"Ruth Rendell Mysteries" Simisola: Part One (1996)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Jim Goddard

Writers:

Alan Plater (writer)
Ruth Rendell (novel)

TV Series:

"Ruth Rendell Mysteries" (1988)

Original Air Date:

26 January 1996 (Season 9, Episode 3)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

Chief inspector Wexford and a darkly intelligent, deeply troubling labyrinth of sex, murder, and race.

Plot:

Inspector Wexford is approached by his black doctor with the request to track down his daughter. Then...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

George Baker	...	Det. Chief Insp. Reg Wexford
Christopher Ravenscroft	...	Det. Insp. Mike Burden
Jane Lapotaire	...	Anouk Khoori
George Harris	...	Dr. Raymond Akande
Charon Bourke	...	Sylvia Wexford / Fairfax
Philip Bird	...	Neil
Louie Ramsay	...	Dora Wexford
Adrian Martin	...	Robin
Tom Donaldson	...	Ben
Ellen Thomas	...	Laurette Akande
Sasha Mitchell	...	DS Karen Malahyde
Robin Kermode	...	Sgt. Vine
Idris Elba	...	Raffy
Daniel Ilsley	...	Gary
David Doyle	...	Dean

Runtime:

103 min | UK:120 min (including commercials)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Avington Park, Winchester, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

Blue Heaven Productions

Trivia:

Actress Jane Wyatt's final film.

Quotes:

[looking at a run-down block of flats]
Det. Chief Insp. Reg Wexford: Half of them are empty. The council's saving up to blow them up.
Det. Insp. Mike Burden: If Mrs Khoori gets elected they're going to have an explosion sponsored by the Crescent supermarket.
Det. Chief Insp. Reg Wexford: If the BNP get in they're going to leave the people in and then blow it up.

Movie Connections:

Follows "Ruth Rendell Mysteries: Put on by Cunning (#4.9)" (1990)

Simisola

Reg Wexford is looking a lot older. This made for TV movie is another of Ruth Rendell's excellent Inspector Wexford mysteries. This plot emphasizes some of the racial as opposed to racist problems that exist in the UK. The story hinges on the disappearance of the daughter of a Nigerian doctor and his wife. When the body of a black female is discovered Wexford assumes immediately that it is the missing girl because she is black. It is not and the doctors wife, a nurse, tells Wexford that you think we all look alike and you cannot see beyond the color of our skin. Despite this Wexford soldiers on and works very diligently to solve the murder.It also shows how depressing it is to be a job seeker in the UK and the bureaucracy involved.

It is a well plotted murder story and in a previous Wexford, Reg says that" There is no such thing as a coincidence in a murder case" The same is true here . If you liked Reg Wexford mysteries in the past you will enjoy this one.