Detective Fellows Calls
After a letting agent has his office broken in to Det. Sgt. Jim Wilks (Ronald Lewis - The Secret Place) and Det. Insp. Fred Fellows (Jack Warner - Emergency Call) find themselves called in due to the blustery nature of the owner who demands they do something as his leases have been stolen. When they go to one of his properties on the coast, a little way from Brighton, they discover not only burnt knives and saws in the furnace but they discover the partially dismembered body of a woman stuffed in a steamer trunk in the basement. Methodically Wilks and Fellows set about trying to solve who murdered the woman and catch them.
In that synopsis for "Jigsaw" I didn't mention one thing which is the opening scene where we see a woman with her lover Johnny. We soon learn that he is married, the womansays she is pregnant and the next thing we know he is attacking and so the question is; who is this man Johnny who killed his lover? And for a 1960s British murder mystery movie "Jigsaw" is pretty damn effective with plenty of intrigue which draws you in to try and solve the mystery of who the killer is, with several clues and possibilities which make your suspicious mind jump to a couple of conclusions due to people's behaviour. What I will say is that the clues and reveals are dropped at a perfect pace so it makes you feel like you are part of the investigation with one clue leading to the next but some times leading to a dead end.
Because "Jigsaw" is simply a British, police procedural a lot of the movie relies on the acting of the police and in the combination of Jack Warner and Ronald Lewis they got it spot on. On one hand you have Jack Warner playing the seasoned detective whose long career means he pays attention to what others over look but almost goes about his business in a begrudging way. But then you have Ronald Lewis playing the younger detective who is more open to new ideas and techniques but is shown a trick or two by Fellows. As I said it is a perfect combination which between them make this story work.
What this all boils down to is that "Jigsaw" is a perfect example of a British police procedural done right with mystery, reveals and interesting characters who draw you in. All of which makes you feel like you are part of the investigation, trying to read between the lines to work out who the killer is before the detectives do.
