Playback

The two-timing president of an electronics firm uses his expertise in electronic gadgetry to bump off his mother-in-law who has had enough of his wasteful and philandering ways.

A very well-devised Columbo story; Oskar Werner plays a confident, cold-blooded murderer which is fully evident in his excellent portrayal.

The set-up for the murder is fascinating: the script never complicates the story and is clever in using various elements of the electronic gadgetry (not all involved in the murder) to yield Columbo's clues. This is extremely ironic given that the murderer is certain that the hi-tech, modernised equipment in his house will allow him to commit the perfect murder.

The pacing of this adventure is well-judged, the performances are efficient and the conclusion is very thoughtfully executed - the murderer's wife is on hand to confirm that what she can see on the taped version of the murder is the clinching piece of evidence.

Highly recommended - if you haven't seen a Columbo adventure before, this will highlight what you've been missing and it is very representative of the quality of the series as a whole.

Columbo has always been a favourite, it is a lot of fun and very clever. Playback is one of my favourites of the series, alongside Any Old Port in A Storm, A Stitch in Crime, Ashes to Ashes, Etude in Black, By Dawn's Early Light, Blueprint for Murder and How to Dial a Murder. The story is somewhat simple, but because of how intriguing it actually is, how satisfying the ending is and how well the playback worked it was effective in its simplicity. The script is full of suspense and humour, the production values are striking, the music is haunting and adds so much to both the setting and the atmosphere and the direction is adept. The acting is wonderful, Peter Falk continues to be a joy as Columbo apart from his rather fake sneezing and Oskar Werner is very smooth, sleazy and edgy, in short one of the more interesting Columbo murderers. I also think Playback has one of the better supporting casts of the series, Gene Rowlands is excellent and Martha Scott is wonderfully nasty. Overall, classic Columbo and one of my favourites, always was and will continue to be so. 10/10 Bethany Cox

In this episode Peter Faulk is in great form, as always. And the villain of the week, Oskar Werner, turns a decent performance as well. But for me the real icing on the cake was the performance of Gena Rowlands, who in her role plays the 'innocent audience' (the audience that did not see the opening of the show), as she observes Columbo slowly peel back Werner's alibi and reveal the real perpetrator of her mothers death.

Notice how low key this beautiful, powerful, award winning actress (and wife of John Cassavetes) plays her part. Even with a relatively few number of lines to recite, Gena does not over compensate with on screen affectations in order to get the camera's attention. She is totally understated, and carries out the role almost solely with facial expressions, and of course the well timed flow of tears at the climax of the episode when her character is faced with the undeniable truth she has lost a husband as well as a mother. What a Greek tragedy!

Yes, Gena was the glue sealing the credibility of the story and allowing us, the real audience, to suspend our disbelief and take a nice ride on the murder train. Thank you Gena!

This is one of the best Columbo episodes, with a tightly wound plot, beautiful pacing, and excellent acting from the guest star. Oskar Werner plays an electronics expert who has completely outfitted his house with gadgetry to help his wheelchair-bound wife. His clever plan to murder his interfering mother-in-law and to use a delayed videotape of the murder to establish his alibi seems to be working, until Lt. Columbo starts looking into the case. The unique plot technique of showing the murder and then watching the subsequent investigation gives the viewer the strange experience of identifying with the murderer. Like the killer, we know all the facts ahead of the police, and begin to feel the same anxiety and tension as the net closes in. The climax of this movie is wonderful, as the killer is trapped with the very technology he has set up to establish his innocence.

My favorite Columbo for so many reasons. Oscar Werner is one of his best adversaries - note the wonderful way he refuses to accept he has been caught and that his fool-proof plan was thwarted by a simple human frailty - carelessness. Gena Rowlands, though restricted by her wheelchair bound role, nevertheless acts as a streak of goodness running against the machinations of her husband. Look at the way she is displayed in flowing robes and long blonde hair, almost angelic.

The real strength of this episode lies in the denouement. 99% of the time we root for Columbo to outwit the murderer but here there is no winner. Gena Rowlands has neither a mother nor a husband at the end, as Werner led is away for incarceration, but there is no victory in Columbo's face, only a deep empathetic resignation and an underlining of what is the true cost when people commit the most heinous of crimes.