Tales of the Unexpected: The Mugger starts as new Government Minister Gerald Overton (Roy Marsden) heads for a party, there various guests ask him about his radical views on law & order. Gerald insists he is right & will give the power back to the innocent person, while walking back home through a dark London park a man (Mark Lewis) stumbles into him & then stumbles off. Gerald checks his pockets & realises his wallet is missing, Gerald chases the man, wrestles him to the ground & forcibly takes his wallet back. Highly satisfied with himself & thinking he has thwarted a mugger Gerald walks home where his wife Jennifer (Amanda Boxer) tells him that she has found his wallet in their sons bedroom & he must have dropped it before he went out, then there's a knock at the door from the police who inform Gerald that they have had a report of a vicious mugging & he fits the description...
Episode 14 from season 7 this Tales of the Unexpected story was originally aired here in the UK during October 1984 & was the penultimate episode of season 7, the fifth of five Tales of the Unexpected episodes to be directed by Peter Hammond this has a nice enough twist at the end but it's just not much fun getting to it. From an idea by Miriam Bienstock this was dramatised by Robin Chapman & has a moral message about politicians, crime, mistaken identity, taking the law into your own hands, not jumping to conclusions & the danger of media stereotypes. While this attempt at trying to say something meaningful is commendable it's just not very good, it's not very entertaining, there's no fun here & I'm struggling to see who The Mugger is supposed to appeal too. The twist ending is mildly effective & works quite well but it's difficult to categorise The Mugger, it's not a crime drama, it's not a thriller & it's not horror either, it's just some unconnected ideas & themes strung together to make an entirely forgettable 25 minutes which isn't long enough to develop the ideas that it tries to get across.
This one was shot entirely on film, probably 16mm so at least it looks quite nice & cinematic if nothing else. However like most Tales of the Unexpected episodes there's no style & it's utterly bland & dull. Roy Marsden is the only name actor in this one.
The Mugger is further proof that the later seasons of Tales of the Unexpected were drastically inferior to the earlier ones, this is just poor & I can't really see who it's meant to appeal to or who would enjoy it. Apart from a decent ending which can't save it this is forgettable stuff.
Episode 14 from season 7 this Tales of the Unexpected story was originally aired here in the UK during October 1984 & was the penultimate episode of season 7, the fifth of five Tales of the Unexpected episodes to be directed by Peter Hammond this has a nice enough twist at the end but it's just not much fun getting to it. From an idea by Miriam Bienstock this was dramatised by Robin Chapman & has a moral message about politicians, crime, mistaken identity, taking the law into your own hands, not jumping to conclusions & the danger of media stereotypes. While this attempt at trying to say something meaningful is commendable it's just not very good, it's not very entertaining, there's no fun here & I'm struggling to see who The Mugger is supposed to appeal too. The twist ending is mildly effective & works quite well but it's difficult to categorise The Mugger, it's not a crime drama, it's not a thriller & it's not horror either, it's just some unconnected ideas & themes strung together to make an entirely forgettable 25 minutes which isn't long enough to develop the ideas that it tries to get across.
This one was shot entirely on film, probably 16mm so at least it looks quite nice & cinematic if nothing else. However like most Tales of the Unexpected episodes there's no style & it's utterly bland & dull. Roy Marsden is the only name actor in this one.
The Mugger is further proof that the later seasons of Tales of the Unexpected were drastically inferior to the earlier ones, this is just poor & I can't really see who it's meant to appeal to or who would enjoy it. Apart from a decent ending which can't save it this is forgettable stuff.