Reviews

For many years I have worked tirelessly to promote the aims of the Popular Front of Judea, and quite frankly I'm disgusted at its treatment of us. To depict us as a lonely old man is one of the most grotesque distortions ever commited to celluloid. We are at least three times that number, and furthermore we don't have a single repressed transexual among us. An absolute disgrace. I shall never watch this film again, unless I rent it out on video or see it on the TV in the near future. Vive la PFJ.

I agree with other reviewers the Touch of Frost series are outstanding. In particular, the interplay between Jack Frost (David Jason) and his boss "Horn-rimmed Harry" are brilliantly observed and often very funny. There is usually an interesting relationship with his sidekick, who changes with each episode. One of the best things about the programme is the way it doesn't patronise the viewer: the characters, especially Frost, are shown as very imperfect. It's also not afraid to end on a melancholy note; Frost, after all, is something of a tragic figure.

I've seen 2nd and 3rd repeats of these, and they're still enjoyable, which is saying something for TV films. Jason is a superb actor, best known for a comedy in the UK (Only Fools and Horses) rather than serious drama, and his comedy touch is superb.

For anybody who delights in engrossing stories and exquisite human characterisation rather than standard police show cliches, Touch of Frost is exceptional. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Enjoyable little film, with a few memorable scenes and some good character actors, although Alexi Sayle (bless 'im) is better off as a fat b***ard comedian than a thespian. The highlights for me were William Hurt's repressed investigator-with-a-history (Moscow's equivalent of a "cop on the edge") and his English accent (an absolutely faultless "neutral" one, not slipping into upper-class cliche). It had me fooled into thinking he was a Brit when I first saw this. I also found the release of the sables at the end strangely uplifting, hence my one line summary.

That is all.