Diagnosis: Murder

Diagnosis: Murder is not the Dick Van Dyke show but a compelling drama starring the great versatile actor and future Knight of the Grand Cross, Christopher Lee,playing the main suspect in a murder mystery. It has more twist and turns than the most crooked street in San Francisco. If you want a good fright, this film is worth it. I saw it last night on Metro TV and loved it with the wonderful British scenery and a great script too. Christopher Lee is one of Britain's best loved and known film actors. Acting in movies is looked down upon by stage actors although they would sell out in a minute to become a film star. it is not an easy genre to play in and Christopher Lee plays his characters thoughtfully and better than any known stage actor. He is a veteran actor of the horror genre and I pray that he is knighted on day. Nobody can compare to his film history.

Christopher Lee plays a strange psychiatrist who's wife goes missing and who's the subject of letters mailed to the police saying that he has killed his wife. The police dive into the case with zeal and find that things concerning the case just don't really add up.

This is a really good thriller with a many nice twists. I like that you're over half way into the movie before you have any idea what's really going on, and once you do know, things don't take a predictable path to the end.

This is a small gem of a movie thats well acted by all concerned. The actors actually give their characters a life that isn't typical for what seems to be, but really isn't, a by the numbers mystery. Jon Finch, as the detective makes an excellent foil for Christopher Lee by simply refusing to do what he's suppose to.

My sole complaint is that the ending wasn't 100% clear, then again based on IMDb's running time the version I saw was missing about ten minutes so something may have been cut (or more likely I wasn't paying enough attention) . Definitely worth seeing, or in my case re-seeing.

This film was basically meant for TV with the quality of the cast and a largely well known in the US British cast and a script by Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts and Philip Levene and was originally intended for showing on TV in the US and a theatrical release in the UK but it only got the latter.

I taped this just because Christopher Lee was in it and got around to watching it last night. I didn't expect much but was pleasantly surprised.

A doctor is suspected by the police of murdering his wife but they can't find a body. During the movie all kinds of deceptive clues are dropped which leads a person to think a certain event took place but in fact didn't. This, to me is what makes a good murder mystery film, leaving the audience guessing...

That's what this film accomplishes.

If you like murder mysteries then watch this movie. (7/10)

"Diagnosis: Murder" constantly feels like an extended episode of "Midsomer Murders", or any other random Krimi/crime investigation TV-show, but nonetheless a very good episode and – more importantly – one starring the almighty Christopher Lee in another terrifically sinister role. Although I can't find any info or articles to confirm, the film often gives the impression of actually being the pilot of a TV-series that eventually never aired. Some of the sub plots, notably the one revolving on Inspector Lomax' relationship with a married woman, indicate there was a lot of extra subject matter to embroider with the same lead characters, but alas, the TV-show never came. "Diagnosis: Murder" is an engaging little murder-mystery, opening with truly frightening of a woman under the attack of an unidentifiable man with a shotgun. The woman turns out the wife of eminent psychiatrist Dr. Hayward, and he reports her missing immediately after the assault. Hayward promptly becomes the prime suspect in the case, especially because Insp. Lomax receives anonymous letters accusing appointing the pompous doctor as the culprit. The investigation initially leads nowhere, but Insp. Lomax is somehow convinced Dr. Hayward knows more about the disappearance of his own wife. The first and most major revelation of the plot comes quite early in the film (so early even that the synopsis on IMDb spoils it … so don't read!) but luckily the screenplay provides more than enough extra twists and hidden sub plots to keep the wholesome compelling until the very end. Moreover, the movie even ends somewhat mysterious and open for new material, which once again raises the impression the film is a forerunner of a series. "Diagnosis: Murder" obviously isn't gory, but it's an involving story-driven thriller with an uncanny atmosphere throughout. The rural British filming locations are adequately chosen (especially the secluded lake) and director Sidney Hayers could rely on a terrific ensemble cast. Christopher Lee is impeccable as always, but here he receives excellent support from John Finch, Tony Beckley and Judy Geeson. "Diagnosis: Murder" is extremely obscure and almost impossible to track down for some reason, but well worth tracking down if you're into typically British thrillers.