Storyline

As a surprise, two horse owners decide to ride their animals in a steeplechase. But Bill Davidson's (Ian Hogg's) horse "Admiral" behaves weirdly, and falls hard after an obstacle. Bill dies from his injuries. His friend Alan York (Scott Antony) suspects the animal was doped by unscrupulous bookies and starts to investigate. He doesn't know how serious his opponents are, and that he's in danger to suffer the same fate as his friend.—Tom Zoerner

Plot Keywords

horse, horse race, jockey, female nudity, murder, car crash, crooked cop, donkey, based on novel

Short Review

In "Dead Cert," fearing a fixed race, Bill Davidson(Ian Hogg) and Alan York(Scott Antony) take the reins of their horses in a scheduled race. And then tragedy strikes when Bill is killed when his horse collapses on him during the race. Even after the inquest returns with a ruling of accidental death, Alan continues to claim that his friend was murdered. Which might not be such a smart idea, considering Alan is having an affair with Bill's widow Laura(Judi Dench).To be honest, "Dead Cert" does not get off to a bad start, setting its central mystery into motion quickly and efficiently. But sadly, the mystery is not executed at all well, relying on a harebrained scheme to drive the shaky plot, nor really able to take advantage of the milieu the movie is set in. Plus, Scott Antony really is not much of a lead and Judi Dench is not yet Judi Dench. That leaves it to Julian Glover to make any kind of impression.

Trailer

Streaming Service

1. Amazon Video : Rent from $1.99, Or $0.00 with a Prime membership