User reviews

This an odd sort of film. There is nothing specially good about it. The acting, the production, the effects and even the plot are all somewhat mediocre. Yet it has its moments. Setting a Jack The Ripper sort of story against the London blitz is unique in itself. But the intriguing aspect is that they have combined some pretty gory scenes with an offbeat sort of humour. I'm not sure whether it's a war movie, a murder mystery or a comedy. Maybe a bit of each. Not a great film by any means. Yet it's something different and we enjoyed it. Was this perhaps inspired by Foyle's War? It also had the look of a pilot for a planned TV series that never happened.

Don't believe the reviews posted by the media snobs, this show is fun to watch, well done and is period accurate. The only thing that is stretched a bit is the sophistication of the forensic knowledge, but it's easy to overlook.

If you're into rock-em, sock-em action then this is not the show for you. It mostly appeals to those who are accustomed to the pace of British shows and their propensity toward utilizing the English language rather than smacking you across the head with the obvious in the form of splashing, flashing video imagery.

I loved this show, and I hope there are more in our future.

Patrick Kennedy would not be unfamiliar to most viewers. He can be see in Downton Abbey, Boardwalk Empire. Day of Atonement, War Horse, and Pirates of the Caribbean, to name a few.

Her he is a doctor in wartime London trying to school the police in forensic science as he attempts to determine cause and criminal in several murders.

There is a bit of Foyle's War here, but the focus is on Doctor Collins, not the police.

He is assisted by Molly Cooper (Tamzin Merchant), who I imagine is a stand in for the author Molly Lefebure, upon which the film is derived by her memoirs.

Of course, the government is not above protecting a killer to aid the war effort.

Not a lot of info on this one on IMDb, probably because it began as a British TV movie. It's on netflix now. Set during WW II, we follow the "Molly", who works with detectives and forensic scientists as they try to track down a prostitute's murderer. Then another murder. They must try to find the bad guy as the clues and crime scenes are all getting erased by the German bombs. It's actually quite good. Moves along slowly but surely. And of course, opium must be involved, since the original writer had also studied opioids. Some clever blending of scenes... at one point, they talk about knives, and we fade into someone carving a hunk of meat. Another time, we start by looking at a mirror ball in a dance hall, which turns into the bright, full moon. The murder victims all have some things in common, and we don't really have any obvious suspects. We plod along, following the slow progress, but it's pretty entertaining. Also the usual wartime issues, such as fifth column spies, homosexuality, woman's lib.

Directed by Geoffrey Sax, who has done a mix of British TV series and films. Looks like he worked exclusively in TV from the 1970s until about 2005, when he made a few films. This seems to be the memoirs of Molly Lefebure, who was a writer... lived from 1919 to 2013. Apparently she wrote about 20 books, among them studies on Coleridge and his family. Quite an interesting write-up on wikipedia. She actually DID work with a pathologist, and worked in a mortuary, no doubt gathering knowledge for her novels.

In 1940, in London, a prostitute is found dead in her room in a boarding house with a swastika carved on her tongue. The rookie pathologist Dr Lennox Collins (Patrick Kennedy) is summoned by Detective Freddie Wilkins (David Sturzaker) to investigate the crime scene. They meet the snoopy journalist and aspiring writer Molly Cooper (Tamzin Merchant) in the spot and Lennox invites her to be his assistant. Then they interview the Anglo-German Wilfred Zeigler (John Heffernan), who found the body and collect cards of women photos. After the autopsy, they discover that the woman had gone to the Metropol night-club and they decide to visit the place with Wilkins. Three men do not have alibi and become suspects. When two other women are murdered in the same modus operandi, Wilkins accuses Zeigler with circumstantial evidences only. When the gay actor Ronald Terry (John Bowe) is found dead apparently after committing suicide, Lennox and Molly believe the murders are connected. Lennox is not convinced that Zeigler is the serial-killer and proceeds with his investigation. Who might have killed the women and the actor?

