back.""

I Will Go Back to Watch "Never Come Back"

Marie L. Meadowcroft | Mt. Pleasant, SC United States | 05/16/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Alfred Hitchcock would not have hesitated to put his name on this one. The edge of the viewer's seat gets every bit as much use as did those of film goers watching "North by Northwest", one of A.H.'s best "narrow margin escape" and "pulse pounding suspense" films. Drumroll credits to director, actors and writer. The film was composed of episodes from a BBC TV mini-series, which allows that Nathaniel Parker was not performing steadily throughout its length, but he is to be notably commended for his thespian talent and tenacity in holding his character through numerous confrontations with villains and inflictions of physical agony. James Fox continues his reputation as one of Britain's finest in his portrayal of Desmond's adversary. I found myself holding my breath more than once and emitting a sigh of relief after the particularly harrowing scenes. "Never Come Back" is more than watchable; it is worthy of bringing you back to be totally enveloped again in all its multi-talented facets."