The Hippopotamus (2017)

The Hippopotamus: Directed by John Jencks. With Roger Allam, Tim Charles, Rod Glenn, Amanda Holt. Disgraced poet Ted Wallace is summoned to his friend’s country manor to investigate a series of unexplained miracles.

“A clapped out poet brings his powers of perception to an English country house acclaimed for its miraculous cures, and finds more than he bargained for …u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLovely doff of the cap to English detective fiction that declines to avert its gaze into the nonsense of the convention. The theme of miracle cures is important, so the one scene of emotion toward the end matters a lot – I didnu0026#39;t feel it, maybe because the moment of death was never addressed thematically. Hey – itu0026#39;s a country estate, built on the deaths of others.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe pace and humour are good, and the hero is perfectly smashed and detached. The weakness is in the supporting characters – not the performances, but their drama and the necessity of their presence. No great turns or lines, and I guess thatu0026#39;s down to the original writing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMusic and sets are gorgeous, editing keeps it clipping along.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall: Insightful and entertaining, not so dramatic.”