Foyle's War (2002–2015) User Reviews

Father knows best

[ddelamaide · 10/10 · 8 August 2007]

This is a compelling and oddly comforting drama. There is the setting and the time -- Hastings, on the southern coast of England during World War II. Hastings of course was the site of the last successful invasion of England, in 1066, and that threat seems real in the early days of the war. In the series, it is a provincial town where Deputy Chief Superintendent Foyle tries to solve local crimes of theft and murder, while dealing with wartime problems of black markets, sabotage and espionage. In addition to meddling from police superiors with their own agendas, Foyle must contend with bureaucratic and military interference from London as the war creates situations that lets criminals go free.

Then there are the scripts and the actors, not to mention the overall quality of the production -- lucid photography, theme music with echoes of Brideshead Revisited, period clothing, vehicles, etc. The writing is measured, intelligent, no wasted words. Honeysuckle Weeks and Anthony Howell in the supporting roles of Samantha Stewart and Paul Milner are excellent and play off each other well.

But the show belongs to Michael Kitchen and you wonder why you've never seen this actor before and when you will see him again. He conveys the competence and integrity you want in your hero, but the real attraction, I think, is that he is the ultimate father figure. He is concerned about people without wearing it on his sleeve; gruff, even curt, but letting us glimpse the tenderness behind it; and he is wise, not only a clever detective but wise in the ways of the human heart. He is a father not only to his son, Andrew, an RAF pilot, but also to Sam and Milner and to any number of characters in the various episodes, including his goddaughter in the last (final?) episode. Invariably, this father knows best. While he conveys a sense of vulnerability, you never have the feeling Foyle has really made a mistake. This is why I think the films are comforting. With all the chaos of war, and darkness of human behavior, Foyle moves through it all, self-possessed, caring, and ultimately, even when circumstances beyond his control keep him from actually incarcerating the wrongdoer, successful in protecting his charges from evil.

Intelligent, original and brave

[sacha_brady · 9/10 · 2 August 2005]

Foyle's War tackles a great many of perceived truths of World War 2 head on, attempting to show a view of wartime Britain in a new light. These are dealt with against the backdrop of a murder which the considered, but burdened detective is called to.

Michael Kitchen is absolutely superb as Christopher Foyle. He plays him with a subtle mix of determination and humanity; each performance is multi-layered, giving the viewer the opportunity to see something new each time. The support cast is also extremely good, with each character given appropriate depth and screen time.

Overall, this is one to get if you like to watch well-crafted, intelligent drama.

A release from the horde of (at best) mediocre murder mysteries that 'grace' our screens!

[gaiter88 · 10/10 · 23 September 2006]

The most derogatory remark I've ever heard an intelligent people make about this program is that it drags on a bit, but quite frankly that's only because ITV go and stick 25 minutes of adverts into a otherwise perfect fluid 95minute program. I suppose you could argue that the sheer lack of offended and dishearten viewers is testament to its boring nature, but that quite frankly is nonsense as well. You see the thing about this program is that it soothes you, it's relaxing to watch but doesn't insult your intelligence. I could go on for pages and pages about the acting, writing and attention to period detail but I won't bother because by the looks of it many before me have done so already. The two simple and only facts you really need to know about this program are that Kitchen is an underrated genius and that as detective/murder mysteries go this is, and will remain, a timeless masterpiece.

Excellent Period Piece

[the_real_berserker2 · 15 January 2005]

These shows do a great job of creating an image of the British Home Front that is very different from the one romanticized in the history books. We get a very real feeling that the British public "knew" the war was lost in the darkest hour, yet still kept a stiff upper lip. This tension, combined with wartime secrecy, energizes the drama. The war is like the weather is in other mysteries; criminals often use it as cover for their activities (blackmarket petrol, draft dodging, burglary, blackmail, and the like hidden by blackouts, bombing raids, and official secrets) and it's the job of the police to uncover all of the layers. In doing so, Chief Inspector Foyle asks hard moral questions - even in wartime, when thousands are being killed every day, is murder murder? The "bigger picture" is often cited as justification by the criminals, and, through association, this paints the leaders of the war with the same brush. A great show for children - this can spark interest in the period while also teaching moral lessons. Unlike some nihilistic modern fare, Foyle's War strives to show moral clarity through the confusion.

