I've only seen this in the 'edited' DVD form. If this is indeed cut to bits like I've read, the original must have been fantastic. I thought that the performances of David Morrissey and Timothy Dalton were riveting.
10 Reviews
Savagely cut for US TV, but still worth seeing
MoneyMagnet12 May 2007
Unfortunately the full, four-hour version of FRAMED is not available in the U.S. The two-hour DVD presentation (which aired in America on A&E) is at times difficult to follow due to the convoluted plot line, but is well worth seeing for the compelling performances by Timothy Dalton, David Morrissey and the rest of the cast in a psychological crime thriller where you are never quite sure how it will end up until almost the very last moment. Dalton plays a criminal playboy mastermind who is slippery beyond belief and gives a hard-hitting, edgy performance in a demanding role... possibly his best ever. (Let's just say this character makes James Bond look like Mr. Bean by comparison!) Morrissey is great as the eager young cop who falls under his influence. If you enjoyed movies like INSIDE MAN or SILENCE OF THE LAMBS you'll probably find this worth viewing.
Fortunately, most of Dalton's performance is preserved in the two-hour version, which nevertheless cuts out a lot of scenes involving David Morrisey's character and his wife, and Dalton's interactions with "his girls," as well as the vast majority of the series' first episode that takes place in Spain.
Fortunately, most of Dalton's performance is preserved in the two-hour version, which nevertheless cuts out a lot of scenes involving David Morrisey's character and his wife, and Dalton's interactions with "his girls," as well as the vast majority of the series' first episode that takes place in Spain.
Another great offering from Lynda La Plante
scrubber6 July 2022
Made in 1992 when the 'Costa Del Crime' was a big news issue in the Uk, frequently featuring in British tabloids, this centers on a big time criminal, who is supposed to be dead, spotted by a young cop on a familiy holiday in Spain. He is quickly repatriated to the UK where he offers to tell all, but only to the young policeman who found him.
David Morrissey is subsequently put in a secret underground location to eat, sleep and live with Timothy Dalton to extract all the info about the crimes, criminals and whereabouts of all the ill gotten gains.
Timothy Dalton plays the manipulative, charismatic and sometimes creepy Eddie Myers brilliantly and the young, naive Morrissey is slowly drawn into Eddie's world of wealth, high living and young girls.
Also a shout out to Timothy West who plays the old fashioned gruff Chief Inspector in charge of the case, the like of which would never survive in todays 'enlightened' met.
This is another fine offering from the pen of Lynda La Plante and highly recommended.
David Morrissey is subsequently put in a secret underground location to eat, sleep and live with Timothy Dalton to extract all the info about the crimes, criminals and whereabouts of all the ill gotten gains.
Timothy Dalton plays the manipulative, charismatic and sometimes creepy Eddie Myers brilliantly and the young, naive Morrissey is slowly drawn into Eddie's world of wealth, high living and young girls.
Also a shout out to Timothy West who plays the old fashioned gruff Chief Inspector in charge of the case, the like of which would never survive in todays 'enlightened' met.
This is another fine offering from the pen of Lynda La Plante and highly recommended.
fascinating, engrossing crime thriller
didi-58 May 2004
I note with interest that this was Americanised into a new TV version with Rob Lowe and Sam Neill, of all people, but I imagine it was a much watered down version of Lynda La Plante's original story.
In 1992, a version clocking in at over three hours came to British screens (and a limited video release thereafter). The story centres around a con in police protection and the relationship and hold he has over the constable on his case. Casting Timothy Dalton as the con, Eddie Myers, was a masterstroke. He's an unhinged, devious, predatory man with dubious sexual leanings. He plays the role wonderfully, giving the character that raw edge while also making him likeable. David Morrissey, in one of his early roles, plays Sgt. Larry Jackson, who can almost be described as 'the prey'. His nervous energy in dealing both with the intensity of close proximity to Myers and his crumbling marriage to Sue (Annabelle Apsion) is well-portrayed.
Penelope Cruz appeared too, as the mysterious Lola, while Timothy West (as the typical scruffy detective, Mac) and Trevor Cooper (as bumbling and impressionable DI Shrapnel) were memorable. The screenplay was based on a real character, albeit with significant artistic licence. It was clever, engrossing, and - for me - La Plante's best work for television.
