Inspector Morse: Deceived by Flight (1989)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Anthony Minghella, based on the stories of Colin Dexter
Directed by Danny Boyle and Robert Knights
Starring John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Amanda Hillwood, Norman Rodway, Sharon Maughan, Daniel Massey, Nicky Henson

Features:

• Text biographies
  
• Filmographies
  
• Trivia
  

Released by: BFS Entertainment
Region: 1
Rating: NR, safe for 13+
Anamorphic: N/A; presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect

My Advice: Rent it.

Lewis (Whately) has gone cricket-crazy, and he’s driving Morse (Thaw) crazy in another way. Unfortunately, Morse has other things to worry about as well, since an old friend of his, Anthony Donn, has seemingly committed suicide, less than a day after Morse saw him last. Morse of course is not at all certain that his friend Donn has killed himself, and he is out to find out who really did. Placing Lewis undercover as a cricketer, Morse gets down to business trying to find out who really killed whom...but is he too close to the people involved to see the truth?

The plotting here is quite interesting, and not just because I love cricket. We get to see a lot more about who Morse and Lewis really are and have been. And some interesting details come out as well, such as Morse’s nickname from college.

The acting is similarly top notch, especially Sharon Maughan as the widow Kate Donn. This film does a great job of showing the intricate lies people will construct to protect themselves from knowing the truth about themselves, and the actors are rather good at being both evil and innocent at the same time.

The audio and video are what you would expect of television film stock with a few years on it: meaning that it looks good enough, but not great. There are a few dulled colors and a couple of spots where the dialogue has a little bit of distortion, but really you'll find these problems only if you're looking for them. If you just sit back and watch this for the content, then the relatively minor issues won’t bother you and certainly don’t get in the way of the plot.

The trivia continues to be a fun feature, adding a little information to the fan’s arsenal of knowledge about the gruff Inspector Morse. The filmographies are the same, for the most part, as have been on the other discs, but that’s to be expected.

Overall, if you enjoy mysteries (and cricket!), then you should absolutely give this one a watch. The plot is detailed and clever, and the acting stands up to the demands the plot places upon it. The setting and details of the filming help support the action, as well, an aspect that made-for-TV mysteries often forget.