Home :: DVD :: Mystery & Suspense :: Detectives  

Blackmail, Murder & Mayhem
British Mystery Theater
Classics
Crime
Detectives

Film Noir
General
Mystery
Mystery & Suspense Masters
Neo-Noir
Series & Sequels
Suspense
Thrillers
The Pale Horse

The Pale Horse

List Price: $24.98
Your Price: $22.48
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 >>

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This was the worst movie ever
Review: In my opinion I believe the movie was horrible. I believe the Pale Horse deserves no better rating than a 1. All of the actors made it seem like they had never stepped in a theater in there entire life.The lead detectives side kick seemed like he was found on the side of the road holding a will act for anything sign. He seemed like a last ditch effort. This was the worst movie ever.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: it [stinks]
Review: In my opinion the movie was terrible. The acting wasn't very good; Mark Easterbrook and Kate Mercer were supposed to be "dating" yet there was no passion between them. Also Mark was under suspicion for murder and he was extremely cool and calm. The plot was hard to follow and slow. The inspector's sidekick was trying to help Mark prove his innocence even though the inspector was set on Mark being guilty. Also it isn't very suspense filled or mysterious for being a mystery, I figured out who was doing the murders 30 minutes into the movie. Also for an A&E movie it looked like the cameraman was drunk. And the film was 20 years old. I would give this movie 1 star, if you have to choose between watching this movie and getting hit by a car it would be a close call.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Most Americans should not review British productions
Review: It is very unfortunate that fully 70% of the reviews for 'The Pale Horse' are negative as it is an excellent few hours of viewing. It is also a perfect example of why most Americans should not review British productions. They just don't see the subtle nature of the British approach to television production, mystery-suspense writing, or for that matter, life in general. Put bluntly, they just don't get it. We share a basic language with them, but unfortunately, not much else. Americans tend to be Brits on steroids and expect their TV and movies to be the same way. No surprise most simply don't like or appreciate programs like 'The Pale Horse'. It isn't what they want from their viewing experiences.

Most reviewers called this a "movie". It isn't. It's a made for British television mystery-drama. In the US, this would be seen on PBS Masterpiece Theater, A&E, or The Mystery Channel, not FOX, HBO, or other major networks. To compare it to programming of that nature is absurd.

Brit TV is not blessed with the huge, unlimited production budgets of American studios. The fact that their production values are often superior to American TV is remarkable when viewed in that light. They use what the have. Actors often wear their own clothes in current day programs. They don't build many fake, costly sets. Most drama is actual location work. Their idea of 'action' is not computer generated special effects, endless physical and verbal aggression, pointless violence, or a blur of mind numbing, rapid fire scene changes. If that is what your looking for, look elsewhere.

British mystery-suspense TV like that featured in 'The Pale Horse' is quiet, subtle, mentally challenging, and has infinetly more depth than equivalent American programs. It is, like the British themselves, charming, slower, and mellower. They don't hit you over the head so often that it no longer hurts. Things that go 'bang' on American programs, go 'bump' on British ones. They love character development, something we have no use for since our characters are either weakly written on purpose to be the butt of someone elses sharp tongue or are killed off by a violent car crash, a series of impossible explosions, a rash of random gunfire, or some other such 'fast action' violence before the opening credits are over and you've finished the second slice of pizza.

In short, either you love British TV or you don't. If you do, this is a very solid bit of British mystery-drama. If you don't, why are you reading this?

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not worth the time
Review: It was dull and hard to follow. The story line jumped around to much. Not enough acting of the characters. Should have used better actors for the roles.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: British Films
Review: Many British films deal with characterization and personal reasoning and thought. Pale Horse falls under this umbrella.
If you are looking for alot of action, like in American movies, you won't find it here. But it is unfair to call this movie boring just because the viewer is not familiar with the British way of expression. This is not the best dramatization of an Agatha Christie book, but it does deserve viewing.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: the most boring movie i have ever seen
Review: ok,now i now there is alot of movies out there that people think really [stink], but in my views this one takes the cake. there is alot of pointless scenes in the movie such as when mark easterbrook was doing nothing for about six to eight scenes. i had actually fell asleep before the end of this movie so i really cant remember anything else from the movie. the only thing i can sayabout the movie is that it was not a good movie at all.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Bad, Sleepy. Just not cool!
Review: The movie was not cool. it was borring and very sleepy. i could not sit threw the first 10 min of this movie. i fell asleep. i could not help it. the story had no story line, and it had no plot that was worth watching. it was not a cool thing to see so all in all do not rent this movie, and do not watch this film.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: It sucked
Review: The Pale horse