In 1992, a version clocking in at over three hours came to British screens (and a limited video release thereafter). The story centres around a con in police protection and the relationship and hold he has over the constable on his case. Casting Timothy Dalton as the con, Eddie Myers, was a masterstroke. He's an unhinged, devious, predatory man with dubious sexual leanings. He plays the role wonderfully, giving the character that raw edge while also making him likeable. David Morrissey, in one of his early roles, plays Sgt. Larry Jackson, who can almost be described as 'the prey'. His nervous energy in dealing both with the intensity of close proximity to Myers and his crumbling marriage to Sue (Annabelle Apsion) is well-portrayed.
Penelope Cruz appeared too, as the mysterious Lola, while Timothy West (as the typical scruffy detective, Mac) and Trevor Cooper (as bumbling and impressionable DI Shrapnel) were memorable. The screenplay was based on a real character, albeit with significant artistic licence. It was clever, engrossing, and - for me - La Plante's best work for television.
Framed
Prismark1028 April 2024
By 1992 Timothy Dalton knew that his time as James Bond had passed. Eon were involved in litigation with MGM causing delays over the next Bond movie.
So he was still officially James Bond and Dalton took the opportunity to do lucrative television projects.
Framed was one of them, a four part television series. After the success of Prime Suspect. Anything from Lynda La Plante was all the rage.
Dalton plays charismatic bank robber Eddie Myers hiding out in the Costa del Crime. Young police officer Lawrence Jackson (David Morrissey) out on a family holiday in Spain spots Myers.
Eventually Myers is extradited back to Britain with Jackson assigned to guard him. The officer from the original investigation Jimmy McKinnes (Timothy West) wants Myers to give up the names of the other robbers.
While his former cohorts plan to silence Myers. Only Myers has a plan, he needs to Jackson's help. Some of the proceeds of the bank robbery in a safe deposit box.
The series is essentially the temptation of Jackson by the magnetic Myers to the dark side. Both play a cat and mouse game with each other as well as Jackson's bosses. Can both men really trust each other?
It also features an early role by Penelope Cruz. There is nothing here to show that one day she will be an Oscar winner.
A young David Morrissey and Dalton are outstanding. Elevating was is really a hackneyed story. Dalton very much displays the star power that glimmered when he stepped into the Bond role in the last minute.
So he was still officially James Bond and Dalton took the opportunity to do lucrative television projects.
Framed was one of them, a four part television series. After the success of Prime Suspect. Anything from Lynda La Plante was all the rage.
Dalton plays charismatic bank robber Eddie Myers hiding out in the Costa del Crime. Young police officer Lawrence Jackson (David Morrissey) out on a family holiday in Spain spots Myers.
Eventually Myers is extradited back to Britain with Jackson assigned to guard him. The officer from the original investigation Jimmy McKinnes (Timothy West) wants Myers to give up the names of the other robbers.
While his former cohorts plan to silence Myers. Only Myers has a plan, he needs to Jackson's help. Some of the proceeds of the bank robbery in a safe deposit box.
The series is essentially the temptation of Jackson by the magnetic Myers to the dark side. Both play a cat and mouse game with each other as well as Jackson's bosses. Can both men really trust each other?
It also features an early role by Penelope Cruz. There is nothing here to show that one day she will be an Oscar winner.
A young David Morrissey and Dalton are outstanding. Elevating was is really a hackneyed story. Dalton very much displays the star power that glimmered when he stepped into the Bond role in the last minute.
It's a Shame
JJ-4530 December 1998
It's a shame that A&E's pitifully-edited version of Framed is the only one most American audiences have seen; for it showcases one of Timothy Dalton's most striking performances. As Eddie Myers, Dalton is charming, frightening, slimy, and charismatic. Down to the last scene, you're never sure what he will do. Hopefully, the full PAL version translated to NTSC will eventually be available in the US. In the meantime, watch the A&E version (they replay it occasionally). It's better than nothing.
James Bond on Steroids!
folsominc23 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
In conjunction with my Timothy Dalton phase, I ordered and received a copy of the 1992 movie, Framed. I wanted the entire film if I was going to watch it at all and had to order from England. Little did I know that I would have DVD issues because of the "region," however, I was able to view this on my computer using VLC.
Dalton seemed to take all that was underlying of good in the character of James Bond and pitch it to play Eddie Myers, crook extraordinaire or Bad James Bond (like Bad Captain Kirk).
The movie is that a young London detective, Sgt. Larry Jackson (David Morrissey) on holiday in Spain with his wife and children when he unintentionally notices a man who he believes is long dead bank robber by the name of Eddie Myers (Timothy Dalton). Following his instinct, he ascertains the identity of the man by detective work such as photographs, capturing his fingerprints, etc. Eddie, known in Spain as Phillip, feels something is awry, however, is too secure in his standing and position in the community to think anything major is wrong or that the gig is up.
Nevertheless, he is identified and picked up in Spain for living under an assumed identity and having multiple passports. Finicky about his personal necessities and disgusted by the jail's lack of pesticides, it does not take him long to choose to go back to England and once again turn state's evidence and become a Crown Witness against his former bank robber colleagues. Even at the outset of his arrest by the London police, you can feel that Eddie is still in charge, from his personal servants packing his bags of clothes, to refusing to go unless he charters his own plane (which he arranges himself), to even having a "private moment" with his girlfriend before leaving with the police.
Thankfully, a female judge is not overcome by his willingness to cooperate and still won't let him have a reduced sentence until he has coughed up everything he has and then some. You can see Eddie's internal reaction, well demonstrated by Dalton in the defendant's box, to the fact that he is in a spot he can no longer manipulate the outcome of his circumstances.
At the same time, Eddie is furious with his own self for not following his instincts against the young detective who "caught" him. He decides to do a spot of fishing for himself and insists on having the young detective as his handler in gathering facts while already planning his great escape with the added help of his female partners. He also determines to obtain the 1 million pounds he had acquired during the original bank robbery while he is in England and known to be alive by his former partners/bank robbers.
The movie then goes from a "cat and mouse" theme to that more of a Cheshire cat chewing up a mouse or could be renamed a how-to movie on "Best Methods to Corrupt a Police Official."
Eddie tries unsuccessfully, at first, to draw the detective out until his nemesis, DCI Jimmy McKinnes (Timothy West) unwittingly gives him the opening into Jackson's personal life he was trying to ferret out. The young detective is married. With this information, he can't help but laugh exultingly which puzzles McKinnes but Jackson, it seems, has an inkling.
Little by little, though, Eddie works on the detective now making him feel more and more unsatisfactory with his wife, his life and his job.
During a subplot where Eddie's former colleagues try to kill him, Jackson feels that Eddie tried to protect him. Myself, I think Eddie was trying to protect himself in the scene more than Jackson, but Eddie is quick to use this to his advantage. He tells Jackson of his foster brother and how he lost him in the water and replaced his identity on him.
This is one area of the film that leaves the viewer with a question mark. Since it showed flashbacks, was the story as real as Eddie insisted thru the rest of the movie that it was? Or was there blood on the hand he placed his watch and ring and Eddie had murdered whoever it was to make his clean get away?
Continuing with his manipulation, he not only was able to obtain a phone in hospital but the nurse's "affection" as well. (Someday a film will be made to show that women are not as sexually available as all films show!)
Nevertheless, contention rises when Jackson realizes Eddie must have lied to him. Jackson, on the other hand, is getting more and more dissatisfied with his life and wife and career as Eddie wheels him further and further into the trap. Jackson's wife knows that he is losing his balance even before anyone else realizes it and ends up finding "affection" with the police officer assigned to protect her and her family because of his neglect.
More and more Jackson realize he is diminishing farther and farther into the corrupt lifestyle of Eddie, even down to having relations with Eddie's girlfriend. The more he tries to disengage the more he is pulled farther and farther under the spell of the lifestyle Eddie lays out for him.
Even during the last segment of the bank robbery (where all Eddie takes is his cache from the last robbery), you never know if Eddie and Jackson are in it together or if Jackson really is trying to be a good cop.
Still, the results end the same where Jackson has to go under intense scrutiny by his superiors for lousing up a job and letting a criminal such as Eddie escape. His wife, who seems a decent sort, even offers to stand by him no matter the outcome.
He is exonerated but things are ended for him. His wife and him are quits, although demoted, he rightfully resigns from the job he loved the most and he is left destitute with a fine of 3,000 pounds for his negligence. And, rightfully so, he takes down Eddie's number one nemesis in the police department (McKinnes) by informing he had requested to be removed from the case early on and McKinnes refused.
All looks very sad for Jackson while Eddie makes his plans to escape the country with his female cohorts, one being slightly enamored and worried for Jackson's safety.
The ending scene was the double switch that I was not quite expecting, which was a thrill for me. Not many movies can startle me with an ending since I am so engrossed with films from all eras. I knew, of course, that Jackson and Eddie meet (from the previews) but not that everything was a complete plan Eddie had made, even down to the disciplinary action Jackson received! That was the "gotcha" moment for me! (Sorry for the spoiler!)
