Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

JudithClark I too have been used to seeing Roy Marsden as Adam Dalgleish, but changes are not always bad. I watched it on PBS recently, so it was some years after it first appeared in the UK. It was one of those "I know that person" moments that often occur while watching British programs. More recently here we have watched Mr. Shaw in the Inspector George Gently series, and here he is looking much younger! The production dates explained that confusion.I have enjoyed the two programs very much. I hope there are more. My only problem is that "Death in Holy Orders" ran for three hours from 8-11 pm. I just can't stay awake that long! A friend in the UK explained that their version is cut up into shorter episodes, perhaps hourly. This is a PBS choice, and doesn't take away from the whole production.Such a nice change from continuous gun battles and car chases!

blanche-2 I was a little surprised when I turned on this Inspector Dalgleish and found out that he is now Martin Shaw and not Roy Marsden. Worse yet, after making the character of Dalgleish so popular, P.D. James apparently told someone she likes Shaw better. How's that for gratitude.At any rate, I was so distracted by the fact that it was a new Dalgleish that it was hard at first to concentrate on the film. And it's a good one. Dalgleish returns to a seminary where he spent happy days as a teenager to see if a suicide could have been murder. The seminary is in danger of being closed, and the archdeacon who is interested in its demise is on the premises, as is the detective who accused the archdeacon of killing his wife and as a result, lost his career. When the bodies start dropping around him, Dalgleish realizes the seminary has other problems besides possibly closing.This is a multilayered story with wonderful characterizations thanks to the script and cast, including the handsome Jesse Spencer, Alan Howard, Clive Wood, and Poirot's old partner in crime, Hastings, Hugh Fraser.As for Martin Shaw, I have no memory of the Dalgleish books and Dalgleish as he is written by James. Shaw gives a very subtle, underplayed performance of a gentle man in pain from loss and afraid to reach out again. He's very good, just took some getting used to.

specialist2008 This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I came across the film because I had been so impressed with the work Jesse Spencer did for his character in House, I sought out to see more of his work. This movie does not disappoint since he plays quite an important character quite beautifully. But what really blew me away was the wonderful acting throughout the entire film. Every actor was perfect for his/her respective role and the direction was superb as well. Martin Shaw was perfect as Commander Dalgliesh and turned practically every interaction into an interesting character study. Also deliciously into their roles were Hugh Fraser as the cynical George Gregory and and Alan Howard as Father Sebastian. There is also Janie Dee as the sympathetic Emma and Robert Hardy as Father Martin. His poignant portrayal especially at the end of the first part (the movie has 2 parts) had me panicking because I thought it was the end, and I didn't want it to be over. Which brings me to the music: lovely, lovely musical score. I have so many favorite scenes that I don't mind re-watching this movie with those I recommend it to. I guess, I should have expected the high quality since it's a BBC production but still, in my mind it was just a TV movie and I thought, how good could it be. The answer: extremely so. Personally, I enjoy movies that are invested in the characters, not just in the plot, action or mystery. Death in Holy Orders delivers all the way.

moolyyours This is one of the best mysteries I've seen in a while, perhaps because it reaches beyond being a simple whodunit and becomes a complex, personal drama. One of the most intriguing aspects of Death in Holy Orders is that you know the characters better than they know themselves, and certainly better than they know each other. The knowledge we have of them propels the story forward easily as you analyze their criticisms of each other and weigh their motives. The dialogue borders on poetry at times, and Martin Shaw in particular executes the lines with compassion and honesty. My only two criticisms are a subplot that made me rather queasy, and the actress who played Inspector Kate Miskin (very, very smugly). If an officer walked around looking at criminals that way in real life, he or she wouldn't make it to Inspector. In addition to Martin Shaw's natural execution, the performances of Robert Hardy, Clive Wood, and Jesse Spencer (where did this kid come from?!) are a real treat in this film.