Murder in a Small Town

In a mostly straight role, with only occasional moments of humor, Gene Wilder is surprisingly good; his warm and insightful theatrical director/amateur sleuth is like a more humane Hercules Poirot. The film is well-cast right down the line and has a reasonably intricate plot, but it suffers from the usual limitations of most TV productions, including bland cinematography and slow pacing. Enjoyable overall, but mediocre. (**1/2)

It's been a long time since I have seen old Gene on the screen (couldn't resist). Gene Wilder's Murder is a class act all the way. Interesting characters, good mystery, overall very nice. The third act of the movie did feel hurried. I think it was less than 15 minutes (screen time) from second murder to conclusion. I also get the feeling that this was a prep for a series of movies. Some of the characters were given strong introductions only to disappear (like the daughter) and others were a little weak overall (Gene's girlfriend). I hope that they do more movies with these characters. I wouldn't mind revisiting the material.

Having lost his wife in a violent crime, theatre director Larry "Cash" Carter moves to a small town in Connecticut to get away from the stresses of bigger city life. Looking for funding for his latest play, Cash comes into contact with local millionaire Sidney Lassiter who immediately rubs him up the wrong way by being anti-Semitic and demanding. And so Cash finds himself just one of many people that have a reason to dislike Lassiter. So later that night when Cash's friend Lt Tony Rossini tells him that he is investigating Lassiter's murder, Cash helps out and gets involved in the case.

Having seen "The Lady in Question" and found it bland and undemanding fare, I still decided to give the other film in the stalled series a try. Like the second film this is very undemanding fare that will fit nicely with audiences that enjoy the basic mystery movies on Hallmark and the like (Mystery Woman, Jane Doe etc). The plot is interesting without ever getting going although the development of the case is reasonably engaging. Of course this means it lacks any depth which is rarely a problem when a film is slick and stylish, sadly this one tends to move sluggishly as if it has nowhere to go and nothing to do – an approach that rather flies in the face of face of the fact that a murder has occurred! The director does well if this was her aim but otherwise she plays it far too slowly and with a sense of urgency that was needed underneath.

The cast match this meandering approach and with a bit more help could have pulled it off. As it is they are just reasonably good in an average film. Wilder is a bit more interesting here than in the second film (where it did feel like he was just moments away from falling asleep at times). Here he is actually pretty good fun despite the material. Starr's character doesn't make a great deal of sense but he is a fun character. The two men have a bit of chemistry but it is difficult to believe they know one another that well because they don't merge that well – I assume this is part of the reason that the series didn't catch on. The support cast features turns from Lost's O'Quinn and Six Feet Under's Conroy and others like Edison and Rosen. None of them have much to do though and generally their characters are just quite thin.

Overall this is a mediocre or average film that might just be good enough to distract viewers who aren't looking for much more than that. The cast match the amiable and ambling mood which makes for some nice touches but generally just slows the film down further.

Not being a Gene Wilder fan, the memory of Haunted Honeymoon being too fresh, I almost didn't watch this one. Glad, glad, double glad I did. The whole thing smacked of the 30's with all the hairstyles, props and settings, and all the well preserved cars. An excellent whodunnit that had me guessing all the way. The killer was suspicious, but I never....

Set in the mid-1930's, this excellent diversion avoids the pitfalls of many films portrayed in this period by combining excellent atmosphere and impeccable art and set direction! This reminded me of the beloved 'Thin Man' series, in that a character who is NOT a law enforcement professional (indeed, Wilder's character is a stage director) assists the police in a murder investigation. This was consistently surprising, and had a way of making those old cliches work again! I HOPE this is the beginning of a series of films with this character! Gene Wilder has been under-utilized for far too long!! AND, the always excellent Mike Starr even gets a chance to display his operatic chops! Starr, one of the best character actors working today, was said to have designs on a career in opera before making his niche in Hollywood! He gets a surprising chance to demonstrate how talented he is in that area!!