I had never heard of this story until I saw this television drama. I admired Michael Kitchen in Foyle's War, a wonderful, understated television series. In this drama, he delivers an excellent performance in a very perplexing role as a strange village lawyer long before he was the rock solid Cold War agent in Foyle's War. David Thewlis is another actor I admired for his role in The Inspector Calls. Here he acts in a totally different role, which Thewlis performs superbly, as an underdog who stands up to Kitchen's Major Armstrong. I was pleased to see Sarah Miles who performed so well in movies going back to the 1960's but her talent is wasted here in her truncated performance as the wife of "Major Armstrong". Other than that, there is a strong cast in various supporting roles. The two-part episode shows village life and the characters of two entirely different men who find themselves in an ethical conflict that becomes a matter of criminal misconduct. The location shooting and sets are very good and the last 45 minutes are filled with suspense. Without giving it away, I found the end rather abrupt. On the whole, however, it was good viewing with some excellent acting.
Review of Dandelion Dead