"Murder on the Home Front" is a promising TV Movie about murders in wartime that could have been better and better. The odd story is interesting but the rushed conclusion is not satisfactory and disappoints. The chemistry between Patrick Kennedy and Tamzin Merchant is worthwhile watching with funny moments and dialogues. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Assassinatos em Tempo de Guerra" ("Murders in Wartime")

Well, I won't go on and on here as I am not a movie review fanatic or even talented at describing things well. But I will say, as far as liking this movie that I loved it! I thought it was an excellent murder mystery type movie with very likable characters and I would love to see many more of these. I loved all the lead characters and thought all the acting was great. One reviewer says that Tamzin Merchant was awful. What? I thought she was perfect and I really couldn't get into any kind of sequel without her. One reviewer was disappointed that it was made by Carnival films and not BBC. I for one am glad it was not the usual boring, dragging on, BBC drama. I, if you can't tell, am American and this film was sooooo much better than the usual BBC stuff. It was not Hollywood either nor am I sad that it wasn't. Hollywood stuff gets old. All I can say is that if this is an example of British (admittedly low budget) movies today than I am ready to start watching a lot more of them. I think it was VERY well done on a whatever budget that I really didn't even notice because I was glued to the story the entire time! I was only disappointed when it ended. I could watch more of these on and on. Once again, thank you to all involved, I hope you make many more!

This was almost camp, it was so amateur. The acting was incredibly lame. The main guy was okay but everyone else was absolutely terrible. Production was okay if a little like a TV miniseries, but otherwise I struggled to watch this.

I gave it 9 out of 10 because I found it very entertaining. I've read some comments about accuracy (who cares); it's all about the storyline which I thought held up. In the end I want to be entertained and this film accomplished that. Very refreshing compared to the trash we have to see on TV in the US.

I also read other comments on the IMDb message board about the acting and in general that the production was like a high school play. Come on? I think the acting was fine.

In general throughout the entire movie I think they got the look and feel of the era right. I've also seen that they plan on making this into a series. Should be good!!!

Not without it's charm, but overall quite flat, and join-the-dots in nature.

Felt as though I was watching a wartime Midsomer Murders.

Pleasant enough viewing but ultimately shallow, contrived and a bit hackneyed.

You know that commercial with the young adults trying to flee a murderer and the girl cries out, "There's a car, let's go!" And one of the young man says, "No, let's hide behind those chainsaws!" - mocking the utterly foolish decisions people make in horror movies (or, really, the poor storytelling of the writers)?

Well, that's part of the problem with this program. I don't dislike the actors and the plot line has potential (though it's a bit of a mimic of the great Foyle's War - except for a forensic expert).

But, there are far too many predictable features. Bad decisions as in the horror story pattern. The typical supervisory stupidity and skepticism and corruption in high places is also present.

I had high hopes with this. Great setting (WWII London). Decent acting. Plenty of potential but ultimately it is frustrating.

It's just a boiler-plate crime story-line copied thousands of times by one TV show after another.

I am normally not at all that critical about such programs. There was some enjoyment in the program. But, seriously is there no originality left?

Enjoyable. Would make a great TV series. Great characters and storyline. Blitz setting enhanced film.

No great shakes...pleasant watch but some unpleasant content not suitable for younger teens.

I think the song at the dance " I hear you knocking but you can't come in" wasn't written until 1955. The lyrics I'm not too sure of either. I could be wrong though.

Several murders of prostitutes almost lead to major miscarriage of justice, on grounds of National Security. Dr Collins, the new young forensic pathologist at first antagonises the police because he's aware of current methods, unlike his boss, the previous pathologist. He hires Molly Cooper, a reporter eager to participate in order to get ideas for detective stories, to be his assistant because she doesn't flinch when he asks her to help out on the first autopsy.

False leads and three more murders complicate the plot. As a murder puzzle this movie is very good. As a story about the effects of crime on people and their relationships, it's merely average: Collins and Cooper are clearly attracted to each other, but either he's too bashful or too aware of how romance might compromise their professional relationship. As an evocation of wartime London, the movie's better than most. The director wanted a claustrophobic effect, of being hemmed in and navigating through a perilous labyrinth. This not only set the ambience of hidden dangers and treachery, it also made it easier to give us the flavour of wartime grunge. As an exploration of the necessary evils of war the movie fails. It presents the ethical dilemma, but solves it rather too neatly. Maybe it was solved that neatly in real life.

We enjoyed this movie. Above average.

A killer uses the backdrop of the Blitz to disguise their crimes.

What an absolutely brilliant ninety minutes of drama this was. The Blitz setting is an excellent backdrop for a murder mystery, the crimes are nasty and the detection is intriguing. You could be forgiven for thinking that Dr Collins had landed there from the future, but these pioneers certainly existed, leading to the technologies used today.

Fabulous characters, all beautifully acted. The two central characters, Lennox and Molly are a joy to watch, the chemistry between Patrick Kennedy and Tamzin Merchant is the quite wonderful and helps to engage you.

At times it's dark, serious and also funny, it's instantly a drama that grips you, it also boasts a fabulous ending which manages to crank up the tension.

Bravo, I thought this was excellent. 9/10

A young pathologist and his assistant try to solve a series of murders in wartime London. It was well done for a TV movie. The most enjoyable part was the Doctor's understanding of the crime scene and everybody else's lack of. Kept me interested throughout, well worth a try.

The premise was so good. What a shame the final product is so mediocre. This program should be used in film school as the perfect example of style overwhelming the fundamental purpose of a film, which is to tell a story through the compelling representation of characters pursuing their objectives in a believable context (which can even be an imaginary one).Everything about the style of the film is excessive—gesture pushed to the point of camp.

They should have focused more on good casting and getting the best, most three-dimensional performances from the actors, so that we would believe in them and care about them. Given the historical context (London during the Blitz), achieving that goal should have been extraordinarily easy.

Patrick Kennedy as Dr, Collins was actually quite good. Tamzin Merchant as Molly Cooper was pretty awful, really. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no chemistry between their characters—which isn't too surprising, since Ms. Merchant's character is basically missing in action.

All in all, I recommend you give it a miss.

My wife and I loved this film. The setting, music, special effects were all enjoyable. Acting was good, if not great, but fitting for the wartime storyline. This is far better than mist of the junk on the mainstream American networks. The central characters were interesting and we'd love to see another.

"I know - let's cross Foyle's War with Silent Witness. It can't fail!" That's the crass idea behind this - the only idea behind it. Patrick Kennedy even looks like Michael Kitchen's younger brother and his character has a similar phlegmatic approach to crime solving. What a pity Tamzin Merchant is not a patch on Honeysuckle Weeks.

It might just have worked if it hadn't been so creakily wooden, if the fake bomb sites hadn't had obvious cardboard bits, if the CGI had been a bit more convincing and if they hadn't resorted to gratuitous gore - but I suppose they had to put that in as part of their homage to Silent Witness.

It might yet find its feet, but it's a poor testimony to the creativity of British TV. Scandinavia and the USA are bursting with good ideas. What went wrong in the UK?

Any comment that this film is based upon the wartime memoirs of Molly Lefebure are stretching such a claim beyond all recognition. Clearly the reason for doing so was to attract viewers, but there is a world of difference between a bit of poetic licence and a complete deviation from an original story.

Had the makers not "lifted" the title from Ms Lefebure's book nor come up with a fictional "case," it would have just been another second rate film and one you would be unlikely to recommend to your friends.

As with the American film U-571 (supposedly about a bunch of US sailors capturing the first Enigma coding machine) this film was so far from the truth it completely failed to reflect what was an interesting (and for the most part factually accurate) narrative of Ms Lefebure's experiences working for a Home Office pathologist.

I really am no expert and am certainly not a purist when it comes to films, but had the film reflected the author's experiences of working with Dr (and later Professor) Keith Simpson in war torn London and the Home Counties or, had it followed just one of the many head-lining cases investigated by him, it could have been immensely enjoyable.

As it was, it just left me completely flat.

Tamzin Merchant in superb form. The costumes were excellent. This drama truly reeked of the 40's. A great story that could easily been stretched to 120 minutes, and it's rare to say that. Put simply this was a marvelous bit of telly. A curtain call for all involved. It would be great to have another episode.