M.T) Murder, Mystery & Suspense

An interesting documentary, with plenty of input, it's certainly backed up from Sid's side and it seems there weren't a lot of people out there who even liked Nancy, so it does come across a little bias.

My predicted rating: 3.5

The U.S remake of a British Drama Series, told with a realistic edge and great performances all around, Russell Crowe gives a show stealing performance.

A story of Political conspiracy, friendship, murder, loyalty and power. A fast paced story with many twists and turns.

What started out as interesting case of Murder, uniquely told through the eyes of the dead victim, soon evolved into a creatively interpretated tale of guiding the way to her killer, whilst waiting to make it to heaven. This film shows all that is dark about the mystery, but it's contradicted by it's light and warmth of a better place.

A strangely enjoyable film, which was dragged out a little in parts particularly toward the end.

A very gritty, down to Earth, UK spin, on the older man/vigilante style, revenge films that have recently become a trend.

Perhaps as a Brit, this film seemed a lot more realistic and closer to home in terms of environment etc and impacts intended by the film makers, delivered with full punch.

Whilst the start was perhaps a little slow moving, the escalation of the drugs, gun crime and violent behaviour, soon ignites and sets a faster pace of film.

A very enjoyable performance by Caine and overall an enjoyable cast.

Whilst these films are ultimately about revenge and violence, they also capture the dignity and honour from the older generation, to which the contrast is set.

Much more than just a Bollywood version of ?Memento?, it offers a much more in depth background story which builds nicely to a revenge plot. The occasionally songs throughout the film were entertaining and fit well as do the soundtrack songs.

The flashing back and forth in time provided a good order in which to tell the story and is much different to ?Memento? in that respect also.

Aamir Khan played a an impressive lead role here, with a quite a transformation in character, who with a very athletic physique, provides some enjoyable fight scenes and moves.

Lengthly, but a very enjoyable watch and has instantly become part of my favourite films list.

A pleasant find, thought this was going to be a full on Action style film, with over the top performances, instead we have a pretty naturally acted, fairly realistic Prison Drama.

A survivial of the fittest tale of man destined to serve his sentance, by unfortunate circumstance. Even Val Kilmer was better in this role than most.

Steven Dorff is back on top with the performance in this film.

A slow moving Thriller, with perhaps a fairly believable storyline, in that it's not over the top, like a lot of Action films or too horific in a backpacking/travelling Horror type way.

Emily Mortimer played a good role as did Ben Kingsley as usual.

A watchable film.

In a battle of arrogance between prosecuting lawyer and defendant, mind games begin and the frustration builds.

Anthony Hopkins plays an intellectual killer (sounds like his role as Hannibal Lector, but a much different character I promise) who has covered his tracks so well, he is about to get away with murder.

I feel Gosling has reached a higher rung on the Hollywood ladder with this film. This a great psychological thriller.

The most enjoyable performance by Samuel L Jackson in the last few years. ?Cleaner? shows a new and interesting perspective from the crime scene and all in all was an enjoyable film with an enjoyable cast.

I?ve never had any intention of watching a Lynsey Lohan film, but I have to say the majority of this film was fairly enjoyable, it was only toward the end, I feel it was a little disappointing and a bit of an anti-climax.

An emtionally charged, vigilante killer with a feminine touch, a good role for Jodie Foster, but yet another solid performance for the ever underrated Terrance Howard.

Fairly belieable, slowly paced, almost comes across as a dark superhero film at times because of the narration.

A very enjoyable, non too complicated, whodunnit type of film, with a good twist.

As with many of Gus Van Sant?s work, I don?t know whether this borders on slight genius or boring drawn out film making,, either way it does make you consider the possibilities.

On the up side of things the acting for such youngs guys is totally natural and really impressive,, intense throughout, the storyline interesting with a very realistic feel, the downside to that of course is that it is very drawn out and like most realistic things, it has an unusual ending.

This film slightly surprised me, I'd held out very little hope for the sequel, having heard nothing good or bad about it and so I'd assume it to be a complete flop. Now I'm not saying it's to the contrary, but I did feel it had it's moments.

I had enjoyed the original when it was released, even if more recent watches of it made it seem a little corny and cliche.