A talkative movie. The movie has a very bad plot also. It is very boring. I have to give it a 2.
Back in 1996 an author by the name Agatha Christie made this movie out of her book. The book was not that bad, but the movie was very boring.
First the plot was kind of a drag along scene. i'd rather sit and watch paint dry, well that is what to expect in watching this movie. The story line was not the greatest, and the characters was not filling up the parts too good either.

The movie was about a murder-suspense movie but to me it had no suspense. I did not jump out of my seat at all. The actors was not that good, again they could have done better for the characters. I could not relate to their characters.
Honestly I fell asleep during this movie.

...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Agatha Christie meets the Sixties
Review: The show is very well done and I enjoyed it immensely, which is why I purchased it on DVD after having seen it on television. First, I generally enjoy anything by Agatha Christie, even if it has been remade to the point of scarcely resembling her writing. Second, I'm unabashedly nostalgic for the sixties; despite their folly and excess they were a more innocent and celebratory time, overall. This is a period piece and very convincing as such, what with the wardrobes, soundtrack, sets, language, and attitudes which convincingly reproduce that era. Third, the actors are wonderful and memorable; every role, however minor, is superbly cast. Fourth, there are enough disparate elements involved in the story to hold one's attention through the rather long and at times slow development of the story, including an evenhanded and judicious use of the occult...always tricky. One seldom gets bored or loses interest, and it is a show that repays repeated viewing because there are many layers of meaning and nuance, which is why it's a nice thing to own. It's really a fine entertainment.

Now it seems to me, that the above is what matters, and is what is worth posting in a review. However, as others have chosen to highlight cultural differences between the U.S. and what remains of Britain, I must include this addendum. Snotty condescension from Brits is easily understood. After all, their society has collapsed decisively over the past 40 years or so, and just about all that remains of their once-proud heritage is their insufferable arrogance, along with excellent TV production values. As for their TV content, they do much better with material from the past, like this, and of course their wonderful nature shows which have no peer. Personally, I don't care for their hystrionic Holmes (Jeremy Brett), but others disagree and it's a worthwhile discussion. But their blighted cynicism can no longer yield anything new of merit or substance, and nearly all of their crime dramas are simply wretched reflections of the demolished world they've made for themselves. Inspector Morse was really the Brits' last hurrah; Cracker, Prime Suspect, Touching Evil, and all the later lot are terribly well *made* of course, but deliver no message other than mindless despair cloaked as sophistication.

It is unclear whether the supercilious posts from New Hampshire and Washington were placed by actual Brits, or mere Brit wannabes, emulating what is worst in the culture they presume to champion. In either case, they are merely sad, and I hope they will not be off-putting to fans of fine entertainment, or admirers of what Britain had to show the world in its better days.


Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Pale Horse
Review: The storyline of the movie was not a persuasive one in my opinion. Thoe story of the movie seemed to be unfinished. The movie started out to be good and then as the movie continued it seemed like the movie just drug on and went nowhere. The plot was kind of hard to follow when the story didnt seem to be completed. The movie was not complete in one specifec area, in the veginning there was a list of eight people that were supposed to be killed or so and only a few people died. And only one person fell ill and that was Kate. After the fiest quarter of the movie was good and then it just went down hill from there. The storyline was uninterestin in my point of view. The suspense of the movie was boring and the murder mystery wasnt nerve-racking. I was waiting for someone to get killed and nothing happened. The characterization of the movie was unexpectedly good. I thought since the movie wasnt one of the most popular one, the characters played their role very well. It must have been hard to play a role in a slow predictable movie.
The rating I gave this movie was one star. It was not worth going to see and spend your money. It was a slow and unfinished movie that I didnt enjoy at all. The suspense of the movie wasnt suspense to me and it was very predictable. I dont urge anyone to go see this movie at all.


<< 1 2 3 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates