If there’s one flaw, it’s the lack of closure. To me, “Quiz Show” is a perfect movie that got overshadowed by titans like “Forrest Gump,” “Pulp Fiction” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” Even if “Quiz” doesn’t rival Redford’s masterpiece, director Stephen Frears (“Dangerous Liaisons,” “The Queen”) plants seeds of foreshadowing, like Tecwen coughing the first time he meets Adrian. Macfadyen delivers a performance reminiscent of Ralph Fiennes’ Charles Van Doren battling John Turturro’s Herb Stempel in “Quiz Show.” Each faced a high-angle morality moment of truth as Turturro debated whether to intentionally tank his trivia question (Best Picture 1955: “Marty”), while Fiennes debated whether to give a predetermined answer. Charles is painted as a reluctant anti-hero, the one who least wanted to be involved at the beginning yet the one who becomes the media focus.

It’s she who tries to work out a system where her brother will call in the correct answers on his cellphone, but that too fails due to a lack of cellphone signal.įinally, she convinces her husband Charles (Matthew Macfadyen, “Pride & Prejudice”) to take the seat, working out a signal with Tecwen Whittock (Michael Jibson, “1917”) to cough during the right answers. Once Adrian fails to win the big prize, the criminal hopes turn to his sister Diana Ingram, played by Sian Clifford (“Fleabag”) with cold eyes and determined manor beneath shady turtle necks. Turns out, he’s using an underground network of trivia researchers and even practicing on a homemade replica of the game show buzzer box.

We also see the evolution of the criminal plot, starting with Trystan Gravelle (“Exile”) as the obsessed Adrian Pollock, who draws suspicion by advancing to the preliminary lightning round numerous times. Business & Finance Click to expand menu.

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