FOYLE'S WAR

THE GERMAN WOMAN

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: violence, language

Rated:

As World War Two rages over Europe, Detective Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) feels his skills would be better used aiding the war effort than investigating domestic crime in Sussex. His plea to be reassigned is refused by his commanding officer (Edward Fox), who instead offers him additional assistance. Plucky Vicar's daughter Samantha Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks) is assigned as his driver. Curious about the war efforts, as well as the stylish murders he investigates, "Sam" proves she can be resourceful, cunning, and helpful in almost any situation. Regarding her warily for her youth and inexperience, Foyle turns his attentions to local crimes. Having just finished tracking down a government official who for a price can make certain wealthy young men aren't called to serve against Hitler, he is lead to a small village community disrupted by prejudice against local German immigrants.

Thomas Kramer (David Horovitch) and his wife Elsie (Elizabeth Bell) are arrested in the middle of the night at their cottage in the village of Lower Fenton after being seen with a camera. Kramer is a German immigrant. The local post officer observed several suspicious signs that they might have been communicating with German pilots. They are taken to a holding camp, where Elsie suffers a fatal heart attack. Their nephew Mark Andrews (Benedict Sandiford) is appalled by their treatment and goes to the local magistrate for help. Henry Beaumont (Robert Hardy) has a beautiful German wife who has not been investigated by local authorities. Because of her nationality Greta (Joanna Kanska) is regarded with suspicion by the locals, who have been told Germans are the enemy. Through a series of events, Greta winds up dead with a swastika carved into the tree over her body.

Foyle must then investigate what appears to be double-murder in the magnificent English countryside, targeting Greta's stepdaughter (Rosemund Pike) as his primary suspect. In the meantime he must contend with a local suspicious bar owner, the beautiful barmaid behind the counter, and fatherly stress at home. His son Andrew (Julian Ovenden) has been called up to serve as a RAF pilot. Foyle has also become aware that Paul Milner (Anthony Howells), a former sergeant with the police force, has been badly wounded overseas. Having respect for the young man's abilities, Foyle attempts to recruit him to his small force, all the while juggling Sam's theories and suspicions, and his own feelings about the brutal manner in which Greta was murdered. These elements combine for an intense, interesting exploration of cultured murder during WWII. This first installment in the series about Christopher Foyle sets a rapid pace for those to follow, introducing us to primary characters and setting up future storylines.

It's a very well done film with lots of red herrings, suspicious characters, and clues. The acting is very good from a host of talented English thespians, particularly Michael Kitchen in the lead. His Foyle is tender-hearted, patriotic, and very likable. He believes in the meaning of the law rather than the letter of it, and shows compassion where it's needed. For being a "television series" the episodes are all well put-together and don't scrimp on special effects. There are some flaws but for mature viewers they shouldn't be a problem. With a film of this nature comes violence, discussions of brutality, and flashbacks to the murder. Greta's death is very cruel and unpleasant; we learn she was nearly decapitated by a telephone wire stretched between two trees. We see her riding toward it, then fall to the ground with a close-up of her bloody face. The horse arrives at the stables dripping in its mistress' blood.

A man is hit by a car and flipped up over the hood; we see his stunned, dead, slightly bloodied face as the car hurriedly drives on. An air bomb falls into a local tavern, wounding numerous people and killing a young woman. There is general profanity (British terms such as "bloody" and "bugger," along with "b*stard") and a couple mild abuses of deity. There is no overt sexual content but some allusions to it. A man says a young woman has been conducting an affair with him. Someone claims to have seen them in the back of a car together. We see brief a flashback of the woman climbing into the back seat and necking with him. Adultery is talked about. It's handled tactfully and the conclusion is positive. Foyle is asked to choose between allowing a murderer to go free "for the good of the country" or seeing justice pursued. He makes the right choice.