Rent Jigsaw (1962)

Excellent Murder Mystery - Jigsaw review by MD

It's a fairly good recommendation,if Halliwell's Film Guide gives you a star award.Well Jigsaw has two stars.

Not surprisingly.It's good in every endeavour,and is equal to Val Guest's other 1961 offering The Day the Earth Caught Fire.

There is no let up in the way the story moves forward,not a single moment is wasted or doesn't contain a wry bit of humour,or telling comment.

Very cinematic,superbly acted and directed.A Taut,tense excellently tailored murder mystery.

Interesting British Crime Film - Jigsaw review by GI

An interesting British police procedural with a noir vibe and influenced by a real crime but adapted from an American novel. The title reflects the slow and painstaking building of the investigation to find the killer. A routine case leads to the discovery of a woman's dismembered body hidden in a trunk inside a rented seaside house near Brighton in 1962. Detective Inspector Fellows (Jack Warner) leads the investigation which means lots of telephone calls and tedious enquiries. There's no doubt the film follows the police modus operandi in murder cases of the time and it has the risqué aspects of extra-marital sex which would have made it a bit of a shocker back on its release. Warner is as steady as ever as the copper, a role he made his own for much of his career starting with The Blue Lamp (1950) and culminating in the TV series Dixon Of Dock Green. There's an ensemble cast of recognisable British actors from TV, stage and screen and whilst the film has obviously dated it has that nostalgic feel of days gone by.

True Crime. - Jigsaw review by Steve

A strong candidate for writer-director Val Guest's best film. It's a police procedural about an investigation into a dismembered corpse which is found in a holiday home in a rather seedy postwar Brighton- based on a real life incident.

The detectives on the case are the sagacious, weary veteran Jack Warner, assisted by Ronald Lewis who does most of the leg work. They are a wonderful duo and handle the constant flow of dialogue with finesse. There are rich supporting performances all the way down the cast list.

There is a real flair to this film, with its credible and compelling screenplay, but mostly because of the sinuous, lively gaze of the camera, particularly during the examination of the murder scene. The neglected splendour of Brighton and Lewes and the big skies of the coastal suburbs convey a delightful melancholy.

All this is created with a crew who usually worked on Hammer productions, and without any incidental music at all. OK, Val Guest ended up making a Confessions film, and Space 1999, but at his peak he was a significant talent in postwar UK cinema. This is a classic British noir.