Mystery! : Dead Gorgeous (2003)
Directed by Sarah Harding / Andrew Payne
Genres - Mystery, Comedy |
Sub-Genres - Crime Thriller, Post-Noir (Modern Noir) |
Run Time - 120 min. |
Countries - United Kingdom, United States |
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Based on Peter Lovesey's novel On the Edge, this British TV production is a comic variation on the old "exchange murder" device so beloved of writer Patricia Highsmith and filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. Shortly after the end of WWII, old friends Antonia (Helen McCrory) and Rose (Fay Ripley) unexpectedly catch up with each other. Comparing notes, the ladies find that they're both mired in unhappy marriages. Since divorce is out of the question, Antonia and Rose enter into an agreement to do away with one another's husbands: In both cases, it will look like an accident, and how in the world could anyone find a link between the killings? Unfortunately, once the deeds are done, the "perfect" scheme begins to unravel thanks to Rose's cold feet and Antonia's eccentric approach to the art of murder. First seen in the U.K. on October of 2002, Dead Gorgeous was shown as part of the PBS anthology Mystery! on July 6, 2003.
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Keywords
British, deal [agreement], husband, marital-problems, murder, unhappiness