Ruth Rendell Mysteries (TV Series) Going Wrong: Part 1 (1998) User Reviews

One of Rendell's Best

[pninson · 9/10 · 17 April 2008]

This is a surprisingly good adaptation of Ruth Rendell's 1990 novel, "Going Wrong." Many of the shows in the "Ruth Rendell Mysteries" series are mediocre and make several unnecessary changes to the story, but this film puts the story on screen. There are a few details that are compressed, but nothing significant. In fact, there's one detail at the end that actually makes a bit more sense than the book.

Not really a mystery, "Going Wrong" is a study of obsessive love, a theme that is familiar territory to Ruth Rendell. Guy Curran is a street kid who got rich dealing drugs and is now a legitimate, wealthy businessmen. He still carries a torch for his teenage sweetheart Leonora, a middle-class girl who played at being a street kid but now has grown up and has broken if off with Guy.

But she still agrees to have lunch with him every Saturday, and allows him to call her every day. Guy believes that she still loves him and will take him back ... then he sees her in the company of a gentleman friend.

With echoes of "The Great Gatsby", this is classic Rendell, and the film features excellent performances by the entire cast.

Unfortunately this is not available on Region 1 DVD. Currently it's sold in Region 2 as part of a boxed set, "The Best of the Ruth Rendell Mysteries", which includes several other installments in the series.

If you have a Region 2 player and are a Ruth Rendell fan, I highly recommend this.

Going Wrong: Part 1

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 7 January 2022]

Bad boy Guy Curran (James Callis) a bad boy and small time drug dealer met posh Leonora Chisholm (Josephine Butler) in the early 1990s when she was still in education.

Leonara liked the excitement of being around with Curran. She introduces him to his family and they are not so keen.

Things cooled off when Linus, one of Guy's crew dies from bee stings after taking drugs. After which the relationship cools and Guy disappeared.

Some years later Guy again meets Leonara. Now Guy is wealthy by getting involved in the art world and young artists.

Although Guy is involved with a beautiful model Celeste. He becomes obsessed with Leonara.

Guy shows unstable traits such as when he is mocked by Leonara's family. He erupts when Leonara later tells Guy that she plans to marry her boyfriend at a restaurant.

This is less a Ruth Rendell mystery and more a story of obsessive love.

This kind of thing is difficult to pull of and frankly it does not work as a three part series. This might have worked as a television movie.

It starts off brightly as Leonara likes the excitement and danger as Guy and his gang create havoc.

I think Leonara should have soon realised once Guy returned on the scene that he was unstable. Even the art story did not add up regarding Guy's new wealth.

It all ends up rather hysterically bad. James Callis's tantrums are laughable. This is only part one. Maybe there might be a murder in part two.

There is an element of The Great Gatsby about the story. The older Guy is initially dressed a little like Robert Redford who once played Gatsby.

Insane.

[valstone52 · 8/10 · 15 July 2022]

I know it's just a series, but this story was sooo out there. First love yes but you don't take it to the extreme. Leonora should have never continued seeing guy. Then to go off on her fiance when he cut guy, really.