'Dangerous Davies: The last Detective' (1981) - Val Guest.

Much to my chagrin I discovered this exceptionally fine film somewhat late in the day, which is almost inexcusable since it is directed by iconic British filmmaker, Val Guest AND stars the immortally talented, hugely versatile character actor, Bernard Cribbins as iconoclastic D.C  'Dangerous' Davies, the stalwart, if somewhat accident prone, frequently blunt Metropolitan detective. A criminally under seen thriller, this is one of the more intriguing crime dramas I have seen in quite some time, with Leslie Thomas's absorbing, well-written screenplay being brought to vivid life by a truly exemplary ensemble cast of film & TV favourites, enlivened ever further by renowned composer, Ed Welch's exquisite theme!

Undertaking the ostensibly simple task of drawing a major villain out into the open proves all too successful, as Davies hands-on, boorish methodology not only attracts the unwanted, violent attentions of baseball bat brandishing thugs, the indomitable copper discovers the first tenuous link to a tragic, still unsolved murder case of a young girl 15 years earlier! While the victim's outer garments were recovered at the time, her body and, most curiously, her smalls were never found. Not only does the cold, newly reopened case provide a wholly absorbing plot, there are myriad vibrantly quirky digressions that give the splendidly entertaining thriller some additionally colourful flourishes. 

The estimable, Bernard Cribbins gives a nuanced, fabulously full-blooded performance as the eternally crumpled, frequently inebriated, remarkably canny copper Davies, alongside his dogged crime solving capabilities he is a remarkably endearing character, and is capably assisted in his investigations by his loyal civilian chum, Mod Lewis (Bill Maynard). Ably balancing surprising depths of dark emotional pathos, boisterous slapstick comedy and delightfully playful banter, Val Guest's ANYTHING BUT ordinary, early 80s TV Movie has a genuinely moving coda, and the viewer can strongly sympathize with the beleaguered Davies hard fought quest to unearth the rather grisly truth behind the baffling disappearance of, Celia Norris, and with so many other previously obscure titles being rediscovered, surely a no less worthy Blu-ray restoration is now long overdue for this unfairly neglected, Cribbins classic?