Questions in the conundrum still puzzle me: Was Jackson privy to the entire plan? If so, why did Eddie tell Jackson in private that they would be in Canada? (It was definitely NOT Canada in the ending scene but looked like Spain again.) Was Eddie telling the truth that Jackson reminded him of his foster brother? Is that why Eddie did not cheat Jackson so he could never find him again and abscond with all the money? Did the girlfriend's affection for Jackson change Eddie's mind? And not once did Jackson think, "this is a bonafide crook who would welch on the deal"? And to me, will Jackson ever see his sons again? Or think of what example he has given them?
Eddie, himself, apparently was not completely sure of Jackson in the end either. He had a weapon prepared - just in case! And to the very end the viewer is wondering, like Eddie, if Jackson has really turned completely as corrupt as he wanted him to be. And what will their future be like ....
All actors and actresses, especially Dalton, were amazing in this film. I have learned that Dalton is a chameleon in any film he plays in. You know it is him but then again you cannot recognize him from one part to another, even in back to back films. He becomes the character so much, he is amazing!
Dalton seemed to take all that was underlying of good in the character of James Bond and pitch it to play Eddie Myers, crook extraordinaire or Bad James Bond (like Bad Captain Kirk).
The movie is that a young London detective, Sgt. Larry Jackson (David Morrissey) on holiday in Spain with his wife and children when he unintentionally notices a man who he believes is long dead bank robber by the name of Eddie Myers (Timothy Dalton). Following his instinct, he ascertains the identity of the man by detective work such as photographs, capturing his fingerprints, etc. Eddie, known in Spain as Phillip, feels something is awry, however, is too secure in his standing and position in the community to think anything major is wrong or that the gig is up.
Nevertheless, he is identified and picked up in Spain for living under an assumed identity and having multiple passports. Finicky about his personal necessities and disgusted by the jail's lack of pesticides, it does not take him long to choose to go back to England and once again turn state's evidence and become a Crown Witness against his former bank robber colleagues. Even at the outset of his arrest by the London police, you can feel that Eddie is still in charge, from his personal servants packing his bags of clothes, to refusing to go unless he charters his own plane (which he arranges himself), to even having a "private moment" with his girlfriend before leaving with the police.
Thankfully, a female judge is not overcome by his willingness to cooperate and still won't let him have a reduced sentence until he has coughed up everything he has and then some. You can see Eddie's internal reaction, well demonstrated by Dalton in the defendant's box, to the fact that he is in a spot he can no longer manipulate the outcome of his circumstances.
At the same time, Eddie is furious with his own self for not following his instincts against the young detective who "caught" him. He decides to do a spot of fishing for himself and insists on having the young detective as his handler in gathering facts while already planning his great escape with the added help of his female partners. He also determines to obtain the 1 million pounds he had acquired during the original bank robbery while he is in England and known to be alive by his former partners/bank robbers.
The movie then goes from a "cat and mouse" theme to that more of a Cheshire cat chewing up a mouse or could be renamed a how-to movie on "Best Methods to Corrupt a Police Official."
Eddie tries unsuccessfully, at first, to draw the detective out until his nemesis, DCI Jimmy McKinnes (Timothy West) unwittingly gives him the opening into Jackson's personal life he was trying to ferret out. The young detective is married. With this information, he can't help but laugh exultingly which puzzles McKinnes but Jackson, it seems, has an inkling.
Little by little, though, Eddie works on the detective now making him feel more and more unsatisfactory with his wife, his life and his job.
During a subplot where Eddie's former colleagues try to kill him, Jackson feels that Eddie tried to protect him. Myself, I think Eddie was trying to protect himself in the scene more than Jackson, but Eddie is quick to use this to his advantage. He tells Jackson of his foster brother and how he lost him in the water and replaced his identity on him.
This is one area of the film that leaves the viewer with a question mark. Since it showed flashbacks, was the story as real as Eddie insisted thru the rest of the movie that it was? Or was there blood on the hand he placed his watch and ring and Eddie had murdered whoever it was to make his clean get away?
Continuing with his manipulation, he not only was able to obtain a phone in hospital but the nurse's "affection" as well. (Someday a film will be made to show that women are not as sexually available as all films show!)
Nevertheless, contention rises when Jackson realizes Eddie must have lied to him. Jackson, on the other hand, is getting more and more dissatisfied with his life and wife and career as Eddie wheels him further and further into the trap. Jackson's wife knows that he is losing his balance even before anyone else realizes it and ends up finding "affection" with the police officer assigned to protect her and her family because of his neglect.
More and more Jackson realize he is diminishing farther and farther into the corrupt lifestyle of Eddie, even down to having relations with Eddie's girlfriend. The more he tries to disengage the more he is pulled farther and farther under the spell of the lifestyle Eddie lays out for him.