Much more than a detective drama...

[ANeary · 9/10 · 13 August 2004]

Foyle's War follows the life of a detective and his team based in Hastings in the south of England during the Second World War.

Although he is obviously called on to investigate crimes, the programme deals with so much more - there is a real feel for what it must have been like to be in Britain when it stood alone against Hitler, when the outcome was not just uncertain, but may well have meant invasion and persecution. The period is therefore much more than a "backdrop". For instance, Foyle's son is in the RAF, and his sergeant was seriously wounded in Norway.

The scripts are intelligent, the plots engrossing and, with casts drawn from the cream of British actors, the performances are impeccable.

Finest television of All Time

[clotblaster · 10/10 · 10 July 2009]

There is really nothing with which to compare this episodic series. The pacing, the acting, and the plots blend to create a superb fictional experience. I find very, very little to like in today's movies (No Country for Old Men being an exception) and much more to like on television, which I understand his heresy to some, but Six Feet Under, Doctor Findlay, Morse, Midsomer Murders, The Shield etc. far surpass any movie I've seen in a long time. This show in particular shows what can be done in cinema but not in writing--very, very unique. Seeing Foyle, his driver and his immediate subordinate act their parts really helps make this a fine viewing experience. Kitchen, playing the lead, is a fine actor and performs admirably, but the writing is what makes this show--Horowitz, the writer and creator, never varies from show to show. He controls the unfolding of this show, without the viewer having to worry about different writers muddling the waters. I highly recommend this show and would urge viewers to watch the series sequentially, starting, of course with the first episode.

Perfect casting in a splendid series

[french-michaelfrench · 9/10 · 10 November 2007]

Michael Kitchen absolutely shines in this fine series; it is about moral dilemmas rather than crime. Kitchen's characterisation of a fearless good man in hard times is magnificent; we know we can trust exactly what he says and even if some of his solutions are a bit deus ex machina we cannot resent it because his moral force absolutely justifies the end. The other actors do a great job of presenting the shades of grey through which he moves. My favourite is still Simon West. Who can resist Kitchen's throwaway response to "It's not a good time"? And his magnificently insulting summing up in the French Drop? I know little enough about the Home Front around this period, and that I learnt from Dad's Army! But the muted colours and all the obscure minutiae of a rationed and regulated society provide a feeling that this is how it was, even if it wasn't.

a show of substance

[llwkr · 10/10 · 25 November 2007]

Foyle's War is unique in it's blending of history and fiction. I just finished watching a special feature that filmed the stunt preparation for a spitfire crash in "Enemy Fire". I am amazed at the thought and detail that go into making these films.

This is one of the rare productions that makes you think 'outside the box'. Anthony Horowitz has really perfected his craft in putting together scripts,a cast and a crew that can carry off a challenge like this. The concept of a detective solving crimes during a war is in itself a thought-provoking basis for a series. The challenge of balancing right and wrong is integrally woven into each show, and I find myself thinking about moral dilemmas presented in each episode long after watching.

I highly recommend this series for all ages.

An outstanding series.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 14 September 2020]

Foyle's War is up there with Morse, Endeavour and Poirot. This incredible series ran for thirteen years, given us crime during and after World War II. There isn't a single below par episode, nor a dip in quality, just a history of brilliant mysteries, solved by Christopher Foyle and Sam.

Superbly written, Horowitz truly devised a classic, so many incredible episodes, my absolute favourite being the final one, but the likes of The German Woman and They fought in the fields are superb.

The visuals are incredible, terrific sets, costumes and production values. We get stories that make us think what life must have been like during the war, quite brilliant.

Did they end it at the right time? I thin when a series is this good you always wish for just one more episode, however it went out on a high.

Kitchen in perhaps his most accomplished role is captivating throughout.

It's a wonderful series, for my money it's one of the best. 10/10.

A police detective who can't get into government service

[blanche-2 · 10/10 · 9 May 2015]

What to say about this amazing series that puts the viewer in the middle of England before, during, and after World War II.

Michael Kitchen is the widowed Chief Inspector Foyle, an excellent police detective, too old to fight, who wants to get into government service as the country prepares for war. But he's needed at home because yes, even though it's wartime, people are still out murdering.

