Dead Cert (1974)

As a surprise, two horse owners decide to ride their animals themselves in a steeplechase. But Bill Davidson's horse "Admiral" behaves weirdly, and falls hard after an obstacle. Bill dies ... See full summary »

Director:

Tony Richardson

Writers:

Dick Francis (novel), Tony Richardson (screenplay),

Stars:

Scott Antony, Judi Dench, Michael Williams

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Antony	...	Alan York
Judi Dench	...	Laura Davidson
Michael Williams	...	Sandy Mason
Nina Thomas	...	Penny Brocker
Julian Glover	...	Lodge
Mark Dignam	...	Clifford Tudor
John Bindon	...	Walter
Joseph Blatchley	...	Joe Nantwich
Ian Hogg	...	Bill Davidson
Sean Lynch	...	Sid
Hideo Saito	...	Yuko
Geoffrey Bateman	...	Everest
Mick Dillon	...	Jockey (as Mickey Dillon)
Bill Fraser	...	Uncle George
Frank Gentry	...	Gipsy

Storyline

As a surprise, two horse owners decide to ride their animals themselves in a steeplechase. But Bill Davidson's horse "Admiral" behaves weirdly, and falls hard after an obstacle. Bill dies from his injuries. His friend Alan York suspects the animal was doped by unscrupulous bookies and starts to investigate. He doesn't know how serious his opponents are, and that he's in danger to suffer the exact same fate as his friend!

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Plot Keywords:

horse | steeplechase | dog racing | female nudity | running car off road | 

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Genres:

Thriller | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1974 (UK)

Also Known As:

Certificado de defunción

Filming Locations:

Findon Village, West Sussex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Woodfall Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Midnight Fighter"
(uncredited)
Written by Robin Pizer

User Reviews

A Well-Made British film... but with one flaw.

"Dead Cert" is a well-made British mystery. The plot is about Alan York (Scott Antony) who is a jockey. When his friend dies after a race, Alan takes it upon himself to figure out what happened. He uncovers corruption in the horse riding industry and the police force.

The next part of the review does contain spoilers!!!

"Dead Cert" has good acting and directing, but the ending is flawed and weird. At the end, Alan and Sandy (Michael Williams) are racing their horses. They're right next each other and Sandy starts whipping Alan with his racing stick. Then Alan, whips back and makes Sandy fall on a sharp railing, and he dies. Alan wins the race but no one ever mentions that Sandy is dead. I thought that hurt the film a lot.

If you can get past the odd ending, it's a decent film.

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