INSPECTOR LYNLEY MYSTERIES:

WELL-SCHOOLED IN MURDER

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: homosexual elements, partial nudity

Rated:

Based on a highly successful series of novels by American author Elizabeth George, Well-Schooled in Murder introduces us to two quirky British police detectives in modern-day London. Inspector Lynley (Nathaniel Parker) is a classy baronet turned detective, while Sharon Small plays his distracted partner Barbara Havers. Faced with an ailing father in the hospital and a mother on the brink of losing her memory completely, Havers is called in to assist Lynley in a sinister case involving Bredgar Chambers, a boarding school for boys. The posh institution has wealthy students, eccentric faculty, and strict discipline. It's also the resident place of employment for one of Lynley's boyhood friends. Thirteen year old Matthew Whately has gone missing from the premises. Born in an impoverished family and granted a partial scholarship to attend, Matthew seemed happy in the institution.

Nothing in his dorm reveals a sense of urgency or kidnapping. It appears as if he simply went out and failed to reappear. There are plenty of suspects, from the elite "head boys" (all of which are concealing something) to the unconcerned faculty, even Lynley's own best friend. His house's head boy, Clive Prichard (William Mannering), seems overly eager to assist them in their investigation. The schoolmaster seems more interested in the foundation for his latest building than a missing boy... aside from the scandal it will cause, of course. When Matthew's mutilated body is found in a graveyard several miles away, it turns from a case of kidnapping into murder. The boy is found covered in yellow paint and with bruising on his arms and legs. There are cigarette burn marks (after death) on his hands and feet. While attempting to deal with Matthew's emotional parents, Lynley and Havers must track down a ruthless murderer, discern the reason why, and unwind a thread of scandal, betrayal, blackmail, abuse, and secrecy.

There is something disturbing viewing a film of this nature because it involves murder on such a young and innocent scale. Even more horrific is the final twist when we discover the motivations behind the action and discern who the killer truly is. There are plenty of red herrings thrown in our way, and with increasing frustration we watch the tale unfold. The adaptation from the book is pretty minimal, having to reduce several hundred pages of emotion-packed literature into an hour and a half time frame. In this transition some of the impact is lost, but there's still a lot of gripping interaction between characters and a few pulse-pounding twists. It's very well directed and acted. The duo detectives make for an adorable pair, the elite detective with blue blood and his "commoner" assistant with a chip on her shoulder. To say they're likable would be an understatement; one can sense impending romantic sparks at some point, once they overcome nitpicking and quarreling over clues.

From the beginning I had some sense of where the story was leading... into dangerous waters involving pedophilia and homosexuality, and my notions were pretty much accurate on the second count. One of the teachers at the school is openly gay and berates Lynley for accusing him of lusting after the boys just because he's a homosexual. The house prefect alludes to this "well-kept secret" early on, and it becomes a minor issue between friends. Lynley finds a book of boy pictures in the man's office; none shown are explicit, but he does verbally reference a couple that are. (The relationship is defended because they waited until the boy was out of college and of a legal age.) Detectives question whether or not Matthew was sexually abused (the forensics scientist says he wasn't). Sketchy scenes between house prefects imply close friendship, but nothing more. There is a heavy presence of drugs and substance abuse in the dorms. Matthew's naked body is found (arms and legs are carefully positioned to avoid anything explicit).

Another boy is kidnapped, tied up, and nearly fumigated to death. After a car crash, a prefect stumbles out into the road with blood running from his broken nose. It's implied older boys were used to beating up on younger ones. Lynley finds a young man's body hanging from the rafters in his room after he killed himself. There is some mild profanity. While the detectives are likable, the subject matter of the case leaves a lot to be desired. The film spends a lot of time alluding to unpleasant possibilities before turning our suspicions on their head with a startling revelation. It's not lacking in emotion, but is also rocky viewing for sensitive viewers.