The Riddle (2007)

A journalist investigates a series of murders that follows the discovery of an unpublished novel by Charles Dickens in the cellar of an old Thames-side-pub.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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Brendan Foley

Writer:

Brendan Foley

Stars:

Mark Asante, Julie Cox, Vera Day

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Asante	...	Dwayne
Julie Cox	...	Kate Merrill
Vera Day	...	Sadie Miller
'Long Bob' Elvin	...	Harry the Hat
Elly Fairman	...	Veronica Miller (as Ellie Fairman)
Michael Fenton Stevens	...	Alistair Forsyth M.P.
P.H. Moriarty	...	D.I. Willis / Constable Frederick (as P H Moriarty)
Jason Flemyng	...	Don Roberts
Shelly Goldstein	...	Maud Skenshal
Gareth Hunt	...	Roy McBride
Derek Jacobi	...	The Tramp / Charles Dickens
Scott James	...	Kev
Ted James	...	Baby Jimmy daCosta
Vinnie Jones	...	Mike Sullivan
Allin Kempthorne	...	Cedric Skenshal

Storyline

An ambitious London sports journalist, an enigmatic tramp, and a police press officer team up to solve a series of murders that follow the discovery of an unpublished manuscript by Charles Dickens in a present day Thames-side pub.

---

Plot Keywords:

psychological thriller | directorial debut | writer director producer | independent film | amateur sleuth | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, language and brief sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vinnie Jones and P.H. Moriarty appeared in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Submerged (2005).

---

Goofs

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Atop the Fourth Wall: Captain America Comics #1 (2011)

---

Soundtracks

Candle and Firelight
Composed & Performed by Tim Garland
Courtesy of Audio Network plc

User Reviews

The original high IMDb rating is very misleading.....

I could not believe the original rating I found when i looked up this film, 9.5? Unfortunately it looks like I am not alone.

The film, is slow and boring really, one of the sad things is that if the film had been given a realistic rating of around 5 or 6 then the expectation would not have been so high.

Unfortunately, this was not the case, so when watching the film, and seeing the poor story and acting, I am left giving it a 3/10 score.

Vinnie Jones is superb in Lock stock, and also Snatch, and he plays a great hard man, however, he should stick to this role. Its a bit like when Stallone and Schwarzenegger have done comedy films, they just don't work.

Neither can he play lead actor, he plays better as supporting or otherwise. When he plays lead, his acting talents are too 'in view' and shown up as not really very good. Mean Machine is another good example of this.

Details

Official Sites:

Awful Movies Wiki

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 August 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Riddle

Filming Locations:

Central Park Stadium, Church Road, Murston, Sittingbourne, Kent, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,948

Company Credits

Production Co:

Grosvenor Park Productions, Riddle Productions, Manuscript Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1