Love Lies Bleeding (2006) (TV)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

David Drury

Writer:

Paul Coates (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 February 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Self-made millionaire Mark Terry has no idea that his world is about to turn upside down when an old school friend appears with a grudge against him. |

Cast

Martin Kemp	...	Mark Terry
Hugo Speer	...	Stuart Milburn
Claire Goose	...	Zara Terry
Elizabeth Berrington	...	Joanna Syms
Reece Dinsdale	...	DI Dunne
Fraser James	...	Chancer
Andrew Whipp	...	Mr. Brining
Michael N. Harbour	...	Paddy Bankhead
Jamie Knox	...	Young Mark
Perry Allen	...	Young Stuart
Lucinda Dryzek	...	Young Joanne
Christopher Wright	...	Stuart's Dad
John Arthur	...	Superintendent
Geoff Holman	...	Duty Sergeant
Fiona Egan	...	Stuart's Mum

Runtime:

UK:180 min (including commercials) (2 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Australia:M | Australia:PG (DVD rating)

Company:

Granada Television

Plays out in a basic and formula way but still a clever, twisting and turning thriller

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits

Property developer and self made millionaire Mark Terry (Martin Kemp) is a man still grieving over the cot death of his baby son and suffering marriage problems with his wife Zara (Claire Goose.) Then suddenly an old school friend, Stuart Milburn (Hugo Speer) shows up on the scene and after taking Mark on a night on the p*ss, convinces him his wife has been cheating. The next morning she is found murdered, Milburn confesses to the crime and Mark becomes the prime suspect. But this is just the beginning of a nightmare series of twists and turns that culminate in the score being settled of a guilty secret that began 30 years ago.

Although a lot of them are flawed, I've watched most of Martin Kemp's TV dramas and this one was no exception. He gives the usual sort of performance he'd give in this sort of thing, and his co-star Speer just goes through the motions in the bad guy role. But Claire Goose is a nice love interest, pretty and not giving a bad performance either, as well as husky voiced Londoner Fraser James in a big TV role after appearing in mostly TV adverts, a good presence in a supporting role.

As for the film itself, it has a basic sort of script and is a little uncredible at times, but it's full of impressive and genuinely surprising twists and turns in the tale that do keep you hooked till the end. In this respect, it achieves quite a lot as a simple TV film and is all the more commendable for it. ***