Even during the last segment of the bank robbery (where all Eddie takes is his cache from the last robbery), you never know if Eddie and Jackson are in it together or if Jackson really is trying to be a good cop.
Still, the results end the same where Jackson has to go under intense scrutiny by his superiors for lousing up a job and letting a criminal such as Eddie escape. His wife, who seems a decent sort, even offers to stand by him no matter the outcome.
He is exonerated but things are ended for him. His wife and him are quits, although demoted, he rightfully resigns from the job he loved the most and he is left destitute with a fine of 3,000 pounds for his negligence. And, rightfully so, he takes down Eddie's number one nemesis in the police department (McKinnes) by informing he had requested to be removed from the case early on and McKinnes refused.
All looks very sad for Jackson while Eddie makes his plans to escape the country with his female cohorts, one being slightly enamored and worried for Jackson's safety.
The ending scene was the double switch that I was not quite expecting, which was a thrill for me. Not many movies can startle me with an ending since I am so engrossed with films from all eras. I knew, of course, that Jackson and Eddie meet (from the previews) but not that everything was a complete plan Eddie had made, even down to the disciplinary action Jackson received! That was the "gotcha" moment for me! (Sorry for the spoiler!)
Questions in the conundrum still puzzle me: Was Jackson privy to the entire plan? If so, why did Eddie tell Jackson in private that they would be in Canada? (It was definitely NOT Canada in the ending scene but looked like Spain again.) Was Eddie telling the truth that Jackson reminded him of his foster brother? Is that why Eddie did not cheat Jackson so he could never find him again and abscond with all the money? Did the girlfriend's affection for Jackson change Eddie's mind? And not once did Jackson think, "this is a bonafide crook who would welch on the deal"? And to me, will Jackson ever see his sons again? Or think of what example he has given them?
Eddie, himself, apparently was not completely sure of Jackson in the end either. He had a weapon prepared - just in case! And to the very end the viewer is wondering, like Eddie, if Jackson has really turned completely as corrupt as he wanted him to be. And what will their future be like ....
All actors and actresses, especially Dalton, were amazing in this film. I have learned that Dalton is a chameleon in any film he plays in. You know it is him but then again you cannot recognize him from one part to another, even in back to back films. He becomes the character so much, he is amazing!
James Bond on Steroids!
folsominc23 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
In conjunction with my Timothy Dalton phase, I ordered and received a copy of the 1992 movie, Framed. I wanted the entire film if I was going to watch it at all and had to order from England. Little did I know that I would have DVD issues because of the "region," however, I was able to view this on my computer using VLC.
Dalton seemed to take all that was underlying of good in the character of James Bond and pitch it to play Eddie Myers, crook extraordinaire or Bad James Bond (like Bad Captain Kirk).
The movie is that a young London detective, Sgt. Larry Jackson (David Morrissey) on holiday in Spain with his wife and children when he unintentionally notices a man who he believes is long dead bank robber by the name of Eddie Myers (Timothy Dalton). Following his instinct, he ascertains the identity of the man by detective work such as photographs, capturing his fingerprints, etc. Eddie, known in Spain as Phillip, feels something is awry, however, is too secure in his standing and position in the community to think anything major is wrong or that the gig is up.
Nevertheless, he is identified and picked up in Spain for living under an assumed identity and having multiple passports. Finicky about his personal necessities and disgusted by the jail's lack of pesticides, it does not take him long to choose to go back to England and once again turn state's evidence and become a Crown Witness against his former bank robber colleagues. Even at the outset of his arrest by the London police, you can feel that Eddie is still in charge, from his personal servants packing his bags of clothes, to refusing to go unless he charters his own plane (which he arranges himself), to even having a "private moment" with his girlfriend before leaving with the police.
Thankfully, a female judge is not overcome by his willingness to cooperate and still won't let him have a reduced sentence until he has coughed up everything he has and then some. You can see Eddie's internal reaction, well demonstrated by Dalton in the defendant's box, to the fact that he is in a spot he can no longer manipulate the outcome of his circumstances.
At the same time, Eddie is furious with his own self for not following his instincts against the young detective who "caught" him. He decides to do a spot of fishing for himself and insists on having the young detective as his handler in gathering facts while already planning his great escape with the added help of his female partners. He also determines to obtain the 1 million pounds he had acquired during the original bank robbery while he is in England and known to be alive by his former partners/bank robbers.
The movie then goes from a "cat and mouse" theme to that more of a Cheshire cat chewing up a mouse or could be renamed a how-to movie on "Best Methods to Corrupt a Police Official."