His team includes a man who lost his leg fighting overseas, Milner (Anthony Howell) and his pert young driver, Sam (Honeysuckle Weeks).

What is unique about this series is the atmosphere and attention to detail in the dialogue as well as in the production. These are people who deal with coupon books, rations, farms conscripted, boys fighting, debilitating injury, bombings, PTSD, lack of food, wealthy people annoyed by the war who leave the city to avoid bombs, profiteering, gas shortages - it's an amazing look at what England suffered. And what they thought - when and if the Americans entered the war, would they help England, for instance. And then the problems when the war is over, and we know England faced lots of those.

It's all the more fascinating because we still tend to glamorize WW II in our country.

Foyle's War completely transports you into this world.

The murder mysteries are fascinating and solved cleverly by the brilliant Foyle, an acute observer. His is not an easy character to warm up to - in fact, you never really do. He doesn't let loose with his emotions, and even when he does, all that happens is that his speech becomes clipped. He's very reserved, even when watching his only son go off to war, and he's a man of few words. But the pain is on his face when he looks at his wife's grave.

Foyle also doesn't hesitate to break the rules. He's loved and respected by his team and those in the station, though.

Michael Kitchen isn't good in this role - he's phenomenal, creating a multilayered character ruled by his brain and his respect for the law, but also with a heart he doesn't show.

As Sam, Honeysuckle Weeks is delightful, young, fast-talking, loyal, and helpful, and what's great is her life changes throughout the years, as does Milner's. Anthony Howell is wonderful as Milner, also with the British reserve as he tries to cope with his disability and, in the beginning, a wife who can't cope with it at all. His life also changes, and so does he.

Truly one of the best series I've ever seen. Don't miss it. The scripts are great, the mysteries are fantastic, and you'll find yourself wrapped up in the English world during very dark days.

First class drama with one nagging flaw

[Bert45 · 7/10 · 10 February 2015]

I was an early fan of Foyle's War, especially Michael Kitchen's portrayal of the title character, which is a master class in fine nuance and understatement. The way Kitchen can convey a wealth of meaning with the slightest glance or change in tone when speaking is wonderful to watch. It's almost as if he was born to play this character. Also, the whole concept of police work having to continue as normally as possible in a time of war is intriguing. In many ways, the job would have been so much harder with the backdrop of war and the resultant shortage of resources and increase in disruption. It was a fine idea from the start. Having said that, I found as the series went on and I began to review earlier episodes that something about it had begun to irritate me, and I eventually realised that it was the way in which most of the other characters - apart from Foyle's own inner circle - were portrayed as uniformly negative. Granted, this is a crime and murder-mystery series, so Foyle is dealing primarily with criminals and red-herring characters. But sometimes, it seems as though the writer Anthony Horowitz wants us to believe everyone in wartime Britain was either rotten to the core or afflicted with moral cowardice. No doubt not everyone displayed the "bulldog spirit" that got the nation through those difficult years - every country at war has its share of defeatists, shirkers and traitors - but Horowitz seemed unwilling to allow that positive determined quality in any of his "guest" characters, whether major or minor in the story. This is especially true of anyone in a position of authority. Just about every single person that Foyle deals with who holds rank or official status is portrayed in varying degrees as arrogant, callous, treacherous, obstructive or incompetent - sometimes a combination of these. It's as though Horowitz wants us to think that either Britain's entire wartime leadership was working against its own national interests or that there was never a sense of righteousness in the fight against Nazism. Foyle's War sometimes seemed to be against his own government and his own superiors. On the odd occasion this might have been a useful plot device, but was it necessary for it to be such a constant theme? I can't help wondering what the motive was for this, but I do know that over time it began to spoil my enjoyment of the show.

One of the best!

[krazylegs88 · 10/10 · 22 February 2009]

My wife and I became obsessed with the British crime series "Midsomer Murders". We've seen all the episodes available. Then my wife latched onto "Foyle's War" and we've become big, big fans of this series also. We agree with everyone about Michael Kitchen's performances and the historical background against which the story unfolds. Everything about this show looks authentic, feels authentic and sounds authentic. Not having lived through that time we are learning so much about the period. We're beginning to learn more about just exactly what England went through during the war by connecting some of these events in a time line. We are looking forward to the possible three new episodes to be filmed in the spring of '09. And we wouldn't mind if the series went on for longer than the war lasted. We let "M*A*S*H" get away with it. This is one series that deserves to be on longer.

