Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting!, 16 Mar 2008
Spoiler alert:
This is a two part movie. We watched the first part yesterday and the second part this evening. It was riveting from start to finish. The first part really reels the viewer in with the gorgeous scenery, charming atmosphere, lovely costumes, and English gents saying "Jolly good" and "Cheerio". What fun! However, the plot is quite a bit darker which is why the film is so good. Set against this beautiful backdrop, the charming Herbert Armstrong decides to murder his wife. And, even though I am always one to side with the victims rather than the perpetrator, this is one time I would say the wife had it coming.
Oh, she was horrible! And, he was just wonderful. She was rude, unloving, and seemed to only have her self-interest at heart. When he'd make overtures to her to talk about their issues she'd rebuff him in the nastiest way possible. He wasn't milquetoast, though-- he seemed to have quite a bit of depth under that placid demeanor. She actually had the nerve to interrupt him at a tennis tournament to tell him to get home for dinner and that it was his bath night!
(This movie is based on true events and, from what I've read on other sites (look up Major Herbert Armstrong), the depictions of these characters were very true to life.)
Consequently, we empathize with Armstrong and don't mind when she drinks her arsenic-laced tea and cocoa. It's exciting to see Armstrong come out of his shell and be actually happy (while she's ill) because we've grown to care about HIM and understand how horrible the wife made his life and the children's lives.
In the second part, though, we change our minds completely about Herbert. He's no longer just a charming happy guy freed from living with an evil shrew-- he's now selfish and unscrupulous. Realizing what an easy time he had killing his wife, he now considers murder as an option for dealing with his business rival.
Had he not attempted this other crime, he would have gotten away with his wife's murder.
I don't usually like true crime films. This falls into the genre, I guess, but it's really a wonderful drama. Michael Kitchen (Foyle's War, To Play the King) is very versatile-- much more than I realized. Everyone in this was just excellent, as was the script and direction.
By the end, the viewer really does want Armstrong to get his comeuppance, but the entire chain of events is so very sad. There are no happy endings for anyone.
The disc has few extras-- bios of the main cast and a little silly quiz.
ADDENDUM: I recently read The Hay Poisoner by Martin Beales. Beales believes Armstrong is innocent and presents evidence to attempt to prove his case. If you really liked this movie and are interested in this case, you might want to read that book, as well. It was also published under the title Dead Not Buried. But, both titles are the exact same book.
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