User reviews

"Murder by Death" is a comic murder-mystery done in absolute lunacy. I mean this is one screwball comedy that made me laugh out loud quite often. And yet, there are so many confusing moments that I didn't know what on earth was going on. It seems that writer Neil Simon was trying to complicate moviegoers with his screenplay to this movie which pays homage to detectives of old classic movies such as Charlie Chan, Miss Marple, Sam Spade, and Hercule Poirot. In "Murder by Death", a mysterious man invites the 5 greatest detectives to his home for "dinner and a murder" as he describes it. An all-star cast is featured here and all of them are very funny. The best: Peter Sellers in the Charlie Chan take-off. Sellers is of course best known for playing the inept Inspector Clouseau in the "Pink Panther" movies, but his role here as Chinese detective Sidney Wang is a hoot. He made me laugh the hardest. Just looking at him made me laugh. The way he talked made me laugh. He's naturally funny everytime he's on screen. Also funny: the great Sir Alec Guinness as a blind butler. I thought he was supposed to be a serious actor! I don't think I've ever seen Guinness in a movie comedy, but he makes the most of his character here. He comes second behind Sellers in the laugh department in "Murder by Death". Two other funny performances are turned in by James Coco and James Cromwell ("Babe" and "L.A. Confidential") as the Hercule Poirot sendoff and his chauffeur. It's funny to watch a younger Cromwell here speaking with a bad European accent. David Niven, Maggie Smith, Peter Falk, Eileen Brennan, Elsa Lanchester, and Nancy Walker also register laughs too. But the most downright goofiest character in "Murder by Death" is the host orchestrating this crazy game, played by Truman Capote. He's very funny too. Another major factor in the film are the sets of the old mansion the movie takes place in. They're marvelous. But at times the story gets real complicated and seems to get parts dislocated. It bothered me a little the first time I saw this. Now I just sit back and let the movie play on. Neil Simon intended on this to be a crazy comedy and in that way he succeeded. "Murder by Death" is all-in-all a very enjoyable movie.

*** (out of four)

This is an utterly hilarious parody, spoofing detective stories. Much of the humor is verbal, some of it relies on stereotypes and such related (mainly) to the crime story genre. Some of the humor is a tad dirty, and a bit of it is quite dark. Personally, I loved it, but if you have anything against such humor, you may want to skip this one. It doesn't try too hard to make you laugh. The laughs roll in quite naturally, as it parodies a few of the most well-known fictional detectives; Agatha Christie's Mrs. Marble, among others. The setting is one typical to detective stories, and the atmosphere is simply perfect. The plot is very good, and develops nicely while still remaining interesting. The pacing is mostly flawless, but it seemed to lose momentum some, around the last third. The acting is all good, especially from Alec Guinness, Peter Falk and Peter Sellers. One wouldn't expect particularly good performances in a comedy, but this manages. The film is well thought out and equally well-executed. The only thing I didn't like, was that the ending, or maybe the entire third half of the film seemed a bit anticlimactic. At this point, all the action is done, and we're just waiting to find out who's behind it all. The very end is quite good though, a very funny and entertaining twist to say the least. And everything leading up to it is incredibly funny. The characters, while admittedly based somewhat on stereotypes, are all entertaining and each have their own shtick; among them are Milo Perrier, the perpetually hungry and ridiculously sensitive Frenchman, and the *very* British Dick Charleston, played to perfection by David Niven, and last but most definitely not least, Sam Diamond(Peter Falk, doing his Columbo thing), borrowing from noir and Bogart, complete with nonsensical, lengthy rants. I recommend this to anyone into detective movies and/or spoofs. Do keep the humor I mentioned early in the review in mind when considering whether or not to watch. 8/10

This popular charade deals with a fistful of famed stars incarnating notorious detectives . By the time the world's greatest detectives work out whodunit, you could die laughing! Five famous literary detective characters and their sidekicks are invited to a bizarre mansion full of secret passages and spinning rooms to solve an even stranger mystery , as James Coco as Milo Perrier who looks like Hercules Poirot (by Agatha Christie), as Peter Falk as Sam Diamond who looks like Sam Spade , Elsa Lanchester as Jessica Marbles similarly to Mistress Marple , David Niven as Dick Charleston as Nick Charles (created by Dashiell Hammett, whose Nick Charles and Sam Spade were the basis), Peter Sellers as Sidney Wang or Charlie Chan (written by Earl Derr Biggers). They are received by a blind butler played by Alec Guinness as Bensonmum and the eccentric millionaire Lionel Twain performed by Truman Capote invites them to dinner , offering one million to the one who can resolve the night's killing . As the popular characters must unravel a night of murder at a spooky country house , including a blind butler, a deaf-mute maid (Nancy Walker) . Exactly at midnight, a killing is going to take place.

This rendition of a Neal Simon's novel in an entertaining and fun spoof of Agatha Christie , specially from books titled ¨Ten little Indians¨and ¨And then there were none¨ . Neil Simon remained on the set to take care of re-writes, as he did with this picture's sequel, The Cheap Detective. Simon took such a shine to Alec Guinness during the picture's production that he told him if he did not like anything in the film, he'd immediately rewrite it for him, but Guinness assured him it was great fun for him. The screenplay is funny and high quality in which it's not difficult to work out on which murder-solvers each of them is modeled ; furthermore , stands up Alec Guinnes as a botcher and hyperactive blind butler and a suitable eccentric James Coco as Poirot lookalike and Nancy Walker's last movie , ironic in that she does not utter a single word throughout the entire film. In the opening credits, each character's eyes move except for Peter Falk's (which may be an in-joke reference to his glass eye), and Alec Guinness's blind butler . It is in fact an amusing imitation of Crime Story including enjoyable and sympathetic performances by the entire cast . Well-known actors have the famous sleuths at large in a sinister country mansion , then appears amusement and entertainment , as all of them running around and taking place murders , who's the killer? . The entire cast seems to be subsisting on sugar with wild eyes and frenetic movements the order of the day . You'll enjoy enormously the impersonations of legendary detectives of cinema and fictions . Lively and fun musical score by Dave Grusin . Evocative and colorful cinematography by David Walsh. The motion picture was well directed by Robert Moore . Rating : Better than average . Followed by another hammy spoof titled ¨Clue¨(1985) a pale imitation of the earlier parody , being directed by Jonathan Lynn with Tim Curry , Christopher Lloyd , Lesley Ann Warren and Madeline Khan .

This movie is a wonderful example of what you can achieve when you combine a great script with a fantastic cast. It is one of the great comic ensemble films, ranking up there along with Its a Mad, Mad, Mad World and Clue. I have loved this film since I first saw it back in the 70s and still find it just as funny today. I had hoped for sometime that a special DVD would be released to mark this film and allow us to know more about how it was made and hear comments from the surviving cast. Sadly, the DVD does have a great interview with Neil Simon, but nothing else. I was also disappointed to see absent missing scenes, especially the one showing Sherlock Holmes showing up at the end. Still, it was great to retire my dogeared video tape.

Amazingly funny, witty and intriguing throughout. I loved Miss Marbles and the Maid provided the funniest moment in the entire film. I loved the ending, it didn't make sense but it was still awesome!!!

The characters were amazing, especially Milo Perrier and Jessica Marbles but I can't stop laughing about how amazing the character of Inspector Wang was. If you ever see this on TV, WATCH IT because it will leave you feeling so good about everything.

This is probably one of the best movies of the '70s and needs more recognition, because everything about it was funny and clever.

Lionel Twain was good but evil but confusing.....Aggh I don't know what to say about his character, but the butler creeped me out and cracked me up from the moment I saw him.

Eccentric millionaire Lionel Twain (Truman Capote) invites five of the world's greatest detectives, each allowed one guest, to dinner and a murder. Can the detectives, who turn out to be even more eccentric, stop the murder before it happens, and solve it if it does?

I first saw this film as a kid in 1976 with my parents at the theater. Although I could remember I liked it at the time, I hadn't seen it since, and it was at best a vague memory. I certainly didn't remember it being so hilarious and entertaining. Written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore, Murder By Death is a very funny spoof of some of literature/filmdom's most famous detectives, set in a beautifully designed, creepy mansion, and at times, becoming a fine mystery film in its own right.

The jokes fly by very quickly and range from subtle to over-the-top, so attentiveness is required, and multiple viewings are rewarded. The cast is incredible, as you should expect by combining such luminaries as Peter Sellers, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, James Coco and David Niven.

A comic masterpiece--10 out of 10 from me.

An eccentric millionaire (Played brilliantly by Capote) invites the world's greatest detectives to a dinner and offers $1 million to the one who can solve the murder. An entertaining though somewhat uneven comedy that exposes the things about the mystery novels that drive its readers crazy A great ending also On a scale of one to ten..7

An all-star cast, superb dialogue, effective lighting and editing, great production design, and interesting costumes rev up the technical quality of this cinematic spoof of literary whodunits. An eccentric genius named Lionel Twain (Truman Capote) invites the world's five greatest fictional detectives to a dinner party, at which time someone will be murdered. The detective who solves the crime first gets $1 million.

Everything in this film, from the acting to the sound effects to the plot ... is deliciously exaggerated ... hence the humor. For example, mystery readers accept that Hercule Poirot and Charlie Chan are so observant as to spot the most obscure clue, which conveniently points to the solution of the puzzle. In "Murder By Death" writer Neil Simon exaggerates that gambit. A guest detective draws the most outlandish conclusion from the most irrelevant fact, which in turn is shot down by another guest detective who points out the flaws, and then proceeds to do exactly the same thing.

The dialogue is marvelous. In one scene the blind butler serves non-existent soup from an empty bowl, to which Miss Marbles (Elsa Lanchester) protests: "Murder by starvation, maybe that's his game". In another scene, Inspector Perrier (James Coco) reads from a list, and then concludes: "Everything here has been rented for tonight". Miss Marbles responds in a melodramatic voice: "You mean?" "Yes", answers Perrier momentously: "this entire murder has been -- catered".

And then there's the scene wherein Sam Diamond (Peter Falk) ruminates: "I don't get it; first they steal the body and leave the clothes; then they steal the clothes and bring the body back. Who would do a thing like that?" To which Dick Charleston (David Niven) responds in a serious tone: "Possibly some deranged dry cleaner".

The film's casting is wonderful. Truman Capote may not be much of an actor, but he brings to the film a personality that is appropriately eccentric. My only problem is that the amount of screen time for the cast is uneven ... too much for Peter Falk and Peter Sellers, and not enough for Elsa Lanchester, who arrives late.

"Murder By Death" is a wonderful film classic that still holds up thirty years after it was made. The film conveys no heavy-duty political or social "message", no great insight into the human condition. But when you're in the mood for lighthearted, escapist entertainment that provides some laughs, this film is a great choice.

I saw "Murder by Death" recently, in a back-to-back with "The Cheap Detective", both Neil Simon scripts that were written directly for film and both spoofs of particular film genres. "Murder by Death" is the superior of the two, although considering my low opinion of Neil Simon, superior here means watchable on a rainy day.

This is a sendup of the distinctly styled Agatha Christie whodunits, the sort on which the game of Clue was based (Colonel Mustard did it in the kitchen with a revolver). The five greatest detectives in the world (Sam Spade, Charlie Chan, Nick and Nora Charles, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot) are invited to the home of Lionel Twain (get it?) to solve a murder that has not been committed but will be before midnight. Twain is out to prove that he, and not they, is the greatest detective in the world and tries to stump them all. The price to the winner: one million dollars. But when Twain himself turns up as the victim, the game is really on.

Peter Falk gets to do his Bogart imitation again (although this movie precedes "Cheap Detective") and comes off a lot better. Simon writes Sam Spade with a twist- he is a crude lout, openly rude and insulting to the other guests. ( Twain: "I'm the greatest detective in the world. I'm number one!" Spade: "You look a little like number two to me, if you know what I mean.") It's a subtle shade in characterization that goes a long way in getting laughs. Peter Sellers is terrific as the Charlie Chan character, spouting off absurd proverbs and profundities, David Niven and Maggie Smith are acceptably droll as Nick and Nora, and Alec Guinness does a nice turn as a blind butler. Falk and Sellers absolutely steal the movie, as does Truman Capote, in his one and only film, as the redoubtable Twain, he has one great scene that nearly brings the film to a halt. The weak link in the cast is Jimmy Coco as Poirot, who is just plain ham-acting instead of bringing out a natural humor from within the character. His pathetic comic French makes Inspector Clouseau sound like DeGaulle.

The screenplay has the requisite twists and turns, and then some, until the murderer is finally revealed, or is he? It's an amusing ride, although some great performances beat Neil Simon's jokes by a country mile. And, by the way, why wasn't Clouseau invited? It's not like Peter Sellers hasn't played multiple roles in a film before. 3 *** out of 4

An amazing ensemble cast who must have all had their tongues most firmly planted in their cheeks to produce their performances in this highly amusing murder mystery spoof.

By incorporating plots and characters from your favourite classic crime genres and gently poking fun at them all it is both funny and comfortingly familiar.

So if you want great visual gags (blind butler, deaf maid), superb one liners (especially from Maggie Smith & David Niven) and to escape for 90 minutes back into the gentler, less realistic Golden Age of Crime then you need look no further.

If only there were outtakes.

