Mystery Movie Review - Murder at 1600

 This 1997 Crime Drama/Mystery/Political Thriller didn't start as a book. It was written for screen and for pure entertainment value.

What it's about:

"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.

     

My Thoughts:

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:

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Review - The Omega Factor

International bestselling author Steve Berry gives us a new main character. Nicholas Lee is a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) investigator working in the CLIO (Cultural Liason and Investigative Office.)  When Publishers Weekly says "Dan Brown fans will want to check this one out," I just had to see for myself. 

Author: Steve Berry

Copyright: June 2022 (Grand Central Publishing) 465 pgs

Series: 1st in Nicholas Lee Thriller (maybe a stand alone)

Sensuality: Some action violence scenes

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspense Thriller 

Main Characters: Summer Westin, Wildlife biologist for Save the Wilderness Fund

Setting: Modern day, Utah's Heritage National Monument

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Book Blurb: "The Ghent Altarpiece is the most violated work of art in the world. Thirteen times it has been vandalized, dismantled, or stolen. Why? What secrets does it hold?  

 Enter UNESCO investigator, Nicholas Lee, who works for the United Nations’ Cultural Liaison and Investigative Office (CLIO). Nick’s job is to protect the world’s cultural artifacts—anything and everything from countless lesser-known objects to national treasures. 

When Nick travels to Belgium for a visit with a woman from his past, he unwittingly stumbles on the trail of a legendary panel from the Ghent Altarpiece, stolen in 1934 under cover of night and never seen since. Soon Nick is plunged into a bitter conflict, one that has been simmering for nearly two thousand years. On one side is the Maidens of Saint-Michael, les Vautours—the Vultures—a secret order of nuns and the guardians of a great truth. Pitted against them is the Vatican, which has wanted for centuries to both find and possess what the nuns guard. Because of Nick the maidens have finally been exposed, their secret placed in dire jeopardy—a vulnerability that the Vatican swiftly moves to exploit utilizing an ambitious cardinal and a corrupt archbishop, both with agendas of their own.  

From the tranquil canals of Ghent, to the towering bastions of Carcassonne, and finally into an ancient abbey high in the French Pyrenees, Nick Lee must confront a modern-day religious crusade intent on eliminating a shocking truth from humanity’s past. Success or failure—life and death—all turn on the Omega Factor." 

My Thoughts:  I am used to Steve Berry's series featuring Cotton Malone but this is a new series with Nicholas Lee as the main character.  Nicholas Lee started in the army as an MP, tried to get into Magellan Billet at the Justice Department but didn't get hired on.  That's when he got into UNESCO as an investigator.  He is an official UN representative which grants him access during investigations to preserve the world's art treasures.  Nicholas Lee pushs the envelope in this investigation because it involves a very special nun, Kelsey, who was the love of his life-until she left him for a convent. Kelsey is not just a nun, but a talented art restorer and she is the one who asks Nicholas to help.

The action starts with the building on fire where he was supposed to meet Kelsey.  The pacing is on target with just enough breaks between action to catch your breath and understand more of the plot before more action. I loved the various settings, I always travel vicariously and these were great. The climactic confrontation had twists as well as high tension.  The wrap-up explained all the events, the history, and how it all ties together.  

I recommend for political/conspiracy thriller fans and I vote for this new character to be an ongoing series.

Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list

Here is a Steve Berry interview about this book: