Legal Thriller Movie Review - A Time To KIll

 Introduce movie:

This began as John Grisham's debut legal thriller that was published in 1989, and the first in the Jake Brigance series (including Sycamore Row and A Time for Mercy.)  This novel was a major bestseller resulting in John Grisham becoming a force in the the legal thriller genre that has lasted 37 years and counting.  The movie was released in 1996 with many A list actors featured.

Grisham has cited Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird as an influence on his novel. Another stated inspiration was 1987's Presumed Innocent, the success of which fed the growing subgenre of legal thrillers.

Grisham reportedly says the novel is based on a real life case that Grisham witnessed of a harrowing testimony of a 12-year-old rape victim in Hernando, Mississippi courthouse. 

     

What it's about:

The story takes place in Canton, a town in fictional Ford County, Mississippi during the post-Jim Crow era (1984). Two local extremely racist white men, Billy Ray Cobb and Pete Willard kidnap ten-year-old African-American girl Tonya Hailey on her way home from getting groceries, viciously rape and beat her then attempt to kill her by hanging then toss her in a river to finish her off. Tonya somehow miraculously survives, and the Sheriff arrests Cobb and Willard. This sets up dominoes that will tumble as a result and nearly set the town on fire. 

Tonya's father, Carl Lee Hailey, discusses the case against Billy Ray Cobb and Pete Willard with Jake Brigance, a white lawyer who defended his brother before. After Jake mentions the possibility that the rapists will walk free, Carl Lee shoots both rapists as they're brought to the courthouse. Carl Lee is arrested, and Jake agrees to defend him and as a result of the events, the town becomes a battleground.

The film made $152 million worldwide. It marked the final film appearance of Joe Seneca.

Tagline: (Book) "Novel of Retribution"

(movie) "A lawyer and his assistant fighting to save a father on trial for murder. A time to question what they believe. A time to doubt what they trust. And no time for mistakes."

Cast:

Samuel L. Jackson as Carl Lee Hailey

Matthew McConaughey as Jake Brigance

Ashley Judd as Carla Brigance

Sandra Bullock as Ellen Roark

Donald Sutherland as Lucien Wilbanks

Kevin Spacey as Rufus Buckley

Oliver Platt as Harry Rex Vonner

Charles S. Dutton as Sheriff Ozzie Walls

Brenda Fricker as Ethel Twitty

Kiefer Sutherland as Freddie Lee Cobb

Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly as Tonya Hailey

Writers: John Grisham and Akiva Goldsman

Director: Joel Schumacher

     

Rated R  2 hour 29 minutes

     

My Thoughts:

This movie centers around the virulent racist hatred that absolutely was/is a part of the American fabric.  It is uncomfortable and it is meant to be. It is memorable for exactly that reason. 

Because of its unabashed exposing of such shameful attitudes, it takes a stellar cast to make this drama gripping. This cast delivers on all counts, particularly young Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly as the victim. Be sure to have tissues handy. 

This movie pulls the veil back, showing the psychological and physical trauma with the consequences that result from racial injustice, systemic racism, and oppression. There are themes of justice, racism, revenge, and yes, empathy. It raises questions regarding the conflict between the law and moral feelings.

With all that said you may think this is just a morality preaching movie, but you would be very mistaken. All these themes and issues are what you can draw from this well acted gripping tale brought richly to life. It doesn't push answers, just gives an inspiring drama some even classify as a legal thriller.

Yes, this movie will provide food for thought but it is also a good movie.  The plot follows the court case yet the drama mostly takes place outside the courtroom. Every actor brings their "a-game" no matter how much screen time their part has. Each time I watch it, I come away with an appreciation for a well-done movie with fine production, script, directing, atmosphere, and acting. 

Be prepared: there is frequent use of racial slurs that was part of life in the South at the time. That was difficult for me, but it is part of the atmosphere in this town as well as a reality of racism. Plus, there are scenes of the Klan with burning crosses and white sheets et al. This too is reality. The Klan now uses automated telephone calling, leaving flyers and pamphlets on doors (which direct people to websites with "hotlines" that use pre-recorded Klan propaganda messaging), opportunistic exploiting of hot-button divisive political issues for recruitment, plus visibility in parades or marches and their signature intimidation tactics are still in use. Their recruiting is alive and well.

In my opinion, this is a five-star movie. Give it a watch with popcorn and tissues. Enjoy the craftsmanship of storytelling done well. I know it isn't perfect, but it is truly good.

Please share in the comments your thoughts on this movie.

     

Movie Trailer:

    

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Movie Review: Boston Strangler 2023

Prior movie on the subject is the 1968 movie starring Tony Curtis as the sole killer. Also starred Henry Fonda and George Kennedy. This film had three nominations for awards. It was  more focused on the killings and killer.

This film, released in 2023 for Hulu, "follows Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley), a reporter for the Record-American newspaper, who becomes the first journalist to connect the Boston Strangler murders..."  This film focuses more on the two female reporters and their journey in investigating the murders and the trials they weathered. Keira Knightly is such a good actor that anything she's in will be a treat.  

What it's about:  Crime drama based on the infamous Boston Strangler murders in the 1960s, this is inspired by the true story of Loretta McLaughlin, the first reporter to connect the murders and break the story of the Strangler. She and fellow reporter Jean Cole challenged the rampant sexism of the era to report on the city's most notorious serial killer and worked tirelessly to keep women informed.

