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| The Riddle | 
| Actors: Vinnie Jones, Derek Jacobi, Julie Cox, Vanessa Redgrave
Studio: IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Category: DVD
List Price: $27.98
Buy New: $4.76
You Save: $23.22 (83%)
Buy New/Used from $4.76
Avg. Customer Rating:  (5 reviews)
Sales Rank: 45647
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Ntsc, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 116 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: IMEDALT4974D
UPC: 014381497427
EAN: 0014381497427
ASIN: B0019X3YTG
Release Date: August 19, 2008
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A brutal string of murders spurs reporter Mike Sullivan (Vinnie Jones, Snatch, X-Men: The Last Stand) to search for the cunning killer in this supernatural mystery. But to stop the killings, he first must solve a century-old murder hidden inside the pages of a newly discovered Charles Dickens manuscript. Co-starring Derek Jacobi (Gladiator, Underworld: Evolution) and Vanessa Redgrave (Atonement), this intriguing thriller takes an unusual twist guaranteed to surprise you!
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| Customer Reviews:
 One of the worst movies I've seen September 22, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
The story is completely uninteresting, the acting is poor, much of it wasn't believable, and the music was completely inappropriate for the scenes they were in. This movie was seriously terrible.
 Not many thrills in this thriller September 10, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
British footballer Vinnie Jones is cast as Mike Sullivan, a London sports writer who wants to tackle hard news. When Sadie, an old friend with whom he exchanges riddles is found murdered, Mike is thrust into the investigation, despite a detective inspector who'd rather he go away. While renovating her pub, Sadie came across what could possibly be an unpublished manuscript of a dark story of murder by Charles Dickens (though it appears they had Dickens confused with Edgar Allan Poe). When Mike discovers the manuscript, he and police officer Kate read the manuscript hoping to find clues to solve the crime with the help of a homeless man (Derek Jacobi, who also narrates the manuscript as Dickens in a dual role). What they discover is a lot of corruption.
Unfortunately, the director chose to portray half the story in present day London and the remainder in Dickens' Victorian era story which coincidentally mirrors the current events (many of the actors besides Jacobi have dual roles also). It makes the rest of the movie confusing and distracting and had me nearly comatose at times. It might have sounded good on paper but the finished product was pretty boring and contrived. They even managed to make Jones, who is usually such an energetic presence in his roles seem pretty darned bland. Not worth a purchase; put this one in your Netflix queue instead.
Tracy Vest, September 2008
Hiding Riddles in Plain Sight September 8, 2008
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
THE RIDDLE was written and directed by Brendan Foley in what appears to be an attempt to pull the mysteries of the Charles Dickens' novels into a contemporary story, but that attempt is thwarted by electing to use the two periods of time format in which the 'riddle' is unraveled. Despite a cast of well-known actors, trying their best to pull off this direct to DVD movie, the end product is a long, tedious, amateurish mess that can only be considered as entertainment if viewers are fans of the cast as remembered from other films.
Mike Sullivan (Vinnie Jones) is a journalist confined to reporting on dog racing events while he dreams of important reporting assignments. A series of similar murders happens to include an old friend of Mike's - Sadie (Vera Day) who runs a pub on the banks of the Thames, having just discovered an old valuable unpublished manuscript by Charles Dickens, and has a heart of gold, giving sandwiches away to such pathetic creatures as an old tramp beachcomber (Derek Jacobi). Sadie's murder attracts Mike to the role of detective journalism and with the help of policewoman Kate (Julie Cox) he begins to tie the investigation to clues he finds in reading the Dickens manuscript. Disrupting the flow of this rather simplistic story is the use of flashbacks to Dickens' time as Dickens (again Derek Jacobi) narrates a rather personal story of peculiar murders. The parallel between stories and the cross casting among actors may have worked in another's hands, but the finessing of this kind of venture escapes writer/director Brendan Foley. He draws his story to a close (at long last) with a tired Hollywoodesque ending.
In addition to Jones, Jacobi, Cox, and Day, the film somehow attracted the attention of Vanessa Redgrave, Jason Flemyng, PH Moriarty and Mel Smith: their contributions are minimal but happily distracting. This is a flimsy bit of treacle leaving the viewer wondering how films of this quality ever find funding. Grady Harp, September 08
 Local dialects difficult August 31, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I watch alot of BBC productions from across the Atlantic, so I am not a new-comer for British accents...but I have to admit I had a tough time understanding these actors' dialogue (except Derek Jacobi and Vanessa Redgrave). The movie is divided into two co-mingled tales, one from Dickens' era and the other is contemporary. The two interwoven tales are not exactly nail-biters, but the intrigue is sufficient to make the viewer hang on to the end to see how it ends. Good rental, not really a DVD to purchase.
 Madness, Murder, and Literature: a Classic Combination August 29, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Though it might not be considered violent compared to many thrillers, the acting, casting, and dual-story plot make this one of the most intriguing thrillers I've seen in a while. There is a subtle interweaving of stories fom the Dickens manuscript and the modern-day murder case-- some actors play double roles, which adds to the supernatural quality of the mystery.
This film does draw very loosely on events in Dickens' life and marriage, though it "re-writes" much. More interestingly, it brings out the darker side of the Victorian author's work with quotes from Oliver Twist, reference to the murders in Our Mutual Friend, and an almost Poe-like narration of a tale of madness and murder.
Derek Jacobi is versatile as ever, portraying both an insane (though well-read) homeless man, and the author/narrator of the newly discovered Dickens manuscript. Mel Smith (The Princess Bride, Alas Smith and Jones, Trevor Nunn's Twelfth Night)has a brief but amusing appearance as the enthusiastic (and athsmatic?) authenticator of the manuscript.
Not big on action, but definitely worth watching for the sake of a good story. An added bonus is that, unlike the young and beautiful Hollywood sterotypes we are so familiar with, this cast can really act.
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