Myriam Nys Solid, well-made police procedural, about the investigation into the murder of a young woman whose dismembered body is found in a suitcase. "Jigsaw" really is a procedural, meaning that it focuses on the procedures and methods used to discover culprits and bring them to justice. Many of these methods are mundane and boring beyond belief - but then, "they also serve who only stand and wait", even watching a certain house from behind a tactically located gardenia bush can help apprehend a criminal and save innocent lives... The movie's plot is logical, the clues and hints are handed out fairly and the solution is satisfying to the intellect. On the other hand the movie threatens to become somewhat dry : it would have benefitted from a bit more emotion or wit. Watching a movie like this always reminds me of the strange fact that there really, truly are human beings who can say sensible things about the height of a random stranger they saw crossing the street three weeks before. Quite often these are also the same people capable of pinpointing exact dates : "Yes, yes, I saw a blonde lady in a tan coat with a toddler on her arm, this was on January 12th, at eight o'clock". It impresses the hell out of me, since I work on entirely different principles : when it comes to the small details of everyday life, nature has given me a colander instead of a memory. Aaah, well, that's human difference for you...

Brucey D A pregnant girlfriend is murdered by her lover, who we the audience don't see. A police investigation follows. We get to see the investigation from the perspective of the police, lead by Jack Warner. Eventually the murderer is discovered.This is a wee gem of a film, set in and around Brighton in the early 1960's. Post-war austerity is fading, and the swinging sixties are just around the corner, but the Brighton area looks a little seedy and run down, for the most part, and the locals fit right it. The film is shot in black and white, which somehow suits the film rather better than colour might have.Jack Warner (better know to the audience as Dixon of Dock Green at that time)is promoted to Detective Inspector in this film and he plays the role convincingly enough; in fact overall, the whole cast is excellent. However I agree with another reviewer regarding Yolanda Donlan's performance; 'a little overwrought' indeed. Maybe the director's wife gets special treatment...? John Barron has a small role in this film. Many will have seen him in 'The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin' in the 1970s, masterfully playing the irredeemably pompous and overbearing manager known as 'CJ'.John Le Mesurier has a great cameo role too.The film isn't fast-paced per se, but there isn't a moment in the ninety-odd that is wasted either. I found it quite engaging.Certainly worth watching, this one.

Wizard-8 British actor Michael Caine once complained that many of the movies his country made were not "moving pictures", and instead were often more or less "illustrated radio" productions. To some degree, this applies to this movie. "Jigsaw" is a very talky movie, with no real action at any point, with the results being a script that wouldn't need much change to make it suitable for the radio. And as a result, the movie is sometimes dry enough that viewers may really be wishing for a little excitement.However, despite the overly talky script, the movie still has some interest. It does accurately illustrate that murder investigations in real life are usually not exciting and involve a lot of hard and boring work. The various ways the police in the movie investigate without modern day techniques such as computers and DNA are interesting at times. And the movie's frankness concerning pre- marital sex - which you wouldn't get in a Hollywood movie of this period - is interesting. Viewers who are in a patient mood will probably find this movie interesting enough.

claude_frollo Despite the presence of Jack Warner as a senior policeman, the world of "Jigsaw" is a far cry from the cosy atmosphere of "Dixon of Dock Green". Effective camerawork makes Brighton a faintly sinister setting for this murder mystery. The standard of acting is generally high, (although I found Yolande Donlan's performance a little overwrought for my taste) and a strong script from Guest ensures that the detailed police investigation contains enough action (and unexpected revelations) to hold the viewer's interest to the very end.