In for a Murder

Beautifully photographed film from Poland, listed as a comedy.

It really isn't strictly a comedy, but it has humor. The main character is Magda (Magda Smolowik) discovers a body while walking her dog. Her ex-boyfriend is the detective in charge of the case. She considers herself an amateur detective due to all the Agatha Christie books she's read so she basically drives him nuts.

It seems like wherever he goes to conduct an interview, she's there and tries to hide. Quite funny.

Later there is another murder.

The mystery is around a necklace worn by not only the victims but Magda's friend who disappeared years earlier. The necklace has the initial of each woman.

On the home front, Magda has a bad marriage and a controlling husband whom she realizes is cheating as a result of her work on the case.

The acting is good, I loved the scenery and homes, but this didn't hold my interest. Magda is a likable character, but the mystery wasn't enough.

This is Polish version of Pink Panther series in the 60s and 70s, in a nostalgic way. In W JAK MORDERSTWO (2021), the police officer is the replica of Jacques Clouseau. However, he is just the appearance of Jacques Clouseau. The real, inner part of Jacques Clouseau is our heroine here. (It's obvious. The clue? The ringtone of her phone is, yes, Pink Panther's theme.)

What's more interesting about this movie is that the protagonist is more than the nosy, slipshod, kindhearted inspector in Pink Panther. She is actually the fragile girl (in the form of a wife/mother) in SHIRLEY VALENTINE (1989). Being mistreated by people around her, she propels herself in search for redemption of her life. From this angle, WJM is bittersweet, uplifting, as well as entertaining.

The music department has done an excellent job. Whoever responsible is wonderfully Henry Mancini-an. Great to listen to his style of music in modern day cinema after he perished a quarter of century ago.

While in a similar vein to a lot of the "cozy mystery" type TV mysteries and book adaptations, this one is definitely an upgrade on your typical Hallmark Mystery, light-entertainment iterations.

The lead character is smart but a bit zany, and is clearly wasted on being a housewife. The supporting characters are all "types", but not in a way that is annoying - her husband is a slimy jerk, the police detective is a lovable dork, the veterinarian who offers her a job is sexy and supportive, and her best friend (the policeman's sister) is quirky and blunt, and always seems to be waving fans around (but this actually pays off in the end). There's also a guru-type mystic man who has a more redeeming story-arc than I was expecting.

As a mystery fan (pun intended) myself, I was impressed by the plot. It made sense (to me - not sure why another reviewer called the story weak...) but wasn't too easy to figure out before the end. It's not exactly groundbreaking stuff but it was a lot better than it could have been.

Overall, this is an enjoyable and entertaining mystery for when you're in the mood for a light and fairly comedic outing of the genre. I was going to give it a 7/10 but feel the need to offset some of the unnecessarily harsh ratings.

But who is, am I right? That aside, if you are into crime and whodunnit movies ... trying to figure out, what happened, who is the culprit and actually guilty ... well you are in for a treat with this movie. It's not great but it is funny and light overall. And it has quite the charismatic lead character.

Of course you may feel different about her, but overall I think most will take a liking to her. That being said, if you find her annoying, the movie won't work either. Her character is meant to be a certain way - all in the name of entertainment and fun of course. Not great by any account, but fun if you let it be.

It's a very well done "light" who-done-it that cleverly uses a number of conventions of Hollywood films of the fifties. The cinematography is excellent with some really beautifully constructed scenes. Anna Smolowik as Magda is wonderful as is Pavel Domagala (Jacek), Przemyslav Stippa (Tomasz) and the supporting cast. Congratulations to the entire team that brought this entertaining and well-crafted film to Netflix!