Inspector Jury - The Dead Man in the Pub

Content: Inspector Richard Jury (Fritz Karl) is the best man at Scotland Yard. And so it is little surprise that he is called to the seaside village of Long Piddleton when a man is mysteriously killed there in the local pub. Together with his colleague Wiggins (Arndt Schwerning-Sohnrey) Jury first has to find out who the victim is, as the man had given a false name when checking into the guesthouse in the pub. While some of the villagers they question seem very taciturn, the somewhat pushy Melrose Plant (Götz Schubert) and his aunt, crime writer Agatha Andry (Katharina Thalbach) are a bit too helpful, which not only gets on Jury's nerves, but also hinders his investigation a bit. But when after a short time another corpse is found, the case takes on ever clearer forms for the shrewd investigator...

The books around Inspector Jury by the American author Martha Grimes have enjoyed great popularity among crime fiction fans since 1981. Grimes has already written over twenty books about the Scotland Yard investigator. The first novel has now been filmed by ZDF in southern England. The leading actor is the Austrian Fritz Karl, who cuts a fine figure as the very idiosyncratic investigator and is the best of all the actors at capturing the British sense of humour that the screenplay strives for. On a purely visual level, Edzard Onneken, who also directed the series Turkish for Beginners, has directed a very atmospheric crime thriller that is beautiful to look at in almost every second.

However, even if Inspector Jury can definitely compete with his colleagues Barnaby, Lewis and Co. on a purely visual level, he doesn't really want to succeed in other respects. The staging can hide its German roots just as well as the acting of the struggling actors. Here, the typical British touch is simply missing, which would have been necessary for the whole thing not to seem so contrived. As commendable as the attempt to venture the world's first ever film adaptation of the popular Martha Grimes novels is, it must unfortunately be said that the result does not reach the international stature of the book.

Whoever accepts that, however, can certainly have fun with this comedic thriller. For in addition to Fritz Karl's chirpy acting, Götz Schubert as the somewhat overzealous Melrose Plant also provides some very amusing moments. In addition, the story based on the Jury volume Inspector Jury sleeps out of the house is also entertaining and implemented without significant lengths. If you like German detective fare with a light comedic touch and appreciate a British flair on a visual level, you will certainly be able to overlook the minor weaknesses and have a lot of fun with this Martha Grimes adaptation. And for these viewers then also applies: well worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The technical implementation is on a good TV level. The picture is clean, the overall sharpness is satisfactory and also the detail representation can convince in many moments. The colours are attractively mixed, which makes the picturesque landscapes in particular stand out well. Presented in a stereo mix, the audio is primarily dominated by the dialogue, but every now and then the music and ambient sounds also provide a coherent atmosphere. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, there is a brief look behind the scenes (approx. 9:48 min.), some funny outtakes (approx. 4:05 min.), as well as more program tips from the provider to see.

Conclusion: With Inspector Jury - The dead man in the pub, ZDF now dares itself to British crime fare. The Inspector, conceived by the American writer Martha Grimes, is well brought to life by Fritz Karl and also the atmospheric locations are very successful. But overall the film feels too played out, with actors and dialogue coming across as anything but very British despite their best efforts. Nevertheless, the whole thing is enough for 90 entertaining minutes, which lovers of German crime fare with a humorous twist can safely take. The DVD is technically well done and also has some bonus material to offer. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp