The Riddle (2007)

Director:

Brendan Foley

Writer:

Brendan Foley (writer)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A journalist investigates a series of murders that follows the discovery of an unpublished novel by Charles Dickens in the cellar of an old Thames-side-pub. Gradually he becomes obsessed with unraveling a century-old murder in the pages of the manuscript. Only when he has done so, with the help of a mysterious beach-combing tramp who stalks the Thames foreshore, is he able to solve the modern murders.

Cast

Vinnie Jones	...	Mike Sullivan
Derek Jacobi	...	The Tramp / Charles Dickens
Julie Cox	...	Kate Merrill
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Roberta Elliot
Jason Flemyng	...	Don Roberts CEO
P.H. Moriarty	...	D.I. Willis / Constable Frederick (as P H Moriarty)
Mel Smith	...	Professor Cranshaw
Vera Day	...	Sadie Miller
Mark Asante	...	Dwayne
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Matt Bailey	...	Lab Technician
Daniel Bartlett	...	Rower
Vincent Bishop	...	Interview Room PC (as Vince Bishop)
Barbara Edwards	...	Receptionist
'Long Bob' Elvin	...	Harry the Hat
John Enright	...	Arresting PC
Elly Fairman	...	Veronica Miller (as Ellie Fairman)
Michael Fenton Stevens	...	Alistair Forsyth M.P.
Shelly Goldstein	...	Mrs. Maud Skenshal
Sandy Hill	...	Maid
Gareth Hunt	...	Roy McBride
Scott James	...	Kev
Ted James	...	Baby Jimmy daCosta
Allin Kempthorne	...	Cedric Skenshal
Michael Lawson	...	Mourner
Kenny Lynch	...	Shotgun Ronnie White
Louise Morrison	...	Kelly Robinson
Clemmie Myers	...	Margot and Alice Abercrombie
Tommy O'Neill	...	Foreshore Thug 2
Terry Powell	...	Butler
Magda Rodriguez	...	Ruth
Darren Selvidge	...	Thames River PC
Paul Valentine	...	Foreshore Thug 1

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

UK:116 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Chislehurst Caves, Chislehurst, Kent, England, UK

Company:

Grosvenor Park Productions

Trivia:

UK newspaper the Mail on Sunday bought UK-only DVD rights and distributed the film as the "world's first national newspaper premiere" in September 2007. The paper reported sales up by more than 300,000.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Same serial code "62655" on white Five Pound notes being counted between time index 1:31:54 & 1:31:59 ... where the policeman is counting out money on public house table.

Soundtrack:

Candle and Firelight

Dreadful

What more can I add? This is without doubt one of the worst films I've ever seen. Terrible acting, a daft script, tediously slow pace - even visible microphones dangling from the top of the screen. I could go on, but I really can't be bothered. I watched this for 90 minutes before the sense of losing the will to live became too great for me.

I can only assume that the first set of comments and votes were from people associated with the promotion of this insult to British film-making.

And worst still, I had to buy the Mail on Sunday to get it :-) The only reason the DVD hasn't now been redeployed as a coaster is that it now takes pride of place in my Top 10 Worst Films Ever collection.

Definitely one to be avoided.