In the sequel we move on to England and whilst the plot is similar to the first, we do have some of Britain's favourite Drama Actors included, in fact had this not been Basic Instinct 2 and it was not starring Sharon Stone, it could have been an ok tv Drama. Stone, however was over the top and was surely the corniest thing about the movie.

Sort of hit and miss, easy watching, but forgettable.

Most definitely my favourite performance by Julieanne Moore. There is more than one storyline here. Great performances also from Samuel L.Jackson and a smaller part from Edie Falco.

VERDICT: Without a doubt, I recommend watching (however I'm not gonna send out recommendations for this film, in light of topical issues)

Not your usual kind of murder mystery, it was a little slow moving, but really had depth to it and was really an interesting story, in an ?Inspector Morse? style investigation.

An impressive performance from Toni Collette (who just seems to get better and better) and Eddie Redmayne who really gave the character substance.

Overall, a really enjoyable watch, let down slightly by an anti-climax ending.

With scenes of extreme violence and sexually explicity, this film based on the true story of Charles Manson and his followers and the murders they comitted is shot partly as a pseudo documentary style film, whilst flashing back to the actual events.

Having not known too many of the details before viewing this film, it's difficult to know how much of the film is accurate, however it does prove that the power of suggestion through brainwashing is a dangerous and powerful thing.

VERDICT: As long as you are not offended by the sexual nature of this film and have the stomach to watch the details, it's defintely an interesting watch.

An intriguing and revealing story about a man on death row. Both Spacey and Linney play fantastic roles, the plot holds you from start to finish and has clever twists

A film that isn't highly rated by most, but remains to be one of my favourites and most re-watched films that I own, possibly because it ticks a lot of boxes for me, such as the question of sanity, the setting of a psychiatric hospital, a supernatural element, along with a murder mystery.

Gothika has the dark creepy atmosphere, which is maintained throughout the film and a storyline which urges you to feel the frustration of the main characters, played by Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz.

Admittedly it has it?s clichéd moments and it?s not without predictability, but it?s certainly worth watching (in my opinion) if you enjoy supernatural Thrillers.

'Behind Blue Eyes' became one of my favourite songs after watching this film.

Disturbingly realistic and a controversial topic to tackle. Certainly through the first half, it was very mundane and I found it difficult to keep watching, but of course in hindsight it?s certainly worth staying with to feel the impact of the finish.

Filmed in a sort of Documentary style, it?s certainly unique in it?s delivery, any other way would probably have disrespected many of the true events that have taken part in schools across America.

One of a kind.

Directed by Eastwood and boasting an all star cast of some of Hollywood's most talented this is a fairly gritty and believable tale with some pretty decent performances all around. A murder mystery, vigilante theme with a built up back story when mixed together make for intense viewing.

A film that will no doubt make a big impact!

Beautiful and stunning, sexy and sassy. A thirst for fame leads these ladies to prison to head straight for Murderers Row where they meet a clever lawyer whose spin can turn murder into showbiz.

Catherine Zeta Jones is back where she started out and puts on an amazing performance in this film, in fact all of the cast in this film were really good.

This is one Musical I feel, people may watch, even if they hate the idea of musicals.

One of my favourite films and one of the best film twists ever.

A sinister tale, well written and put together well, I never tire from watching this and never fail to be impressed.

To anyone who hasn't watched this film yet, you really should.

There is something about Ryan Gosling that attracts films of a Psychological nature. Whilst the topic of this film, could so easily have appeared an open and shut case, we delve into a much deeper psyche in an almost Devil's Advocate view of the events.

This one could open up to discussion and debate about the rights and wrongs etc etc, another good role for the talented young Actor.

Not a bad film and you have to remember it's based on a true story and so the storyline isn't going to stray far from the truth.

The makers of the film chose the actress playing the killed girl to narrate the story, which I found a bit bizarre and a bit unnecesary. Perhaps people who know about the case would find the film pretty interesting, however it was just watchable to me

An intelligent Thriller with yet another great performance from Pacino. All the elements included in the plot, ie location, sleep deprivation etc etc build nicely toward it's sub-story, rather than the main focus of the tale.

A low budget Indie film that I?d never previously heard of. Quite natural and realistic in parts, then quite amateur with camera shots etc in others. Touched on the Mental Health health Sector in quite a good way.

This comes across as more of a TV Drama, than a film, but it is based on a true story and Amanda Burton and Paul Magann lead the cast to a heartfelt disappearance of a little girl.

