Any Old Port in a Storm

Donald Pleasence stars as Adrian Carsini, a wealthy wine connoisseur and merchant about to be awarded a man-of-the-year award from his colleagues that is disrupted by the ill-timed arrival of his half-brother(played by Gary Conway) who plans on selling the vineyard to hated rivals, prompting Adrian to hit him over the head, then locking him in his wine vault to be disposed of later. Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) is brought in to investigate the missing man, but whose supposed accidental death at sea doesn't convince Columbo, who reluctantly targets the otherwise likable Carsini, whose beloved wines are the key to his arrest. One of the best episodes has a superb performance by Pleasence creating the first real "sympathetic" murderer, and though the plot isn't quite airtight, is still very entertaining.

This is by far the best episode of Columbo. A pure pleasure. Several others are very good but not quite in the same league as this one. I think the key to it's greatness is Donald Pleasence. Of all his roles before or after, this is his finest hour. The restaurant scene towards the end is pure magic. The interplay between Columbo and Pleasence is pure genius. Every time this comes on TV I tell myself I'll change the channel soon, but I always watch it until the end.. It is that good.

Adrian Carsini loves his wines and has both made and lost a fortune buying and selling expensive and famous wines. However his brother Enrico wants to make money from the family business by increasing production and selling lower quality wines but in bulk. Trapped and facing losing his beloved work, Adrian explodes into a rage and hits Enrico with a lamp. Using a trip to New York as an alibi, Adrian hides the body and, on his return dumps him in the ocean and makes it look like a scuba-diving accident. Columbo gets involved because missing persons manage to dodge the case but, rather than wonder why it is his job, Columbo finds one or two details just failing to make sense.

As with many TV film series (such as Perry Mason), if you like one or two of them then you'll pretty much like them all. This entry in the Columbo series pretty much follows the usual formula – we know the killer and the "perfect" plan but then watch Columbo follow his hunch and gradually starts to pick holes in the story he is told before eventually finding enough to prove his suspicions. Knowing this ahead of time won't ruin anything for you; it is simply what happens in all the films. With this strict adherence to formula it is usually down to several factors whether or not the Columbo film stands out or if it is just average. Having watched a couple of the "new" Columbo films recently, I was glad to return to the vintage fold to find that the formula was all very much in place here. The story opens with a sudden moment of rage that is different from the usual plans in the series. The way Columbo gets involved is a bit contrived but from here on in it all works really well – the reasons why Adrian become the focus are played out in a great scene where Adrian says things that don't ring true and a close-up shot of Columbo shows us the confusion growing within him. The mystery builds well and moves easily and professionally – being enjoyable from start to finish.

Falk is the reason his character has become so well known and, as always, he is spot on. Whether playing the simple characteristics or allowing more complex thoughts to come across on his face, it is a typically strong performance. He is helped by having a director in Penn who understands where Falk is and how to best capture it on film. Pleasence is a typical piece of class and his performance works really well whether he is blowing up, slyly playing with Columbo or finding himself trapped. It is a strong performance that stands out as one of the stronger of the series. As usual the support cast are less important but Harris is good in a minor role as Adrian's secretary even if Jillson and Conway are only par for the course.

Overall a typically strong entry in the series that deserves the repeated bad puns made on this site about it being a "vintage". The story is clever and well delivered while the performances are very good where it counts (the lead two) and are helped by a director that seems to understand what it is all about.

ANY OLD PORT IN A STORM is the greatest of all the Columbo TV movies that I've been watching recently as it's just the perfectly-made episode. It features an excellent and humble performance from Peter Falk as the investigating detective and a wonderful guest star in the form of Donald Pleasence, who brings warmth, quirkiness, and humour to his role. It has everything you'd want from a Columbo story and more besides.

The storyline involves the fussy owner of a winery who prides himself on his ability to sniff out and collect only the very best wines. Unfortunately he's saddled with a younger half-brother who plans to sell the business for his own ends, and the winery owner isn't about to let that happen. A moment of rage is followed by a carefully-considered plan to make murder look like an accident, but will Columbo be fooled?

We all know where this story is going, but ANY OLD PORT IN A STORM features wonderful scripting, the great solving of clues, and some hilarious set-pieces to enjoy. The scene where Columbo is trying to find out the previous week's weather is a comic highlight, but Pleasence's explosion in a high-class restaurant is the stand-out moment. Watch out for Gary Conway (LAND OF THE GIANTS) in his cameo as the younger brother.

This Columbo film is one of my favorites with Donald Pleasance as the murderer, a fanatical wine connoisseur who Peter Falk eventually traps into a confession of murder. This was not a planned murder by any means, in fact Pleasance does it in a fit of rage. But he plans well the alibi and that due to the fact that apparently no one saw his victim come or go from his home.

The victim here is Gary Conway, Pleasance's half brother who owns the land where the vineyards of the family business grow. Pleasance got the cash, but he spends it foolishly on expensive wines for his educated palate. The business has gone to rack and ruin and Conway wants to sell it and get out.

Both these guys are not prizes, Conway is a playboy who's about embark on his latest marriage, this one to Joyce Jillson. Pleasance is an egotistical fool who won't pay attention to business.

This Columbo film contains one of my favorite moments, it's when Conway informs Pleasance that he's considering an offer from the Marino Brothers for the vineyards. Just watch Pleasance literally foam at the mouth at the thought that these guys who apparently supply the stuff favored by the wino community are going to own his vineyards. You would have thought that he was being asked to sacrifice a child to Baal. It's what drives him to murder Conway. You can't really understand it, but you feel his rage.

There is one other major character in this film, that of Julie Harris, Pleasance's devoted secretary who has her suspicions about Conway and hopes to use them to form a closer relationship with Pleasance. She's a piece of work.

Still Donald Pleasance really shines as one of the best foes Peter Falk ever came up against.