Cast:

Keira Knightley as Loretta McLaughlin

Carrie Coon as Jean Cole

Chris Cooper as editor Jack Maclaine

David Dastmalchian as Albert DeSalvo

Ryan Winkles as Daniel Marsh

Greg Vrotsos as  George Nassar

Matt Ruskin Writer/Director 

Ridley Scott Producer

Rating: R  1 hour 52 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes (67%) and critics reviews:

"Matt Ruskin’s film dials down on fetishizing murderous men to tell the story of women who might just see them for who they really are." Manik Sharma-Firstpost

"There is a quietly persistent, simmering and incendiary flare to this film, which, by virtue of Knightley's knowing performance and the well-written script, feels tired and afraid." Alisha Mughal-Exclaim

"At a time when seemingly every streaming service debuts new true-crime programming on a weekly basis, “Boston Strangler” stands far above the crowd." Kevin Slane-Boston.com

"Here is the film that She Said so desperately tried to tell us it was - at least on the journalism side of things. Strong lead characters, especially by Keira Knightley, navigating sexism that is as inherent in solving the case as reporting it." Erik Childress-Movie Madness Podcast

"... a decent journalism time capsule that aligns more with 2015’s Spotlight than with a suspenseful thriller like Silence of the Lambs." Valerie Kalfrin-AWFJ.org

"In a world where Netflix is pumping out low-effort true-crime doc content on a weekly basis, Boston Strangler is a sterling example of how it should be done." Clement Tyler Obropta-Film Inquiry

"Boston Strangler slowly builds an exquisite atmosphere of tension and fear surrounding the killings themselves." Peg Aloi-The Arts Fuse

"The acting is expressive and engaging, especially from Knightley and Coon, who have a strained dynamic that works to make their relationship even more believable." Chris Joyce-Movies and Munchies

"The matchup of Keira Knightly and Carrie Coon punches up this involving, period-rich but somewhat ordinary thriller that celebrates old-school journalism." Randy Myers-San Jose Mercury News

Noteworthy awards or rankings:

--2024 Winner ASC Award

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Limited or Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television 

--2024 Nominee Artios Award 

Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Film - Non-Theatrical Release

--2023 Nominee Primetime Emmy
Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

--2023 Nominee OFTA Television Award
Best Motion Picture

--2023 Nominee OFTA Television Award
Best Cinematography in a Motion Picture, Limited, or Anthology Series

--2023 Nominee OFTA Television Award
Best Sound Editing in a Non-Serial Program

--2023 Nominee OFTA Television Award
Best Cinematography in a Multi-Camera Series

Trivia (from IMDB):

• The film being watched on the television by James McLaughlin is "Five Fingers" (1952) starring James Mason and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
• A house in Belmont, Massachusetts stood in for the home of reporter Loretta McLaughlin. That same day, the Winn Brook Elementary School was transformed into the Cambridge Police Department for second unit filming. The school was paid $5,000 for the use of the property.
• On December 9, 2021 the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology was temporarily turned into a police headquarters for the film. Between January 26 and January 27, 2022 the former Josephine M. Foster Elementary School in Braintree was used as a set. Filming also took place in Jamaica Plain, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Roxbury, and Wellesley, Massachusetts.
• Several private driveways on Statler and Waterhouse Roads were rented to park 1960s vehicles. For the next two days, filming took place in the South End. Scenes were shot on Dwight Street between Tremont Street and Shawmut Avenue.
• Several health procedures had to be followed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The entire crew was vaccinated and tested for the virus three times a week until production concluded. Filming wrapped in March 2022. During post-production, Paul Leonard-Morgan then composed the musical score.
• Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector starred as husband and wife in the hit HBO show The Gilded Age (2022) before joining this movie.
• Chris Cooper and Peter Gerety previously appeared in Return to Lonesome Dove (1993) and Syriana (2005).

My Thoughts:

The filming is in color, but they're subdued colors making it feel like the 1960s without using black and white or sepia.  It takes place before the internet, DNA testing, or most of the current CSI tests.  I felt like I was in the the nineteen-sixties with the muted colors, old typewriters with ribbon, great old cars and dresses, Bakelite phones, everybody smoking, and the misogyny etc.  

I loved its focus on Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole, the journalists who broke the story and kept pushing the police.  This isn't a thriller nor a horror movie.  There are brief glimpses of the crime scene photos to drive home the brutality, but it isn't gory nor "in your face." At times you hear the deadly struggle but don't see it. It also shows the toll Loretta's personal life goes through and how the paper put her in danger. It includes Loretta's final theory that there was more than one killer because of some profiling that pointed that way. I will admit that I agree with the theory there was more than one strangler.

I feel this was a well-made, subtly intriguing, and engaging film from start to finish.  Don't expect car chases or flashy scenes but rather a gently unfolding story that draws you in and doesn't let go. This was tense like Hitchcock, while also respectful of Loretta and Jean. Both Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon gave standout performances.  The one thing I would have changed was the last scene, it left me wanting a more definitive ending regarding Loretta's marriage.  I recommend this movie for 18yo or older.

Movie Trailor:

Here is a short video on Keira Knightley's thoughts about her role in the movie

Have you seen this movie? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

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Mystery Movie Review - Murder Is Easy

This is based on the third of Agatha Christie's lesser known Superintendent Battle books (4 in series).  There was a 1982 adaptation made with Bill Bixby starring as an American in England. Also a 2009 TV version that changed it up to have Miss Marple investigate, which wasn't part of the original book, but features a young Benedict Cumberbatch.  This 2023 adaptation is in two "episodes."  When I saw this advertised I couldn't wait to see it on BritBox.  Full disclosue, I haven't read the book.

Movie Blurb:

Based on the classic Agatha Christie mystery, "Murder Is Easy" follows the story of Luke Fitzwilliam who finds himself on the trail of a serial killer after meeting Miss Pinkerton on a train to London.

What's It About?:

  How can three people be murdered in an English village and nobody notice?  Miss Pinkerton (played by Downton Abbey's Penelope Wilton) is on a train to London with the sole purpose of getting Scotland Yard to investigate three deaths in her village that are all being dismissed as accidents.  She shares her concerns with fellow traveler Luke Fitzwilliam. Fitzwilliam is relocating to London for an aid job in the British government.  Shortly after exiting the train, Miss Pinkerton is run over on a London street and Fitzwilliam goes to the small town to investigate. 

Released: March 2024

Director: Meenu Gaur

Writer: Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and Agatha Christie

Starring:

David Jonsson as Luke Fitzwilliam 

Mathew Baynton as Dr. Thomas

Nimra Bucha as Mrs. Humbleby

Morfydd Clark as Bridget Conway 

Penelope Wilton as Miss Pinkerton 

Phoebe Licorish as Rose Humbleby

Douglas Henshall as Major Horton

Reviews:

"What the writer Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre has done well here is to create the strange eeriness of an insular community, ostensibly genteel and polite but in other ways hostile."  Carol Midgley Times UK

"Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre’s adaptation of Murder is Easy falls between two stools. Too bland to excite the violent impulses of the Line of Duty generation, yet insufficiently zippy or playful to stir Christie aficionados."  Nick Hilton

Independent UK

"It's hard to take the novel seriously, and it’s impossible to take this silly... adaptation at its own estimation." Melanie McDonagh London Evening Standard

Trivia (From IMDB):

Filming locations: Sorn Castle, Sorn, Ayrshire, Scotland, UK (Lord Whitfield's House)

Title comes from Miss Pinkerton saying "Murder is easy for a certain type of person."  Another version has it "Murder is easy when nobody thinks it's murder."

Douglas Henshall (playing Major Horton) and Mark Bonnar (playing Rev. Humbleby) appeared together for 7 seasons as key characters in the crime drama Shetland

Tom Riley (Lord Whitfield) previously appeared in episodes of Miss Marple and Poirot

My Thoughts:

David Jonsson's acting as the lead character is stellar and I'll be watching for more from him!  The story is modernized a little by Fitzwilliam being from Nigeria and the remaining prejudices that come with that.  With that said, I hadn't read any of the reviews included here prior to watching, which I'm glad I didn't.  Critics said it remained fairly close to the book, which many didn't like the book to begin with so there wasn't much chance they would like the movie then anyway.

This had wonderful cinematography with great countryside views and interesting camera angles.  Acting was well done.

There are two criticisms I have.  One is the director's vision for Luke Fitzwilliam, actually all the characters, was clearly reserved and lackluster when the actor was giving so much more in the simplest of scenes.  You shouldn't cast fine actors and then hamstring them.  Secondly, there is a lack of zip for the storyline and it's the screenwriter's fault.  This could have been combined and shortened into one feature-length movie and accentuated the danger of a murderer among them to heighten the suspense. 

But with that said, I did enjoy it and was entertained.  That's more than I can say for many movies I ended up wasting time on.  I recommend with caveats that you know what to expect and take it in stride.

 

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.

Trailer

Mystery Movie Review - See How They Run

The tagline says: "The greatest murder ever staged" and is a comedy mystery.  I ran across this 2022 comedy mystery by accident, and what a happy little accident that was!  It is a murder of a cast member of Agatha Christie's Mousetrap play which has references to Christie and Richard Attenborough (the real actor who stared in Mousetrap when it debuted in 1952.)  I did a blog post about Mousetrap (read here) 

What it's about:

In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play (Agatha Christie's Mousetrap) come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered. When world-weary Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and eager rookie Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) take on the case, the two find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid theater underground, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril.  Rated PG-13  1 hr 38 minutes

Cast:

Adrien Brody (The Pianist) as Leo Kopernick

David Oyelowo (Selma) as Mervyn Cocker-Norris

Sam Rockwell (Vice) as Inspector Stoppard

Saoirse Ronan (Little Women 2019, Mary Queen of Scots) as Constable Stalker

Director Tom George

Writer Mark Chappell

Rotten Tomatoes 74% and critics reviews:

"A light-hearted watch packed with charm and a stacked talented cast, we can forgive most of its mistakes because, yes, it is just that delightful."  The Digital Fix

"Whatever may not work about the film is redressed by Saoirse Ronan's impeccable work here, and whatever does is only amplified by her presence. Without her, it's a fun bit of Sunday afternoon fluff. With her, it's a total must-see." Ilan Preskobsky Channel24(South Africa)

"While it’s no masterpiece, it’s a solid, fun, flashy, meta whodunit with a deliriously enjoyable soundtrack from Daniel Pemberton." Marvelous Geeks Media

"See How They Run never portrays itself as a great film in a similar genre, it tells a fan fiction spoof story with conviction and never deviates from its common objective of providing wholesome entertainment."  The Times of India

"Rockwell doesn’t put all that much effort into his British accent — but it kinda works, and he’s the perfect straight man for Ronan’s endearingly clumsy machinations and self-deprecating dialogue. It all adds up to a smashingly good time." Chicago Sun-Times

Noteworthy awards or rankings:

-- BAFTA Awards: Nominated for 2023 Outstanding British Film of the Year

-- London Critics Circle Film Awards: Nominated for 2023 British/Irish Actor of the Year

-- International Film Music Critics Award (IFMCA): Nominated for 2023 Best Original Score for a Comedy Film

Trivia:

-- The announcer heard on the radio when part of The Mousetrap is being performed in this film is the same recording used in the actual stage play. That recording was made by the late actor Deryck Guyler in 1952 and is still in use to this day. Also the viewer can briefly see the clock above the fireplace. This is the only surviving prop from the original opening night of the show on October 6th 1952 and is still in use to this day.

-- While questioning the concierge at the Savoy, Stalker asks him what part of France he is from, to which he replies "Belgium." This is a reference to Dame Agatha Christie's famous character Hercule Poirot, who is Belgian, but is often mistaken for being French.

-- Most of the police force are busy dealing with the "Rillington Place" murders. Sir Richard Attenborough (the lead actor in the play "The Mousetrap") played the serial killer Reginald Christie in 10 Rillington Place (1971), based on those real-life crimes. In addition, when constable Stalker is calling women from the victim's little black book, she calls a Beryl and a Geraldine. These are the names of the mother and daughter Christie killed and blamed on Beryl's husband.

-- "The Mousetrap" is a real murder mystery play by Dame Agatha Christie that premiered at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham on October 6, 1952 and has continued to run to this day, making it the longest-running play in the world. Sir Richard Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sim were the first actors to play Sgt. Trotter and Mollie Ralston, respectively.  As portrayed in the film, The Mousetrap cannot be made into an English language film until at least six months after it has closed on the West End. The longest break between shows was 14 months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

-- Some of the character names are references to other writers. "Inspector Stoppard" is a reference to Sir Tom Stoppard, who wrote "The Real Inspector Hound", a play which is a parody of The Mousetrap. (One character in this film says about the deceased, "He was a real hound, Inspector!") Christie's butler is named Fellowes, a nod to Julian Fellowes, who wrote the Christie-esque Gosford Park (2001) and the screenplay for Crooked House (2017).

-- Constable Stalker goes looking for Inspector Stoppard after he claims to be going to the dentist. She sees a building marked "Dentist" and there are buzzers/bells with the names of the dentists. The first dentist is named "Norman Gale". Norman Gale is a dentist in Dame Agatha Christie's 1935 Poirot novel "Death in the Clouds". The second dentist listed is "Henry Morely" the dentist from "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" (1940).

-- Sam Rockwell struggled for weeks prior to filming as to how to play his character. It wasn't until after watching Peter Sellers playing Inspector Clouseau in A Shot in the Dark (1964) that he came up with the idea of playing the character as Sellers would if Clouseau spoke in Sellers' own English accent, and if the character was not a bumbling detective but a competent one.

-- Mervyn Cocker-Norris and Gio's flat is located in Florin Court, the building used as Hercule Poirot's residence Whitehaven Mansions in Poirot (1989).

-- Kopernick criticizes whodunits for having formulaic plots. The real Mousetrap play was an effort by Agatha Christie to break out of some of the tropes of detective fiction which she herself had helped establish.

-- The title is taken from the second line of the nursery rhyme "Three Blind Mice." "Three Blind Mice" was the title of the radio play and the short story that were later expanded to become "The Mousetrap." The tune "Three Blind Mice" is whistled during the play.

-- While Agatha is washing the dishes, she mumbles to herself about a character named Ms. Ramsbottom. Aunt Effie Ramsbottom is a character in Christie's 1953 novel A Pocket Full of Rye.

My Thoughts:

This was a delight. The movie has plenty of humor and pokes some fun at the genre while providing a truly entertaining mystery.  Since humor is very subjective, that it is often hard to pull off.  The acting is great and successfully delivers the understated british humor to perfection providing lots of laughs.  I have to say seeing David Oyelowo in this was a treat as well.  Each of the actors have done serious dramatic acting and yet they give their roles the best of themselves-for doing comedy well is hard.  The Agatha Christie part was laugh-out-loud funny.  This is a fun mystery in the right hands from script through casting and directing.  I highly recommend.

Movie Trailor:

Thriller Movie Review - The Peacemaker

George Clooney and Nicole Kidman in a thriller movie, what more needs to be said.  Both bring so much to the screen on their own but together they light it up.  It is the first film by DreamWorks Pictures.  The basis for the film was the 1997 book One Point Safe by Leslie Cockburn and Andrew Cockburn about the state of Russia's nuclear arsenal.  The book got mixed reviews.

What it's about:  

 In Russia ten 550–750 kiloton nuclear warheads that belong to an Inter-Continental Balistic Missile (ICBM) are loaded onto a train for transport to a dismantling facility as part of the end of the cold war and non-proliferation.  The train is hijacked and nine of the missiles are offloaded and the one left onboard the train is setoff.

    Dr. Julia Kelly (Kidman), head of the National Security Council's nuclear watch group jumps into the case because of the explosion.  During her briefing she suspects Chechen terrorists are responsible, Lt Colonel Thomas Devoe (Clooney) of military intelligence suggests that the explosion was to cover up a theft of the other warheads. They end up working together in a race against the clock to avert nuclear disaster.  Rated R for some strong violence and language.

Cast:

George Clooney as Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Devoe

Nicole Kidman as Dr. Julia Kelly

Marcel Iureş as Dusan Gavrich 

Aleksandr Baluev as Russian Army General Aleksandr Kodoroff

Rene Medvešek as Vlado Mirich 

Gary Werntz as Hamilton

Randall Batinkoff as Ken

Rotten Tomatoes and critics reviews:

Critics didn't like the movie with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 46%, but audiences on CinemaScore gave it a B+.  One critic said it was no worse or better than the average James Bond movie.

Trivia (from IMDB):

• While the story takes place all over the world, it was shot primarily in Slovakia with some sequences filmed in New York City and Philadelphia.

• While the story takes place all over the world, it was shot primarily in Slovakia with some sequences filmed in New York City and Philadelphia.

• George Clooney did most of his own stunts. Director Mimi Leder called him "fearless."  He even learned stunt driving for this movie.

• George Clooney learned to rappel out of a helicopter for this part. He found it "fun and weird and scary."

• Unlike their characters, George Clooney and Nicole Kidman got along very well on and off the set. In fact, Clooney, a notorious prankster, never pulled a prank on Kidman, out of respect.

• Mimi Leder secured the post as director because executive producer Steven Spielberg admired her work on the TV series ER (1994).

• One of the soldiers at the roadblock also starred in ER (1994), after George Clooney left: Goran Visnjic.

• When Defoe is leaving with the SpecOps team, Kelly calls him "a talented soldier with sloppy impulse control." George Clooney was in ER (1994) at the time, where another doctor called him "a talented doctor with sloppy impulse control."

• George Clooney dropped out of a Green Hornet adaptation to do this film. That version of Green Hornet was ultimately never produced.

• In her briefing about possible suspects behind the nuclear blast (as LTC Devoe walks in), you can hear Dr. Kelly name "Shamil Basayev" and describes him as a militant Chechen rebel leader. This is true. Shamil Basayev was suspected as the mastermind in the school takeover in North Ossetia, which captured more than 1000 hostages in September 2004. He was killed by an explosion on 10 July 2006, near Ekajevo, Ingushetia.

• The "Vienna" car chase scene, ending on a square with a fountain was actually shot in Bratislava, Slovakia. The square is in the vicinity of the American Embassy there.

My Thoughts:

This is a solid thriller with Clooney and Kidman delivering good performances.  Any downfalls are in the script that leaves some plot holes open.  But if you are looking for a good two hour break with a race against a ticking clock thrills, this is your movie.  I own this movie and every so often watch it again for pure escapism.  The music score has been particularly noted as skillful in adding to the tension and action.  

Movie Trailor:

Mystery Movie Review - The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

Based on the Mrs. Pollifax books (14 total) by Dorothy Gilman, was a movie by CBS, who would later run Angela Landsbury in Murder She Wrote (click here). But in There was an earlier version in1971 with Rosalind Russell the title character in "Mrs. Pollifax-Spy" alongside Darren McGavin in the United Artists film. What I am reviewing today is the 1999 version starring Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Pollifax.  This made-for-TV movie was likely the pilot for a possible follow up series that, sadly, never materialized.  

What It's About:

When her doctor recommends that a widow pursue her unfulfilled life ambitions, he doesn't realize that she has always wanted to be a spy. Sending a letter to her Representative gets her an interview with the C.I.A. and accidentally gets her an assignment to Morocco for a supposedly easy task of picking up an encrypted code book. When the agency realizes their mistake, they send a super-agent to watch over her. Both are taken prisoner and the real agent is injured, leaving Mrs. Emily Pollifax (Dame Angela Lansbury) to use her considerable wits to help them escape and to save the day.

Cast:

Angela Lansbury- Mrs. Emily Pollifax

Thomas Ian Griffith- Jack Farrell

Ed Bishop- Carstairs

Paul Birchard- Bishop

John Light- Robin Hughes-Wright

1999 PG

Run time: 1hour 29 minutes

Writers: Dorothy Gilman and Robert T. Megginson

Director: Anthony Pullen Shaw

My thoughts:

This movie doesn't follow the book of the same name very much.  The book is a bit more espionage-like.  But Angela Landsbury is effortless and shines, making this a fun and quirky movie. This has delightful comedic elements and I had to wonder if "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" wasn't inspired by this movie with its common sense "senior" heroine and comedic mix-ups.  If you want something light and family friendly, check out this lighthearted espionage film.

Watch on Youtube 

Mystery Movie Review - Pretend You Don't See Her

This movie is based on the book of the same name by Mary Higgins Clark (Queen of Suspense) first published in 1997.  I include this movie because there are many tolerably well done movies that, although not stellar, provide entertainment.  

What's It About:  "Lacey Farrell (Emma Samms), a young rising star on Manhattan's high-powered and competitive real estate scene is in the course of selling a luxurious apartment when she becomes the witness to a murder and hears the dying words of the victim, a woman convinced that her attacker was after a journal kept by her recently deceased daughter Heather up until the day she died in a hit-and-run, what everyone believes to be a tragic accident." 

2002  PG-13

Writers: Donald Hounam & Mary Higgins Clark

Director: René Bonnière

Cast

Emma Samms (General Hospital, Dynasty) as Lacey Farrell

Hannes Jaenicke as Curtis Caldwell Blake

Beau Starr as Detective Ed Sloan

Reiner Schöne as Jimmy Greco

Stewart Bick as Ken Lynch

Laura Press as Chantal Greco

William Colgate as Svenson

Filming locations:  Toronto, Ontario, Canada

My Thoughts:

This suspense made-for-TV movie falls into the category of the modestly done book-to-movie adaptations that are often cranked out. It follows the book well but suffers from needing a better script writter that could have really brought the book to life with better crafted scenes to increase the tension for screen rather than the page.  

Otherwise it is a fair suspense movie.  Emma Samms does well as a woman who witnesses a murder and her life is turned upside down.  She hides her normal British accent to play a New Yorker. The cinematoghaphy is on par for a made-for-television movie.  The title comes from a 1957 song "Pretend You Don't See Her" by Jerry Vale and alludes to the main character hiding in Witness Protection while being hunted by the killer.  The song is used in a few scenes and I felt they could have put a bit more effort into the music overall, perhaps an updated version of the song for the movie.  

If you are looking for a movie that won't keep you awake from fright, but will entertain for an hour and a half, this is a good pick.  Average acting, fair storyline, and some good tense moments.  Available to watch on PrimeVideo.  

Overall, not terrible but not great either.  An average made-for-TV effort with television-series level production quality.  Middle of the road and worked okay for me since I like Mary Higgins Clark's work.

Mystery Movie Review - Charade

 This 1963 suspense thriller took a long route to fame.  Screenwriters Peter Stone and Marc Behm shopped their movie script "The Unsuspecting Wife" around Hollywood, but were consistantly turned down. So Stone turned it into a novel with the new title Charade and it was serialized in Redbook magazine. The serial publishing in Redbook managed to catch the attention of a few Hollywood companies that turned it down before! The film rights finally sold to producer and director Stanley Donen who reworked it into a final shooting script and specifically tailored it to movie stars Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, and Behm (the original author) received story co-credit.  The movie was a huge hit

What it's about:

Charade has been called 'the best Alfred Hitchcock film he didn't direct.' The movie opens with a man, Charles Lambert, thrown off a train.  His wife,  Regina Lampert [Audrey Hepburn], an elegant American interpreter living in France, is on a skiing holiday in the French Alps at the time and meets Peter Joshua [Cary Grant]. Regina returns to her home in France to find the place completely emptied of everything and the news her husband was killed-and Peter Joshua there by her side.   The police say her husband had a different name and it turns out she knew nothing about Charles - not even his real name.  Regina is threatened and pursued by three men after $250,000 allegedly stolen by Charles.  What follows is a cat-and-mouse game to unearth the money.  Then there is Peter Joshua who has many identities and seems to be after the money one minute and protecting Regina from the others the next.  Nothing is what it seems and there are plenty of twists.

Cast:

Cary Grant as Peter Joshua (alias Brian Cruikshank, Alexander Dyle, and Adam Canfield)

Audrey Hepburn as Regina "Reggie" Lampert

Walter Matthau as Hamilton Bartholomew

James Coburn as Tex Panthollow

George Kennedy as Herman Scobie

Dominique Minot as Sylvie Gaudel

Ned Glass as Leopold W. Gideon

Rotten Tomatoes 94%  

Noteworthy awards or rankings:

• Nominated Academy Award for best Song "Charade" Music by Henry Mancini/Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

• Golden Globe Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture-Cary Grant 

• Golden Globe Award Nominations for Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Audrey Hepburn

• In 2022, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

• Included among the American Film Institute's 2001 list of 400 movies nominated for the top 100 Most Heart-Pounding American Movies.

• Included among the American Film Institute's 2002 list of 400 movies nominated for the top 100 top 100 America's Greatest Love Stories movies.

Trivia:

• Charade was remade in 2002 as "The Truth About Charlie" starring Mark Walhberg and Thandiwe Newton.  Significant changes to the storyline and the chemistry between Grant and Hepburn was missing. It only got 34% from Rotten Tomatoes.

• The beautiful outfit Audrey Hepburn wears when she discovers her empty apartment was designed by Givenchy. It was homage to the iconic look of then first lady Jackie Kennedy, who wore the couture of Oleg Cassini.

• It's clear this film was made while Kennedy was President because, during the final scenes in the embassy, one can see Kennedy's portrait on the wall of the secretary's office.  Kennedy was assasinated while they were filming. 

• Audrey Hepburn and Walter Matthau are seen walking through the old Paris food marketplace of Les Halles as it sets up for the day's business. It closed in 1971 and was replaced by a modern shopping mall.

• The subway scenes were shot on Paris Metro line #1. In the film it runs from Chateau de Vincennes to Pont de Neuilly. 

• The Paris office of American Express, shown in the movie, was a well known place for U.S. tourists to meet up, get information, book tours, exchange currency and collect their forwarded mail. Sadly, it closed some time ago as travel habits changed in the digital age.

• This film is one of the rare movies that becomes a whole different story on subsequent viewings, once the plot twist is revealed at the first viewing.

• In the opening scene, Reggie asks her friend if her son can do something constructive. The actor who played the son, Thomas Chelimsky, apparently took this advice to heart, because he became a successful doctor in Wisconsin.

• The Puppet Theater is The Théatre Vrai Guignolet at Rond Point des Champs Elysées, Paris, France.  It is the most famous puppet theater in all of France. It's location has never changed since 1818.

