British actor Vinnie Jones, who usually plays brutal heavies, does a bang-up job with his first leading role in this intelligent supernatural thriller featuring an all-star cast. Jones plays sports reporter Mike Sullivan, who ends up becoming involved in the investigation of a series of murders after the discovery of an unpublished Charles Dickens novel in the basement of an old pub along the Thames River. Realizing that clues to the current crimes are somehow embedded in Dickens' manuscript, Sullivan enlists the aid of a police press liaison (Julie Cox) and a mysterious, secretive, beach-combing tramp (Derek Jacobi). Among the suspicious characters who flit in and out of the story are a greedy publisher (Vanessa Redgrave), an unscrupulous developer (Jason Flemyng), a thuggish detective (P.H. Moriarty), and an eccentric Dickens expert (Mel Smith). Brendan Foley's The Riddle, which echoes earlier whodunits with supernatural angles (especially the much maligned and underrated Angel Heart), is an atmospheric, compelling film that will keep most viewers on the edge of their seats. Recommended. (E. Hulse)
The Riddle
Image, 120 min., PG-13, DVD: $27.99 Volume 23, Issue 6
The Riddle
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