It was all over a bit quick for me, which is why, I feel it would have been better as maybe a 2 part serial and made to be more drawn out.

Based on a true story, this is a teen story with a difference. Sexually charged and drug fueled teens seek revenge on the bully who controls them and don't quite think their plan through. Watching the uncut version of this, certainly highlights the extreme levels of bullying and control, which you may otherwise not experience with the uncut version.

[Rewatch]

Having watched this film numerous times, it still never fails to impress. Iconic for it's unique back to front storytelling and personal investigation into forgotten clues, this film has Murder, Mystery and Suspense, enjoyable performances by Guy Pearc and Joe Pantoliano and is a film like no other.

This French speaking, English sub-titled film, was a refreshing enjoyable watch with superb performances by Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel.

The only bad for me is that I don't think it will reach the desired audience purely because of the sub-titles which is a shame.

A Supernatural Thriller with a convincing, natural performance by Cate Blanchett and a unique angle on a Murder investigation.

There is something of an emotional commitment brought to the storyline by the characters in this film, which really comes across well on screen. All in all it is a decent (greatly underrated) film, one that I have watched time and time again.

A unique investigation story into two young murdered girls, this is an extremely powerful and controversial part for Gene Hackman,which for me has to be his best role to date.



The filming mainly takes part in one room, which is a hard thing to do, to keep the concentration of the audience, but apart from the first five minutes (just warming up) I was drawn to the story all the way through. There were some clever little flashbacks based on hypothesis which worked really well.



This is my second viewing of the film and I enjoyed it probably more than the first time, as my rating has gone up.



This definitely has my recommendation.

An easy watching film, but certainly not one of Eastwood?s best - Acting wise or Directing. There are many other films that share the theme of this one and in fact come across much better. The plot is predictable and I feel Eastwood tried far too hard to come across as the womanising anti-hero here. There was little emotion shown from the character on death row, which made the film lack any real punch.

Wished it had a little more angst or power and a few twists and turns, it could have been a good film.

Whilst I do not find Ashley Judd one othe more convincing Actresses, this is a film that holds yours attention and urges the need for retribution to take place. Cheesy in parts, but helped along by Tommy Lee Jones, this is an enjoyable film of the 90's.

Told in two parts, this story (which I presume is a true one?) covers quite a period of events leading up to one of the main character?s death.

The story is about appearing to be one thing to people and another behind closed doors, about a person wanting freedom for themself and controlling others. It shows mental and physical abuse and a family?s fight for justice.

An enjoyable performance by Matt Damon and an unusual storyline of deceipt, fraud and Murder.

Envy and arrogance drive the storyline and cause events to spiral out of control.

Personally I feel more could have been made of the voice impersonations, but all the same was an enjoyable watch.

Great film! I enjoyed this from the very first time I watched it. With scenes of a slightly pornographic nature, thi smay not be everyone's type of film, however that side of things is very much part of the plot rather than the focus of the story. There is certainly the best Private Detective story I've ever seen and although there is plenty of action in the film, Nick Cage doesn't look out of place as a more serious actor.

My absolute favourite role of Joaquin Phoenix', this is the first film I'd ever seen him in. Even James Gandolfini takes a reletively small role in this.

A cleverly put together story.

VERDICT: Unless the nature of the plot really puts you off, I'd say this is a 'must see' film

The remake of Hitchcock?s ?Dial M for Murder? and a good job of it was made. Some slight variences from the original storyline, but all the important parts were included.

A story with great twists, Douglas plays rich and arrogant very well and we see a not so well known at the time Viggo Mortensen too.

A great thriller, based on love, betrayal, revenge and money.

Known in the UK as 'Liar'. Great film, clever story, good twists and totally original, probably the best part I've seen Tim Roth play

A great film, totally recomend people to watch this

Not so much a 'whodunnit' film as more of a 'did she do it'? It does look a little dated and it's not exactly a Blockbuster, however a good performance from Nigel Hawthorn and an interesting story

Still one of my favourite film endings ever! The film itself is starting to date a little, but a great performance by a younger Ed Norton here, clever plot, enjoyable Thriller.

A great Thriller from the 90's with a slightly more serious role from Hugh Grants and less typecast than we are used to.

