DIRTY TRICKS - Region 1

Dirty Tricks is not for the squeamish, nor for young audiences, as the sexual high jinks are depicted very explicitly. And due to a series of unfortunate events, dead bodies tend to pile up around our hero, Edward (Clunes). So the peculiarly British point of view of Dirty Tricks is that Edward is extremely distasteful and reprehensible--but not a murderer. Or is he?

One of the best things about Dirty Tricks is its very complex plotting. Dirty Tricks works very well as a murder mystery, but it's also layered against a backdrop of the bleakest, blackest humor imaginable. Clunes is dependably entertaining, and so is the rest of the cast. Other standouts include veteran British TV actress Julie Graham as Karen, the seducing hottie who gets Edward started down the wrong path. The ensemble also includes James Bolam, Neil Dudgeon, George Potts, and Henry Goodman--all splendid and slightly sordid. Any fans of British crime dramas--and veddy naughty sex romps--will find a lot to love in these Dirty Tricks. --A.T. Hurley