Fascinating detective stories...extremely well acted and produced...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 24 April 2007]

I came across this quite by accident and tuned in on a very interesting episode entitled: FOYLE'S WAR II: The Fifty Ships. Very understated but impressive performance by Michael Kitchen as the inspector who looks into the murder of an Englishman in a picturesque London village during World War II.

It's done in the best manner of British mysteries with lots of interesting characters involved in the plot, which never becomes too convoluted or hard to follow (as some of these mysteries tend to do). The doggedly determined Foyle seems to be hounding a certain man he believes is responsible for the murder, although there's a clever plot twist at the end involving America's role in the war as an allie of Great Britain which gives the murderer a way out.

Summing up: Satisfying, handsomely mounted production is a treat for mystery fans.

Shallow

[eigaeye · 4/10 · 19 January 2013]

It is not surprising to find that the creator of this series also had a hand in writing quite a few episodes of "Midsomer Murders", the UK detective series that took implausibility and caricature-melodrama to new depths. The writing and story construction here are rarely better than mediocre – and often worse. The producers assemble a well-known cast of players, and everyone seems to be trying hard, but there are too many howlers in the dialogue, art design and direction to allow the audience to settle into anything like a willing suspension of disbelief. The idea that this offers anything like a realistic portrayal of life in an English coastal town during the Second World War is best left to one side if you are considering tasting this piece of confection.

What an eye-opener

[trextracey · 1 November 2004]

What a great series {so far}. Well done to the cast & all the many others associated/involved with this series. Both my parents were caught up in the war: My Dad was in the RAF, & my mum being nine years younger was evacuated from Portsmouth to an Aunt who lived in the 'country'. I never knew what a 'funk hole' was until watching this series, & when I mentioned it to my Mum, she quite calmly said 'oh yes we all knew about them'. I'm sure others may think that some things are not accurate, but books don't always tell the truth: if ever in doubt ask someone who lived through this time period. Let's hope series three lives up to the other two.

Where would we be without it?

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 13 April 2010]

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by detective dramas. Having grown up with Inspector Morse, Touch of Frost, Taggart and Midsommer Murders, as well as the Agatha Christie adaptations with Joan Hickson and David Suchet(I also enjoy New Tricks, no matter how corny some of it is, it is entertaining), I first heard about this series two years ago. Since then, I have been hooked, I admit it was a little hard to get into at first, but I love the acting and how much visual detail goes into the series. The series really does look amazing, set during the 2nd World War, with beautiful costumes, pretty locations and authentic-looking scenery. The scripts are intelligent, sophisticated and absorbing as you would expect from a talented writer like Anthony Horowitz, and I will say I loved the concept, solving crimes amidst the backdrop of the war, not a bad idea now, is it? And of course, the acting is wonderful, with Michael Kitchen superb as Christopher Foyle, subtle, intense determined and most of all human who asks himself questions that only he can answer. Morse was quite a complex detective as well, more complex than he was in the books I'd say, but he was complex in a different sort of way to Foyle. Anthony Howell is also great as Sergeant Milner, as is the beautiful Honeysuckle Weeks as Sam. Also, the stories are intriguing and multi-layered, yes there may be the odd occasion where a plot point mayn't completely make sense first time, but this is only occasionally. Overall, a truly excellent series, where would we be without it? 10/10 Bethany Cox

The best television show I have ever watched

[pippa-b-26-966539 · 10/10 · 25 August 2013]

I accidentally discovered this TV show, only seeing 5 minutes of a random episode, but I was amazed enough to watch the entire series on Netflix. I was impressed not just by how realistic the show is and how complex the cases were, but also by the acting (especially Michael Kitchen) and writing.

I love how they don't show everyday in the characters' life during the war but that there is a gap of a few weeks or even months between each episode and season. This makes the show realistic as murder would not happen everyday in the small town in Hastings, not even during the Second World War.

I am going to struggle to find a TV show to follow this one and I might just have to watch it all again. I would recommend watching this show, it is brilliant!

It's all in the Character Development

[VReviews · 10/10 · 20 August 2010]

All the story elements are present for an entertaining TV series: WWII era, mystery, personal conflict, British detective intrigue, southern England countryside villages, and authentic costumes. Lay on top of that, outstanding writing (Anthony Horowitz) and acting (Michael Kitchen, Honeysuckle Weeks, Anthony Howell), and you've got "Foyle's War".

Series I consists of four episodes that introduces and then slowly develops the main characters with a subtlety that sets British drama apart. Rather than spelling out the character's personality and back-story quickly, the viewer is given a glimpse into their lives, and then little by little the depth and connections are further developed within each episode.

Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle is the quintessential steady, determined, low key, and close-to-the-cuff British detective whose simple statements belie the thinking behind the man. Kitchen masterfully portrays the nuanced emotions of Foyle through facial, and body motions that are consistently delivered. Samantha 'Sam' Stewart played by Weeks, is perfect as Foyle's driver for her ability to portray the odd mixture of humor, enthusiasm, naiveté and an old soul quality to her character. Howell does a fine job in his portrayal of Detective Sergeant Paul Milner by conveying both the assistant's calm professional diligence and personal melancholy.

Both the mystery to be solved and the personal lives of the characters come together to deliver an enlightened and satisfying portrait of the English home front in the early days of the war.

One of the Best historical dramas I have seen

[wlb · 10/10 · 22 September 2013]

I started watching Foyle's War on the advice of a cinimaphile friend - went though all the wartime episodes and am so enamored with it stayed up until 3 in the morning watching a rerun of episode 1 Season 8 on PBS.

The series is great on 2 levels - first - the crime dramas in each episode are so well written that the screen writing on that alone would make it (or any series) great.

But above that the historical research - from how people acted during the Battle Of Britain - the attitudes of the "Sitzkrieg" - that lull between the time war was declared over the Nazis invading Poland and the Air War - When I found out they were filming more episodes - well, that accounts for my staying up from 01:30 - 03:00. Season 8 deals with the beginning of the Cold War.

Great stuff.

The terrors of nightly bombing raids are only matched by the fear and hysteria of the population at the prospect of the seemingly inevitable German invasion...???

[keith_g · 9/10 · 10 August 2008]

Positively the worst and most misleading summary I have yet seen on IMDb! (Unless I have been completely hoodwinked - I was born just after the war!) According to my knowledge gleaned from various sources and what I have been told over the years, there may have been concerns at the individual level, but there was certainly no mass terror or hysteria displayed as a result of bombings or the prospect of an invasion of the UK, during the darkest days of WW2!

In fact, one thing that is unfailingly depicted throughout the whole, excellent series of Foyles War is the calm control and sangfroid of the main characters that was typical back then, even if it seems to have disappeared somewhat these days. This was exemplified in the way that Foyle managed to winkle out the truth in the various situations he encountered by means of shrewd observation and reasoned deduction, without any trace of unnecessary drama, raised voices or arm-waving and the series is all the better for it - the modern trend in TV/movies that portrays police work as panicky, fraught and highly-charged emotionally is unrealistic (certainly unBritish) and, thankfully, absent in this excellent series.

Anyone who enjoyed tapping into the lost, old-worlde charm of this UK series set during WW2 may well enjoy the equally good (but far funnier) lighthearted but soulful comedy series 'Dad's Army'!

Life during World War 2

[raymond-massart · 8/10 · 3 August 2006]

The main advantage of this series is that it not only gives us a vivid description of life in Britain during World War 2 but also adds all the ingredients that are inherent to good detective stories. The threat of a possible German invasion obviously had an enormous impact on the inhabitants and these aspects are often discarded in many historical accounts of this tragic period. "Foyle's War" concentrates on what really went on in the average person's mind and does not avoid revealing the darker side of human nature in general. Themes such as the undeniable sympathy for Hitler and Nazi Germany that existed in certain aristocratic circles, the growing hatred towards refugees and Jews, the plight of young children who were sent to the countryside in order to avoid the bombings in the major cities and were often worse off than had they stayed with their parents, are touchy subjects which are not avoided in a series that certainly aims at painting a truthful picture. Most episodes are very slow paced as if to illustrate how insignificant a crime committed by an individual basically is compared to the imminent danger of the destruction of a whole nation. This atmosphere of gloom and doom often leads the protagonists to reflect profoundly on the meaning of war and life in general which gives the series an extra dimension.The acting is exquisite and contributes largely to the sense of contained despair that many must have experienced at that time in history.

