User reviews

"Alibi" tells of a British businessman who unwittingly kills his wife's lover, is serendipitously befriended by a young woman who provides his alibi, and becomes becomes embroiled in the cover-up, police investigation, discoveries of more sinister malfeasance, domestic issues, and more. Shot in the usual made-for-TV Brit no frills style with nonstop dialogue, this very civilized flick is sufficiently busy and twisty to hold interest for most of the 2.5 hour run. On the upside is a solid cast offering good performances. On the downside is mediocre production value and no subtitles or CC. Probably a worthwhile small screener for those into contemporary Brit dramas. (B-)

Michael Kitchen stars as a struggling businessman who throws a surprise party for his wife on their 19th wedding anniversary. Sophie Okeado is a benefits clerk who moonlights as a waitress and is on duty at the said party. On the way home she realises that her handbag has been left behind, so she returns to collect it and finds Kitchen dragging the body of his dead business partner across the hallway. The weak Kitchen falls apart and breaks down, but Sophie, who is made of much stronger stuff, decides to support him and provide an alibi for the 'accidental death' and subsequent events which unfold. The two main characters are superb and ably supported by Phylis Logan who plays Kitchen's wife. This was originally a three part series, but I watched it one sitting and it was well worth the time. Recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging, but rather hard-to-peg movie. It was part thriller, part drama, part humor, part slice-of-life tale of the trials of marriage and life... Altogether entertaining, however, and the performances were believable and interesting. The two leads are marvelous.

After watching it, I came here to read a bit about it and was so surprised to see that it was 2 1/2 hours long. I never looked up while I was watching it! If you had asked, I would have said 90 minutes. A definite treat if you are looking for something that follows its own path and keeps you thinking and smiling.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

Alibi is a gripping and thoroughly engaging TV movie thriller,with believable characters in believable situations.This is given extra credence thanks to the realistic,down-to-earth performances from the two leads,Michael Kitchen and Sophie Okelondo.They are given no sassy dialogue or outlandish situations to perform with,which,in this instance,has been for the better.The story manages to keep you gripped over it's two part duration,with it's clever and entertaining twists and turns.Be warned,though,as it's not all great.The director allows the pace to drag a bit in parts,there is an unwelcome comedy element spewing over things and the ending is the very definition of anti climatic.Still,it's a very audacious and well made effort for ITV1 to herald,and is well worth catching if you haven't seen it already.***

I enjoyed this even though it was to suspenseful in a way..i think a pure suspense piece. I like Kitchen but his facial mannerisms and expressions are the same.

Marcia was brilliantly acted.

Would you ever imagine Sophie Okonedo doing farce laugh out loud comedy with Michael Kitchen? See Alibi and I dare you not to guffaw. It's dark and slow burning and actually turns into a romance. My only gripe is that there wasn't a sequel. Best thing Paul Abbott has written. He's a genius helped by Hal Lindes understated score, and Catherine Creed's editing. Brilliant!

The plot, characters, dialogue, acting are all very well done. Lots of twists and turns, and you want to know what happens next (always a key ingredient for success). Saw it over 3 nights (Acorn split it into 3 pieces - wisely IMHO). It's sort of a thriller - but not too tense (I no longer have the stomach for 'tense' thrillers), with humor (not LOL type humor, but makes you smile inwardly). Likeable characters.

Albi really does tick all the boxes, it's funny, entertaining, and allows for the cast to show off their incredible acting skills.

The story is a pretty simple one, a woman (Sophie Okonedo) returns to a the home of a man (Michael Kitchen) she had been waitressing at to collect her handbag, but when she arrives she thinks she's seen him kill someone.

ITV turned out some terrific one off dramas in the early 2000's, and this was one of the best. Nowadays we only seem to get series comprising of six parts, I miss these single dramas.

It walks the line between comedy and drama, it's very funny, but there's enough mystery to keep you intrigued. Kitchen and Okonedo are both incredible, they play one off another so well, the supporting cast are equally as good.

Favourite scene has to be where Greg has taken a few valium, and feels a little groggy, very funny.

It should have a commercial UK release. 9/10.

Very, very watchable. I discovered this TV movie 20 years after it first aired.. my loss of course but I am making up for lost time.

Being a Michael Kitchen fan prompted me to find and watch it and, at least to me, I cannot think of any other actor being able to take on the main role and make it work as well as it does - MK is brilliant in it.

Sophie Okonedo is also brilliant as the matching lead role and, once again to me, is utterly believable in her character - the world needs more Marcias!

I think some reviewers found the plot a little odd in that why would this young woman help in the way she does - well I feel it is because she can sense the desperation in the lead character and she feels sorry for him and believes in him.

All the actors did a fantastic job - yes, I suppose I wish the ending was slightly less rushed and we clearly have to make our minds up as to what may follow - being a softie I made my mind up.

Love this TV film - just love it!

I will abstain from rating this 3 part movie because after watching part one I was so annoyed by the fatal plot flaw that I lost interest in watching the rest. The acting was good, the premise intriguing, but, from the beginning, the story revolves around the unlikely assumption that Marcey, the caterer, would put herself at risk by assisting a possible murderer, lying to the police and essentially becoming an accomplice. As the plot unfolds she gets in deeper and deeper ... why??? Why would any reasonable person do that? Sorry, I just couldn't buy it.

Ms. Okonedo is amazing and it is always a pleasure to watch Mr. Kitchen perform.

The premise may seem a bit farfetched at first, but everything clicks into place pretty quickly, and by then there's no looking back. It's entertaining to watch Michael Kitchen, the unflappable DCI from Foyle's War, scurrying around on the wrong side of the law, and Sophie Okonedo is appealing and expressive, as always, as a random cater-waitress who impulsively throws in her lot with him.

We liked the way the protags' backstories and psychological makeup are sketched in subtly, without too much obvious effort at reverse engineering. Sophie O's character and motivation remain a bit of an enigma, but we're left with plenty of clues to sort through when the dust is settled.

It's a rare murder mystery that doesn't lose momentum after the setup is in place, but the script (by Paul Abbott, the creator of the original UK Shameless) certainly keeps things moving, and he wraps things up very neatly in three compact eps.

From 2003, Alibi is a suspense story with dark humor starring Michael Kitchen, Sophie Okenodo, and Phyllis Logan.

Okenodo is Marcey Briggs, a benefits clerical worker by day and a waitress for a catering company by night.

After working an anniversary party for Greg and Linda Briggs (Kitchen and Logan), Marcey has to trudge back to their house to retrieve her handbag.

The house is dark when she arrives. Then she sees Greg dragging a body across the floor.

It turns out it was Greg's business partner, and it was an accident, so Marcey agrees to help Greg set up an alibi.

What Marcey doesn't realize is that Greg is a nervous wreck, nearly jumping out if his skin, unable to concentrate on his business, to the point where Marcey has to give him Valium.

Keeping him together is a 24/7 job.

After seeing Foyle's War, with Kitchen as the quiet, observant, unruffled Foyle, he is an absolute riot here.

There is tension as well as surprises to be had. The scene where neighbors attempting to keep Michael and Linda apart while they're fighting is priceless.

The channel shows repeats of Death in Paradise. The originals on BBC were all one hour long. On Alibi they are also one hour long but include adverts. Alibi edit the program and remove sections of the program (often the dialogue between the Inspector and his team following the identification of the murderer. Occasionally, Alibi shows the programmes unedited as a 1h20m duration.