This 1997 Crime Drama/Mystery/Political Thriller didn't start as a book. It was written for screen and for pure entertainment value.
"A secretary is found dead in a White House bathroom during an international crisis, and Detective Harlan Regis is in charge of the investigation. Despite resistance from the Secret Service, Regis partners with agent Nina Chance. As political tensions rise, they learn that the crime could be part of an elaborate cover-up. Framed as traitors, the pair and Regis' partner break into the White House to expose the true culprit."
Rated R 1 hour 47 minutes
for sexuality, violence, and some language
Taglines:
-- He's a D.C. cop on the outside. She's a Secret Service agent on the inside. Tracking a White House homicide to the First Family's front door.
-- This address changes all the rules.
Cast:
-- Wesley Snipes as Detective Harlan Regis
-- Diane Lane as Secret Service agent Nina Chance
-- Daniel Benzali as Secret Service Agent Nick Spikings
-- Dennis Miller as Detective Stengel
-- Alan Alda as National Security Advisor Alvin Jordan
-- Ronny Cox as President Jack Neil
-- Diane Baker as First Lady Kitty Neil
-- Tate Donovan as First Son Kyle Neil
Director: Dwight H. Little
Writers: Wayne BeachDavid Hodgin
Rotten Tomatoes (33%) and critics reviews:
-- "B- grade" Lisa Schwarzbaum-Entertainment Weekly
-- "Wesley Snipes is in top form. A top-notch action thriller." Rob Blackwelder-SPLICEDWire
-- "The last third of the film is a ready-made action movie plug-in." Roger Ebert-Chicago Sun-Times
-- "Murder is a fairly diverting game of whodunit, like a big-screen version of Clue, until it sinks into routine thriller antics and wraps up preposterously." Susan Wloszczyna-USA Today
-- "Murder at 1600 is an enjoyable thriller. ...on the whole the plot leaves the viewer in some suspense. As a "whodunnit", the movie succeeds, and as for this reviewer, the murderer and the actual conspiracy isn't evident till near the end. Wayne Beach and the late David Hodgin create enough plot twists to keep most viewers guessing. Director Dwight Little keeps things tight and well-paced. There is a good sense of logic to Murder at 1600's execution. It's arguably one of the best films Snipes has starred in. And refreshingly for Hollywood, we do not have a male European-American hero saving the day with his African-American sidekick." Jack Yan-IMDB
-- "Murder at 1600 is an OK thriller film. The cast all does a pretty good job, especially Diane Lane and Wesley Snipes. Alan Alda also does a good sufficient job at portraying his role. The film does at least keep you guessing for the majority of the runtime. The mystery kinda builds as it goes, which is always fun. The mystery isn't the greatest one ever to be in a movie, but it is interesting to see how it all comes and works together to see who is behind everything and why in the end." DavisPittman-IMDB
Trivia (from IMDB):
Trivia (from IMDB):
-- Wesley Snipes replaced Bruce Willis in the lead role of Detective Harlan Regis after Willis withdrew from the movie.
-- David Caruso still thinks he should have been in this movie.
-- Director Dwight Little said that he had been promised Murder at 1600 would be released before Absolute Power. When Clint Eastwood heard that Murder at 1600 was getting positive test screenings, Little said Eastwood convinced Warner Bros. to release Absolute Power first, causing Murder at 1600 to look like a copycat.
-- Although scenes were filmed in Washington, D.C., primary locations were in Toronto, Canada and nearby locations in Ontario... a new Oval Office was built at Cinespace Film Studios in Kleinburg [specifically for this film.]
-- Love scenes between Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane were some of the scenes which were cut from the film, apparently because it was felt that their characters interracial romance didn't work.
-- The book on Detective Stengel's (Dennis Miller) nightstand at approx 39m is Isaac Asimov's The Martian Way.
-- There is an unused music score composed by Basil Poledouris. His name, however, appears on the trailer as being the music composer.
It's rated "R" for a reason, but that aside this is an enjoyable political thriller. Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane both gave solid performances and Alan Alda, too. I always enjoy Daniel Benzali and he delivered here.
When you want a tense movie with some action and mystery to sit back and enjoy, this is a good one. This movie didn't try for Oscar winning, it went for the entertainment value and it scored well for that.
I didn't guess who was behind the murder or why until close to the reveal. Good job there.
If you haven't seen this before, give it a try. If you haven't seen it in a while, watch it again for a popcorn night. Yes, I own a DVD of this movie.
Movie Trailer:
THANK YOU for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.
Join my author newsletter: Click Here.