Eddie tries unsuccessfully, at first, to draw the detective out until his nemesis, DCI Jimmy McKinnes (Timothy West) unwittingly gives him the opening into Jackson's personal life he was trying to ferret out. The young detective is married. With this information, he can't help but laugh exultingly which puzzles McKinnes but Jackson, it seems, has an inkling.
Little by little, though, Eddie works on the detective now making him feel more and more unsatisfactory with his wife, his life and his job.
During a subplot where Eddie's former colleagues try to kill him, Jackson feels that Eddie tried to protect him. Myself, I think Eddie was trying to protect himself in the scene more than Jackson, but Eddie is quick to use this to his advantage. He tells Jackson of his foster brother and how he lost him in the water and replaced his identity on him.
This is one area of the film that leaves the viewer with a question mark. Since it showed flashbacks, was the story as real as Eddie insisted thru the rest of the movie that it was? Or was there blood on the hand he placed his watch and ring and Eddie had murdered whoever it was to make his clean get away?
Continuing with his manipulation, he not only was able to obtain a phone in hospital but the nurse's "affection" as well. (Someday a film will be made to show that women are not as sexually available as all films show!)
Nevertheless, contention rises when Jackson realizes Eddie must have lied to him. Jackson, on the other hand, is getting more and more dissatisfied with his life and wife and career as Eddie wheels him further and further into the trap. Jackson's wife knows that he is losing his balance even before anyone else realizes it and ends up finding "affection" with the police officer assigned to protect her and her family because of his neglect.
More and more Jackson realize he is diminishing farther and farther into the corrupt lifestyle of Eddie, even down to having relations with Eddie's girlfriend. The more he tries to disengage the more he is pulled farther and farther under the spell of the lifestyle Eddie lays out for him.
Even during the last segment of the bank robbery (where all Eddie takes is his cache from the last robbery), you never know if Eddie and Jackson are in it together or if Jackson really is trying to be a good cop.
Still, the results end the same where Jackson has to go under intense scrutiny by his superiors for lousing up a job and letting a criminal such as Eddie escape. His wife, who seems a decent sort, even offers to stand by him no matter the outcome.
He is exonerated but things are ended for him. His wife and him are quits, although demoted, he rightfully resigns from the job he loved the most and he is left destitute with a fine of 3,000 pounds for his negligence. And, rightfully so, he takes down Eddie's number one nemesis in the police department (McKinnes) by informing he had requested to be removed from the case early on and McKinnes refused.
All looks very sad for Jackson while Eddie makes his plans to escape the country with his female cohorts, one being slightly enamored and worried for Jackson's safety.
The ending scene was the double switch that I was not quite expecting, which was a thrill for me. Not many movies can startle me with an ending since I am so engrossed with films from all eras. I knew, of course, that Jackson and Eddie meet (from the previews) but not that everything was a complete plan Eddie had made, even down to the disciplinary action Jackson received! That was the "gotcha" moment for me! (Sorry for the spoiler!)
Questions in the conundrum still puzzle me: Was Jackson privy to the entire plan? If so, why did Eddie tell Jackson in private that they would be in Canada? (It was definitely NOT Canada in the ending scene but looked like Spain again.) Was Eddie telling the truth that Jackson reminded him of his foster brother? Is that why Eddie did not cheat Jackson so he could never find him again and abscond with all the money? Did the girlfriend's affection for Jackson change Eddie's mind? And not once did Jackson think, "this is a bonafide crook who would welch on the deal"? And to me, will Jackson ever see his sons again? Or think of what example he has given them?
Eddie, himself, apparently was not completely sure of Jackson in the end either. He had a weapon prepared - just in case! And to the very end the viewer is wondering, like Eddie, if Jackson has really turned completely as corrupt as he wanted him to be. And what will their future be like ....
All actors and actresses, especially Dalton, were amazing in this film. I have learned that Dalton is a chameleon in any film he plays in. You know it is him but then again you cannot recognize him from one part to another, even in back to back films. He becomes the character so much, he is amazing!
One thing to watch out for, this movie can really mess with your head!
Dalton seemed to take all that was underlying of good in the character of James Bond and pitch it to play Eddie Myers, crook extraordinaire or Bad James Bond (like Bad Captain Kirk).
The movie is that a young London detective, Sgt. Larry Jackson (David Morrissey) on holiday in Spain with his wife and children when he unintentionally notices a man who he believes is long dead bank robber by the name of Eddie Myers (Timothy Dalton). Following his instinct, he ascertains the identity of the man by detective work such as photographs, capturing his fingerprints, etc. Eddie, known in Spain as Phillip, feels something is awry, however, is too secure in his standing and position in the community to think anything major is wrong or that the gig is up.
Nevertheless, he is identified and picked up in Spain for living under an assumed identity and having multiple passports. Finicky about his personal necessities and disgusted by the jail's lack of pesticides, it does not take him long to choose to go back to England and once again turn state's evidence and become a Crown Witness against his former bank robber colleagues. Even at the outset of his arrest by the London police, you can feel that Eddie is still in charge, from his personal servants packing his bags of clothes, to refusing to go unless he charters his own plane (which he arranges himself), to even having a "private moment" with his girlfriend before leaving with the police.
Thankfully, a female judge is not overcome by his willingness to cooperate and still won't let him have a reduced sentence until he has coughed up everything he has and then some. You can see Eddie's internal reaction, well demonstrated by Dalton in the defendant's box, to the fact that he is in a spot he can no longer manipulate the outcome of his circumstances.
At the same time, Eddie is furious with his own self for not following his instincts against the young detective who "caught" him. He decides to do a spot of fishing for himself and insists on having the young detective as his handler in gathering facts while already planning his great escape with the added help of his female partners. He also determines to obtain the 1 million pounds he had acquired during the original bank robbery while he is in England and known to be alive by his former partners/bank robbers.
The movie then goes from a "cat and mouse" theme to that more of a Cheshire cat chewing up a mouse or could be renamed a how-to movie on "Best Methods to Corrupt a Police Official."
Eddie tries unsuccessfully, at first, to draw the detective out until his nemesis, DCI Jimmy McKinnes (Timothy West) unwittingly gives him the opening into Jackson's personal life he was trying to ferret out. The young detective is married. With this information, he can't help but laugh exultingly which puzzles McKinnes but Jackson, it seems, has an inkling.
Little by little, though, Eddie works on the detective now making him feel more and more unsatisfactory with his wife, his life and his job.
During a subplot where Eddie's former colleagues try to kill him, Jackson feels that Eddie tried to protect him. Myself, I think Eddie was trying to protect himself in the scene more than Jackson, but Eddie is quick to use this to his advantage. He tells Jackson of his foster brother and how he lost him in the water and replaced his identity on him.
This is one area of the film that leaves the viewer with a question mark. Since it showed flashbacks, was the story as real as Eddie insisted thru the rest of the movie that it was? Or was there blood on the hand he placed his watch and ring and Eddie had murdered whoever it was to make his clean get away?
Continuing with his manipulation, he not only was able to obtain a phone in hospital but the nurse's "affection" as well. (Someday a film will be made to show that women are not as sexually available as all films show!)
Nevertheless, contention rises when Jackson realizes Eddie must have lied to him. Jackson, on the other hand, is getting more and more dissatisfied with his life and wife and career as Eddie wheels him further and further into the trap. Jackson's wife knows that he is losing his balance even before anyone else realizes it and ends up finding "affection" with the police officer assigned to protect her and her family because of his neglect.
More and more Jackson realize he is diminishing farther and farther into the corrupt lifestyle of Eddie, even down to having relations with Eddie's girlfriend. The more he tries to disengage the more he is pulled farther and farther under the spell of the lifestyle Eddie lays out for him.
Even during the last segment of the bank robbery (where all Eddie takes is his cache from the last robbery), you never know if Eddie and Jackson are in it together or if Jackson really is trying to be a good cop.
Still, the results end the same where Jackson has to go under intense scrutiny by his superiors for lousing up a job and letting a criminal such as Eddie escape. His wife, who seems a decent sort, even offers to stand by him no matter the outcome.
He is exonerated but things are ended for him. His wife and him are quits, although demoted, he rightfully resigns from the job he loved the most and he is left destitute with a fine of 3,000 pounds for his negligence. And, rightfully so, he takes down Eddie's number one nemesis in the police department (McKinnes) by informing he had requested to be removed from the case early on and McKinnes refused.
All looks very sad for Jackson while Eddie makes his plans to escape the country with his female cohorts, one being slightly enamored and worried for Jackson's safety.
The ending scene was the double switch that I was not quite expecting, which was a thrill for me. Not many movies can startle me with an ending since I am so engrossed with films from all eras. I knew, of course, that Jackson and Eddie meet (from the previews) but not that everything was a complete plan Eddie had made, even down to the disciplinary action Jackson received! That was the "gotcha" moment for me! (Sorry for the spoiler!)
Questions in the conundrum still puzzle me: Was Jackson privy to the entire plan? If so, why did Eddie tell Jackson in private that they would be in Canada? (It was definitely NOT Canada in the ending scene but looked like Spain again.) Was Eddie telling the truth that Jackson reminded him of his foster brother? Is that why Eddie did not cheat Jackson so he could never find him again and abscond with all the money? Did the girlfriend's affection for Jackson change Eddie's mind? And not once did Jackson think, "this is a bonafide crook who would welch on the deal"? And to me, will Jackson ever see his sons again? Or think of what example he has given them?
Eddie, himself, apparently was not completely sure of Jackson in the end either. He had a weapon prepared - just in case! And to the very end the viewer is wondering, like Eddie, if Jackson has really turned completely as corrupt as he wanted him to be. And what will their future be like ....
All actors and actresses, especially Dalton, were amazing in this film. I have learned that Dalton is a chameleon in any film he plays in. You know it is him but then again you cannot recognize him from one part to another, even in back to back films. He becomes the character so much, he is amazing!
One thing to watch out for, this movie can really mess with your head!
Superb star performance, otherwise nothing special
wilvram6 May 2015
Following his all too brief reign as Bond, Timothy Dalton is here utterly compelling throughout as the charismatic, beguiling, sociopath Eddie Myers, a big-time criminal presumed dead, but discovered hiding in plain site near a British tourist haven in Spain. Back in England he agrees to become a 'supergrass' and the keen young detective who first spotted him is surprisingly appointed to the vital role of working closely with him, extracting his extensive knowledge of the underworld.
Likely to have been suggested by the previous year's hugely influential SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, this is developed in a somewhat predictable fashion. Attempts to portray the police at work as realistically as possible, with lots of use of the hand-held camera, do little to tone-down the improbabilities in the plotting, which leaves several loose ends. Timothy West's fast-talking, beer-swilling, DCI and the police banter, particularly regarding Myers' health food obsession, provide some fun, but there's too much soap opera. Altogether, not in the same league as excellent La Plante series' PRIME SUSPECT and WIDOWS, but certainly a must for fans of its star.
Likely to have been suggested by the previous year's hugely influential SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, this is developed in a somewhat predictable fashion. Attempts to portray the police at work as realistically as possible, with lots of use of the hand-held camera, do little to tone-down the improbabilities in the plotting, which leaves several loose ends. Timothy West's fast-talking, beer-swilling, DCI and the police banter, particularly regarding Myers' health food obsession, provide some fun, but there's too much soap opera. Altogether, not in the same league as excellent La Plante series' PRIME SUSPECT and WIDOWS, but certainly a must for fans of its star.
A mixed bag
nbrenner16 January 2001
Warning: Spoilers
* * * WARNING -- POSSIBLE SPOILERS * * *
Timothy Dalton plays a major criminal, captured by the British police, who is "grassing" (informing) on his confederates to avoid a long sentence. On one side of the action, he plays cat and mouse mindgames with his young, inexperienced police interrogator; on the other, his ex-gang is desperate to kill him before he spills too much. While the grittiness and police procedure are pluses, Dalton is much too glossy to play a criminal. His movie star good looks clash startlingly with the realistic, plain countenances of the cops (and the robbers!). Much of the middle of the movie is claustrophobic, taking place underground in one of the police safe cells. Worst of all, several major plot threads are left dangling at the "surprise" conclusion, including the fate of the chain-smoking chief inspector, and the total disappearance of the hovering bad-guy assassins. It looks almost as tho Lynda LaPlante's script was intended for a miniseries, and it was violently abbreviated to fit it into a feature film.
2 1/2 stars out of 5.
Timothy Dalton plays a major criminal, captured by the British police, who is "grassing" (informing) on his confederates to avoid a long sentence. On one side of the action, he plays cat and mouse mindgames with his young, inexperienced police interrogator; on the other, his ex-gang is desperate to kill him before he spills too much. While the grittiness and police procedure are pluses, Dalton is much too glossy to play a criminal. His movie star good looks clash startlingly with the realistic, plain countenances of the cops (and the robbers!). Much of the middle of the movie is claustrophobic, taking place underground in one of the police safe cells. Worst of all, several major plot threads are left dangling at the "surprise" conclusion, including the fate of the chain-smoking chief inspector, and the total disappearance of the hovering bad-guy assassins. It looks almost as tho Lynda LaPlante's script was intended for a miniseries, and it was violently abbreviated to fit it into a feature film.
2 1/2 stars out of 5.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