The first half of this is laugh-aloud funny. Assuming you have seen the originals, the spoofs of these beloved fictional detectives are a joy. Peter Falk deservedly gets most screen time as a Bogart-like Sam Spade type. David Niven and Maggie Smith are never without a cocktail as the urbane Dick and Dora Charleston. Peter Sellers' costuming is a bit over the top, and not Chanlike at all, but Sellers cannot help but be funny in any part he plays. James Coco hams up the Poirot character, apparently unsure whether he is French or Belgian. Elsa Lanchester could have been left out of the cast with small loss. Truman Capote is embarrassing in a part that calls for Vincent Price. The second half of the movie where they all do their "detecting" and "solve" the murder falls down badly.

I will make myself out to be a lover of films with absolutely no point, i especially love this film. The cast alone should make this a film on everyones watch list, never before has so much quality been brought together on one screen. Peter Sellars, at the height of his comic brilliance. Sir Alec Guiness, brilliant in any role, a credit to English acting, possibly the greatest ever actor. David Niven is a brilliant actor, then there are the other roles filletted out with the likes of Dame Maggie Smith, James Coco, Peter Falk, i could go on but i am running out of superlatives to describe the talent on view.

The film itself is a pastiche of great detectives brought together to prove, who is the greatest? Added to the good script the talent of the actors, i am surprised the IMDb has rated this film so low, but i must accept that there are people on this earth, though inferior to me who are allowed to vote.

Watch it, it is worth it.

"Murder By Death" is a very silly and often stupid film. Now this is NOT meant as criticism--just an observation about the type of humor in the film. So, if you are looking for an arty or sophisticated film, then you should definitely not watch this film! But, if you can simply watch and accept it as it is, then you probably will have a nice time watching.

The film begins with several detectives being invited to Mr. Twain's house. All the guests are caricatures of literary and movie detectives--such as Miss Marple, Sam Spade, Charlie Chan and the like. All are played rather broadly--again, this WAS the intention of the filmmakers. Their host (Truman Capote) then enters in a VERY dramatic fashion and challenges them all to solve a murder that is ABOUT TO HAPPEN! What's next is, naturally, nonsensical and silly....but who cares? Overall, the film is filled with bad jokes, puns and a few genuine laughs. It's not brilliant by any means but it will most likely make you laugh. And, for that reason, it's well worth your time provided you can enjoy such a fantastically stupid film!

By the way, the ultra-politically correct might blanch at some of the film's humor--such as the blind butler (Alec Guinness) and the Chinese detective (Peter Sellers). It's all in fun but with today's changing sensibilities, you may want to avoid showing it to your friends and family members as there is a lot to potentially offend.

With such a distinguished cast I had reasonable expectations for this one, but on the whole it's just not funny. The jokes involve a blind butler, a deaf maid, racial stereotypes etc. Most of it made me groan rather than laugh.

The main characters are send ups of classic detectives, including Ms. Marples, Chan, Poirot, the hard bitten American PI and an English upper class type. The performances are reasonable as you'd expect from such an ensemble, but the script is poor in the extreme. It's saddening to see such a cast wasted on such drivel.

If you enjoy watching simple send ups being stupid, you might get something out of this, but Clue was better, and that's not saying much. Not recommended.

Peter Sellers as an old wise-guy Chinese man already has me laughing. 'Murder by Death' is a brilliant spoof of murder/mystery. I was at first reluctant to sit down and watch it because I am not a fan of mystery, but when it was finished my sides were still hurting. It was so over-the-top ridiculous you can't help but laugh. Between the blind butler, deaf and mute cook, and disgustingly confusing conclusion I think I will always think of this film when I hear the words murder or mystery. It is appealing on so many levels as well. There is physical comedy, witty remarks, incredibly stupid traps and escapes, and hilarious characters. I would recommend this film to anyone and everybody, those who like mystery and those who don't because everyone can laugh at it.

One of the most fun movies I've ever watched but I liked it better 20 years ago, frankly, than today. In a recent viewing, it seemed a bit sleazier than I had remembered. Nonetheless, it still has tons of laughs.

This film has one of my all-time favorite characters: Sidney Wang, played by Peter Sellers. The late English actor did a fabulous job of imitating Charlie Chan. He is the highlight among a very talented cast that includes Peter Falk, David Niven, James Coco, Elsa Lanchester, Alec Guinesses, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker and Truman Capote.

Today, the character oddest for me to view is a young Cromwell who speaks with a French accent! I've never seen him in any role remotely resembling this. The other actors play roles typical of them, such as Niven and Smith's dapper "Thin Man" couple and Falk's, Columbo/Mike Hammer-style American detective.

This a spoof of all the great detectives and the story has a purposely exaggerated amount of twists, particularly at the end....but, despite some of the typical crude 1970s type sexual innuendos, it provides entertainment start-to-finish with absolutely no lulls. It's a classic!

I thought Murder by Death was very funny. It reminded me of the movie Blazing Saddles. Both films are politically incorrect and very likely could not be made today, and both films are hilarious. All the way through the movie I was both laughing and also well aware that it would likely invoke protests today. For starters, there was a white actor playing an Asian man, a sighted actor playing a blind person, and a straight actor playing a gay man. All in fun and all of it probably politically unacceptable today, unfortunately.

The bottom line is, it was a fun, comedy romp. If you are a stickler for the most recent standards of politically correctness, then you'd better pass on Murder by Death, but if your funny bone overpowers such things, or you live with mid-1970s sensibilities, then you need to see Murder by Death.

For a time during the 1970s writer Neil Simon was so hot that his name alone was enough to ensure box office success--and one of the results of that fame was MURDER BY DEATH, a parody of murder mysteries of earlier decades.

The concept is quite clever, bringing together celebrated detectives of fiction and film: Dick and Dora Charleston (based on Nick and Nora Charles of the celebrated THIN MAN films); Milo Perrier and Jessica Marbles (Hercules Poriot and Jane Marple of Agatha Christie's celebrated novels); Sidney Wang and son Willie (Charlie Chan and son of the fondly remembered film series); and Sam Diamond (Sam Spade of THE MALTESE FALCON.) Each has been invited for an overnight party at the home of the eccentric Lionel Twain--but upon arrival their hosts seals the mansion and informs them that a vicious murder will occur at midnight. Can the world's greatest detectives solve their way out of this one? The casting is inspired, particularly so re Lionel Twain, who is played by Truman Capote, an individual every bit as eccentric as the character he plays. David Niven and Maggie Smith do the honors as Dick and Dora; James Coco and the ever-memorable Elsa Lanchester appear as Perrier and Miss Marbles; Peter Sellers dons Asian attire for Inspector Wang; and Peter Faulk runs wild as tough-talking Sam Diamond. Alec Guiness, Nancy Walker, Eileen Brennar, and Estelle Winwood also offer memorable support. The dialogue is quite clever, referencing the various source material of the characters, and is quite often laugh-out-loud funny in its absurdity.

What is not particularly interesting is the plot. After a certain point the film becomes distinctly one-note, and to describe the conclusion as unfortunate would be an understatement; indeed, it would be difficult to say that the film has any conclusion at all. Even so, the performers make it a fun affair, and it will particularly appeal to murder mystery fans who recall the original characters fondly. The DVD offers a choice of pan-and-scan or widescreen, trivial notes, and more interestingly a brief interview with Simon himself. Don't expect too much of it and you'll enjoy it quite a bit.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This is arguably one of my all time favourite films. A dream cast, a hilarious script and a cracker of an idea make for what is utter comedy gold! When you have Peter Falk, Peter Sellers, Alec Guiness, Maggie Smith, David Niven how could you fail?? Every member of the cast delivers their lines with slick brilliance. Which detective will prevail as the best, and who will solve the crime? It is impossible to pick out the funniest bits as there are so many. Estelle Winwood is sensational as Jessy Marble's Nurse and has some side splitting moments, incredible to think she was nearly 90. Nancy Walker's silent screaming too, brilliance. If I had to pick standout performance it would be Sir Alec Guiness, he is utterly sensational, when he takes on the different persona's at the unravelling of the murderer scene he is a true joy to watch, genius.

Loved it. So weird and quirky. Probably helps that I've read a lot of the mysteries they're mocking. Is it PC? No. It's from the 70s. Almost nothing pre 2010 is PC. Calm down.

Murder By Death is not a murder mystery. It is barely a spoof. It is, however, an homage to the writers, performers and producers of those trustworthy detective movies of the 40's and 50's. Neil Simon trucks out the gallant cliches of the film noire and presents them in the context of a gathering of the finest detectives from film and literature.

Don't look for realism, rationale thought or logical sleuthing. You won't find it here. You will find one liners, silly scenes and a thoughtful thanks to those early mystery writers who gave us Sam Spade, Nick and Nora, Miss Marple and Charlie Chan. By the way, to truly appreciate this movie, it helps to be familiar with "the Thin Man", "Casablanca", "Murder on the Orient Express" and most of those other glorious films of the 40's.

Let your expectations fly away, sit back and listen to the banter. Murder By Death plays like a radio drama with silly twists, fabulous characters and a little whimsy.