Brit Whodunits with the backdrop of WWII

[LtDuke75 · 7/10 · 14 June 2018]

Foyle's War is a good intro to a British detective story format. It follows the cases of Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Foyle along the provincial south coast of England. Foyle is an intriguing, complex figure. Stoical, perhaps to a fault, he yet retains a rigid sense of right and wrong and the rule of law as he pursues the bad guys. Smarter than his bosses, he must suffer the typical snubbing that comes from mediocre superiors. Because of the snubbing, he brings his formidable deductive skills to bear on unsuspecting yokel perpetrators who nearly always get nabbed by him. He is joined in his adventures by a pleasant female driver and a somewhat brooding Dunkirk veteran. All three of the primaries are people you come to care about and their lives usually make up part of one of the subplot elements. Each episode usually has three subplots that often get inter spliced during denouement. US viewers will note the lack of car chases, and culminating shoot outs that are standard fare in American crime dramas. These shows wear well with second and third viewings. What wears less well is the tiresome BBC political bias. A pronounced distaste for the British aristocracy, conservatism, nationalism, and over-paid, over-dressed American GIs that are over there is sprinkled liberally throughout the various episodes. Anyone watching BBC, or HBO to take another example, is girded for these invariable skews. Expect it here too. Point it out to young minds as you go along enjoying the ride through this well-crafted reconstruction of the British Homefront during their Finest Hour.

Brilliant Series

[Tthomaskyte · 10/10 · 7 April 2013]

While I believe everyone involved in this series is excellent, I want to concentrate on Michael Kitchen. Unlike some of those who've reviewed here I have followed Kitchen's career for many years. I have seen him in expressive parts, menacing parts, playing to perfection cockney wide boys as well as sensitive, sometimes deceitful, weak-willed characters but I believe this is his most challenging part of all. Here he displays the greatest acting technique. He does so little but conveys so much. He is a consummate actor. One of the only reasons more people do not know anything about him is because he lives his private life in private. I have never seen him give an interview on TV and in the scant press interviews he is involved in, he never discusses his family. He is a master of his craft and allows everyone's judgement to rest entirely on his performance in each role. I salute him.

Pretty good with some anachronisms

[pawebster · 7/10 · 17 February 2007]

Foyle's War has a good and quite believable wartime atmosphere, largely due to the good sets and costumes. The stories are also often good. There are some quite glaring problems, though. One is the anachronistic speech, for which the revered Michael Kitchen is often to blame. He tends towards the dreaded (and very modern) "uptalk" which turns normal statements into seeming questions, as in, "My name's Foyle? I'm a policeman?" His extremely mannered performance is a bit of a trial overall, in my opinion. He manages to make underacting into a kind of overacting.

Some of the phraseology is too modern, too. For example, British people did not talk about the 'train station' until very recent times. It was just called the station, or, in full, the railway station.

Foyle's two sidekicks are better than him. In particular, Honeysuckle Weeks excellently picks up on Deborah Kerr's role as Colonel Blimp's driver Johnny (in the famous 1943 film). She seems exactly in period and lifts the series.

too little is better then too much...

[johnc-20076 · 5/10 · 14 October 2020]

I started watching Foyles war right from the first episode and was initially taken in by both the quality of the acting and the settings, the stories were interesting and believable without being too far fetched or silly, even though it was all a bit contrived, convoluted and dare I say predictable where even the odd little plot twists were telegraphed but it was watchable although there did seem to be a pattern set right from the first episode of 4 or 5 interconnecting sub plots that eventually all come together... I could even forgive the shoehorning of Foyles son into as many episodes as possible but by series 3 or 4 i'd seen enough.. it was all becoming very tedious indeed... I can understand some people lapping this show up, it's safe gentle paced Sunday afternoon viewing, no sex or bad language and Foyle always gets his man in his gentle understated way.. but that's the problem, it becomes as dull as dishwater, you really don't need 30 odd episodes of it... 2 or 3 helpings is enough as it just starts to repeat on you so to speak.. a bit like the storylines...