• While on the Bateaux Mouches, the tour boats on the Seine in Paris, Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn have their first passionate kiss. The boat then goes into darkness under a bridge. There are many references to Hitchcock films in Charade. At the end of "North by Northwest" Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint have a passionate kiss and then go through a tunnel.

• During the last scene, the screen splits into a checkerboard showing their ending kiss along with Cary Grant's funniest scenes from the movie and "The End."

My Thoughts:

This is a classic for a reason.  It is a highly entertaining suspense thriller set in Paris with some comedic tidbits by Cary Grant. The all star cast makes the tension sizzle and the chemistry between Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn makes this one of the best thrillers that has aged well.  It builds the suspense and the audience knows Grant isn't who he claims he is, but can he be trusted or will he kill Hepburn if she doesn't turn over the money? Next to Grant and Hepburn, Walter Matthau gives his best performance of his long and illustrious career.  

The twists are great in this movie that was considered experimental when it released.  Cary Grant was cast in this romantic leading man role, even as his hair had greyed, opposite the younger and lovely Audrey Hepburn which gives another layer to the movie.  Charade shows that you can build tension and fear without gore and lots of on-screen violence.  The dialog and character interactions are all crisp and deliver in every scene.  Every major character gives a spot-on performance, which is difficult in an ensemble cast.  The Paris scenery in winter is perfect for a brooding and layered movie.  The music throughout adds perfectly to each scene.  

Movie Trailer:

Mystery Movie Review - Three Pines

The bestselling Inspector Gamache mystery series by Louise Penny is the basis for this television series.  The books are up to 18 in the series at this writing. There was a made-for-TV movie of the first book, Still Life, staring Nathaniel Parker in 2013.  But this television series is through Amazon Prime and stands out as exemplary.  The first season has eight episodes containing four murders in two-part segments.  A season two is hoped for but no definitive decision has been reached by Amazon studios yet.

What it's about:

Three Pines is a police procedural where murders are investigated in the small Canadian town of Three Pines in Quebec.  "The empathetic and astute Chief Inspector Gamache is tasked with solving a number of mysterious and perplexing murders in the strange but beguiling village of Three Pines. Assisted by his trusted team; the combative and troubled Sargent Jean-Guy Beauvoir, the intelligent Indigenous working mother Sargent Isabelle Lacoste, and the accident-prone rookie Agent Yvette Nichol, the group are initially treated suspiciously by the village's residents. Despite the cool welcome, Gamache can't help but find himself oddly drawn to this unusual place and its eccentric residents, including the owners of the Bistro, Gabri and Olivier, artists Peter and Clara, psychologist turned bookshop owner Myrna, gallery owner Bea, and the irascible poet Ruth. 

The deeper Gamache delves into the secret lives of these people who have found sanctuary from the outside world in Three Pines, the more it affects him. The series also interweaves a dark, mysterious, serial-story, which uncovers police failings to properly investigate cases of missing Indigenous women, as well as corruption at the heart of the provincial Sûreté du Québec police force." IMDB "Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec police force sees things that others do not: the light between the cracks, the mythic in the mundane, and the evil in the seemingly ordinary." Wikipedia

Cast:

Alfred Molina (DaVinci Code, Chocolat, Spider-Man2) as Inspector Gamache

Rossif Sutherland (son of Donald Sutherland) is Sargent Jean-Guy Beauvoir

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers plays Sargent Isabelle Lacoste

Sarah Booth plays Agent Yvette Nichol

Tantoo Cardinal (Dances with Wolves, Longmire, Wind River) plays Bea Mayer

Rotten Tomatoes 78% 

"A collection of intelligent two-hour mysteries that fans of Agatha Christie or even Columbo should watch." Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com  

"For now, this short-but-sweet adaptation offers a sweeping cinematic taste of cultures and stories that are deserving of the global platform Prime Video offers, all while doing justice to the best-selling novels on which they’re based." Amber Dowling of Variety

"The adaptation for television depicts the mistreatment of First Nations people in Canada and has drawn praise for its unflinching realism." Dan Bilefsky of New York Times

Trivia:

• Filmed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada by Amazon Studios production company. Specifically, outdoor scenes in the village are filmed in Saint-Armand.
• Alfred Molina says Gamache's super-power is his intelligence and compassion.
• While the show is based in a fictional town, it is believed that Three Pines is based on author Louise Penny's hometown, Knowlton-located in the town of Brome Lake in Southern Quebec.
• The Canandian author of the books, Louise Penny, is also executive producer on the series

My Thoughts:

I love Alfred Molina's portrayal of Inspector Gamache. He gives a stellar performance making Gamache a true example of what a police officer should be.  The other cast members elevate their characters as well.  The cinematography is both unobtrusive, grand, and atmospheric in turns.  The slight mystical touches are deft and nuanced.  I highly recommend this polished and stylish adaptation of the novels and eagerly hope for another season.  This is absorbing mystery television.

Movie Trailor:

Mystery Movie Review - Murder She Wrote TV Series

     It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Actress Angela Landsbury, who had a long and illustreous career but was perhaps best known for playing Jessica Fletcher on the Murder, She Wrote television series.  It ran for 12 seasons from September 30, 1984 to May 19, 1996, for a total of 264 episodes.  

     I remember seeing a young Landsbury in the classic movies Gaslight (1944-she was nominated for an Oscar: Best Supporting Actress) and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) and I noted that she had stage presence even in those smaller roles.  I had reviewed the movie Death on the Nile with Landsbury (click here) starring alongside Bette Davis and Maggie Smith.  But she became a beloved household name as Jessica Fletcher.

