In The Greek Interpreter Sherlock Holmes finds his next client at the Diogenes Club where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduces the character of Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's older brother. As played by Charles Gray, Mycroft has every bit of Sherlock's deductive reasoning powers, but has chosen to use that in a different though honest field of endeavor. He's a career civil servant, but THE civil servant in the United Kingdom, much like Nigel Hawthorne a century later in Yes Minister.
Much like the other tales that Conan Doyle has written, Jeremy Brett as Holmes gets a client with an unusual tale. A very mysterious man played by George Costigan with a unique foreign accent kidnaps Alkis Kritikos and brings him to a house where his talents as an interpreter are needed. Costigan and Nicholas Field are holding Anton Alexander captive and are torturing him. But since he only speaks Greek they need an interpreter to convey to him to sign some important document so that they will stop. Alexander's sister Victoria Harwood is also involved, but I can't say more than that.
Since the villains are identified right away this particular Conan Doyle story is not any kind of whodunit, but rather almost an action adventure as the brothers Holmes and David Burke as Dr. Watson race against time to affect a rescue. Their efforts are considerably hampered by Scotland Yard Inspector Oliver Maguire and their own respect for due process UK style.
George Costigan was extremely interesting as the villain. Since I'm not familiar with him over on this side of the pond, I was wondering whether he was imitating Peter Lorre or that was his natural voice. Either way he was one sinister dude.
Not too bad an entry in the Conan Doyle catalog of Sherlock Holmes stories.