An original plot which has been copied many times including in TV programmes. A good conspiracy film, which presents a great dilema, which will at least make you question the circumstances yourself.

With a shocking and jolting start to this film, it is certainly not for the faint hearted. Documenting the events of the killing of 3 young boys in West Memphis and the rituals carried out leading up to their untimely deaths.

The documentary films the main suspect and his helper along with their families and their legal support.

The film makes for compelling viewing, the consideration for both defense and prosecution was interesting and the questioning of the two defendants made for confusing the investigation. An exploration of cult envolement proved to be a sinister angle.

Just to pull up a negative but niggling point about the film and I?m not sure if this was how the film made it look or this was the final agreement of the court, but despite instincts and some evidence against the boys for commiting the heinous crimes, all the evidence proved seemed to be circumstantial, questions from both sides of the fence were put to the defendants and reasons and explanations were provided as answers. The film didn?t seem to actually show any proof of solid compelling evidence, despite your instincts feeling the outcome.

I can?t remember exactly how many times I?ve watched this film, but it?s one I return to over and over again. The power of the story and the struggle to determine a fair verdict and trial in this film, is it?s unique selling point. The sumising speech at the end of this film has always stayed with me and is a very profound point of the film.

A horrific, unthinkable crime that created revenge so deep that it will have you debating the rights and wrongs throughout.

Whilst Samuel L Jackson has made many films and many more than this one are famous for him and because of him, but this for me is the best performance Jackson has given to date, a serious role, with a believable performance and a much deeper, more meaningful approach to many of his other films.

This still remains to be one of my favourite films and an absolute recommendation for anyone who enjoys serious Drama.

A rewatch, enjoyed it much better than my first viewing, interesting to learn about Alcatraz and the story was inspired by true events.

Kevin Bacon plays a very good role in this as a petty criminal imprisioned for a small crime, who suffers bad treatment at the hands of the prison staff..

VERDICT: Those who have interest in the true stories/prison filsm will enjoy this film

A gret story with some great twists. Although a very short role in this film, I thought a great performance by Ed Harris.

Certainly one of the better Sean Connery movies made and I always enjoy a performance by Laurence Fishburne.

VERDICT: Not mind blowing, but it's certainly worth a watch.

Starting with a dramatic opening, this film is quite good on a few different levels. the revenge plot is the most clear, but it also deals with the loss and anger of loosing a loved one, technicalities and loopholes of the law and also the pure rage that can dirive your average person to want to kill. Sutherland plays the bad guy pretty well.

VERDICT: Definitely worth a watch and leads you to question yourself if you were in the same position.

A good story, but a tad drawn out. It?s not a typical Stephen King but Kathy Bates certainly made it one of the believable ones.

One of the most outstanding films ever made. Brilliently written, well casted, by Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins.

Adaped from book to film, each twist accurately calculated, which will not fail to bring a smile to your face. A very powerful on screen relationship between the two main characters, which only adds to the depth of this amazing tale.

VERDICT: For the small minority that haven't seen this film, be prepared to be blown away.

The once banned and controversial film Directed by Oliver Stone is nothing short of a memorable Cult Classic of the 90's, heavily influenced by the post Tarantino style filming and storytelling and extreme violence and lack of justice portrayed.

Having watched this film countless times, it's a movie I could never get bored of. I enjoy Woody Harrelson as an Actor, but I could never have thought he could pull off a character like Mickey Knox, which of course he did so well, the chemistry, love and obsession between him and Juliette Lewis aka Mallory Knox was quite something.

This film has two parts to it, a 'before' they got caught for their killing spree and an 'after' they got caught. It portrayed a very deep connection between the two main characters, that could not be broken, whether together, seperated or facing death.

I love the story that the Shaman tells really sums up the whole film, it's theme and the characters.

The Style of the filming is probably something taken for granted now in these style films, but it's still impressive and sets this as a 90's style, for years to look back on.

I seem to find something different and new about this film each time I watch it, it's style is very creative, with almost subliminal messaging throughout, non-conventional ways of storytelling, switching visual colours for how things are seen through the killers eyes, the animal/human instinct, the causes behind the story and most probably the biggest part which is the celebrity status these mass murderers attract.

I love Brad Renfro in this film. I think he was a great child actor, the character is a hot-headed street smart kid and of course Susan Surrandon always tends to pull off a great part, the realtionship between the two was pretty endearing. The storyline is pretty unique and all in all is a pretty good film

Possibly the most well known ?wrongly accused? film ever made. Although a 1993 Film, this one will continue to be a timeless Classic.

The things that I always remembered about this film was firstly the train crash scene, which was not only quite impressive at the time, but the first time of viewing, it?s caused quite a tense feeling too and secondly the comical quips from Tommy Lee-Jones throughout.

The Fugitive is a constant cat and mouse battle to prove innocence whilst trying to survive and not get caught too.

A chick flick with a difference! The unfortunate escalation of events turns into an unlikely adventure of a lifetime when an innocent road trip turns into a unexpected rebelious crime spree.

For the standard of film this could quite as easily come across as an episode of Murder She Wrote or Diagnosis Murder, which makes me wonder why Pierce Brosnan would have chosen this as a film to appear in.

Strangely enough though..the story was entriguing and I like the idea of writing and planning the Perfect Murder, whilst you watch the film unfold.

Perhaps a little cheesy with the ending, but given a better standard of film and acting, this would definitely have come across as a much better film.

Let?s start with the title here ? is it a bluff? ? is it a double bluff? Well that of course is what you need to find out. This is a film that starts off on a fairly slow pace and remains pretty slow throughout, however the storyline, somehow keeps your attention. Not a great Whodunnit Thriller, but one that?s worth watching if it comes on TV.

A story that's baswed on capital punishment for a miner.

Juliette Lewis, as ever plays a great role, accompanied by Brad Pitt, who in my opinion plays these type of parts very well, where he's not playing a pretty boy.

VERDICT: A though provoking film, enjoyable, definitely worth a watch

This insightful Documentary isn't quite what's expected, whilst we all know the name that is connected to some rather horific murders, the full interview explores Manson, as a person, a manipulator, a musician, from how we knew of him to what he has become up to the date of this interview.

Manson is an annimated talker, who shares his philosophies and often answers questions with questions.

Oddly enough some of Manson's views and thoughts will have you thinking things through and it's clear to see why he became a powerful leader to his followers and was often called a brain washer.

Interesting viewing.

From a slow starting film to a realisticly, disturbing, impact of a story. This film is created with the intention to demand your attention. It's lack of explation or motive adds to the authentic feeling, it could almost be a fly on the wall documentary.

Based on the story of Ruth Ellis - the last woman to be hanged in Britain. The film provides the tale of the build up toward her crime of passion.

Miranda Richardson (possibly better known for her comedy roles) plays a great role here as a woman who doesn't suffer fools gladly and a fiesty, perhaps controversial character of her time and has a weakness in the man she loves. I am unaware of how factual this film is, but it made for entertaining viewing.

A murder inquiry turned forbidden love story, in this slightly typical Harrison Ford movie, but a watchable one all the same.

Fairly slow moving, yet the last 10 minutes completely made up for it. A young Frances McDormand clearly shows her talents for a leading role and with and with this being an early Coen Bro?s film, there are certainly hints of their promising future here.

I like the storyline, just thought it could have been made a little more suspenseful perhaps thoughout the first part.

Hayley Mills stars in this film along with Actor Father John Mills in a story of Murder, loyalty and unconventional friendship

Impressive! I enjoyed the reamking of this in 'The Perfect Murder' with Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow, so was intigued to watch the original.

Filming most of this film in one place, is really creative on Hitchcock's part. It is all 'so terribly terribly British, but that certainly captures the era that the film was made in.

A timeless plot that somehow reminded me of Hitchcock's Rear Window. Strangely when checking the dates for the films, they were both released in the same year (I wonder if one influenced the other and if so in which order).

Very much in the style of a Hitchcock film, conspiracy, fear, cover ups..it has it all.

Confession to a priest over a murder ? it?s been done time and time again, but this film offers a little twist on the subject. Great plot, but wasn?t blown over by this film ? perhaps this is one that could benefit from a remake?

Brilliant yet simple, as are so many of Hitchcock's films, a very clever and sinister story for it's era.

Another great Hitchcock film! Shot mainly in one location, with what appeared to be seemless filming, the characters are well developed and the plot provides great suspense. The storyline also demonstrates a thin line between theory and practice.

A comical role for Jimmy Stewart and without a doubt one of Hitchcock?s best.