What it's about:

     This television series is in the cozy mystery tradition.  The main character is Jessica Fletcher (Angela Landsbury) who is a best-selling author of mystery novels, a former English teacher, and amateur detective.   Jessica is introduced as a widow in the first episode, her beloved husband Frank having died a couple of years before the start of the series. 

     Jessica and Frank had no children but did raise their nephew Grady upon the death of his parents, a never-named brother of Frank and his wife. Jessica is very close with Grady and he appears in several episodes in the first four seasons. 

     In the show's first episode, Grady sends her manuscript, The Corpse Danced at Midnight, to an agent because she was going to leave it in a drawer.  She becomes a wildly successful author and when murders happen around her, she is often able to use her reasoning and observation skills to figure out the killer.

After the the television series finished in 1996, four television films were released between 1997 and 2003.  There is currently an ongoing book series, beginning with Gin and Daggers, with a total of 56 books (written by Donald Bain 1989-2015, Donald Bain with Renée Paley-Bain 2015-2016, Donald Bain with Jon Land 2018 May, Jon Land 2018-2020, and Terrie Farley Moran 2020- present) at the time of this writing.

Cast:

Regulars were: 

Angela Landsbury as Jessica Fletcher

Tom Bosley as Sheriff Amos Tucker

William Windon as Doctor Seth Hazlet

Ron Masak as Sheriff Mort Metzger

Michael Horton as Grady Fletcher

The show had stars and future stars on the show regularly such as: George Clooney, Courteney Cox, Linda Hamilton, Adrienne Barbeau, Linda Blair, Sonny Bono, James Caviezel, Morgan Fairchild, Genie Francis, Anthony Geary, Stewart Granger, Neil Patrick Harris, Rue McClanahan, Darren McGavin, Kristy McNichol, Gerald McRaney, Kate Mulgrew, Adrian Paul, Joaquin Phoenix, Phylicia Rashād, John Rhys-Davies, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin Sorbo, George Takei, Billy Zane, and many, many more.

Noteworthy awards or rankings:

34 award wins and 55 nominations according to IMDB (click here)

In 2004, Fletcher was listed in Bravo's "100 Greatest TV Characters". 

AOL named her one of the "100 Most Memorable Female TV Characters". The same website listed her among "TV's Smartest Detectives". 

She was ranked at number six on Sleuth Channel's poll of "America's Top Sleuths". 

Guinness World Records called her the "most prolific amateur sleuth".

Trivia:

From Wikipedia:

The lead role of Jessica Fletcher was originally developed for actress Jean Stapleton, who ended up turning down the role.

Filmed mostly on sound stages at Universal Studios in Universal City, California (near Los Angeles). The series also filmed exterior shots and some episodes on location in the Northern California town of Mendocino, which stood in for the fictional Maine town of Cabot Cove. 

It is established early in the series that Jessica cannot drive. This was written into the program to facilitate the character's questioning of suspects and fellow investigators while having them drive her somewhere. 

Jessica Fletcher's travels as an author frequently take her to places around much of the world, giving the show writers freedom to explore characters and situations beyond rural New England. 

One trip takes her to Hawaii, where she shares a crossover case with private investigator Thomas Magnum in a special episode of Magnum, P.I.

In 1985, Warren Company released a Murder, She Wrote board game. One player assumes the hidden role of a killer and the other players try to guess which player is the killer. The killer wins for killing five of the characters on the game-board and escaping, while the detective players win by correctly deducing the identity of the killer.

In later seasons, Jessica moved to Manhattan to teach criminology at Manhattan University.

From IMDB:

 The harbor of Jessica's home town, Cabot Cove, is actually the Jaws (1975) lake on the Universal Studios tram tour.

Jessica's middle name is Beatrice, which was a tribute to Lansbury's best friend, actress and singer Bea Arthur.

The show's title is a reference to the Miss Marple mystery Murder She Said (1961), which was based on a novel by Agatha Christie.

The location filming in Mendocino used the Blair House Inn Bed and Breakfast as the exterior of Jessica Fletcher's house. Due to the amount of filming that took place at the location for the series, a V.I.P. room was renamed as Angela's Suite, and a replica of Jessica's bike is in the garden.

Jessica's maiden name was MacGill, based on Lansbury's mother (born Charlotte Lilian McIldowie), who took the acting name Moyna MacGill.

Prior to creating this show, producers Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson, and William Link produced Ellery Queen (1975), which used an almost identical format. 

Prior to being offered the role of Jessica, Lansbury was offered the chance to appear in a sitcom, Golden Girls, with her best friend Bea Arthur.  However, her manager suggested she not take that role and do Murder, She Wrote instead.

Season 1 episode 18 "Murder Takes the Bus" and Season 2 episode 13 "Trial by Error" and the highest rated episodes.

My Thoughts:

Murder, She Wrote is like comfort food and Jessica is eminently likeable.  If you enjoy cozy mysteries then dip your toe into the MSW world alongside Jessica Fletcher (currently on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel most evenings).  The books are always a pleasure to read as well.  Angela Landsbury owned the role and I can't imagine anybody else ever playing the role.  I always enjoy seeing all the guest stars.  Thank you for all the great movies and MSW, Angela Landsbury.   

Show Trailer

https://youtu.be/68shcoLWgiU