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Columbo: A Trace of Murder (1997) (TV)

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14 comments in total

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Slightly changes the formula just enough to make it feel different without losing touch with what has made Columbo successful down the years, 2 April 2006
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

Cathleen Calvert wants to leave her millionaire husband Clifford and set up with lover Patrick Kinsley. However a water-tight prenuptial agreement means that divorce will leave her with nothing. Killing him is deemed far too risky and obvious a crime but if only they could get him out of the way without losing access to his wealth. Luckily for them, Clifford is being threatened with a major lawsuit from accountant Howard Seltzer and Cathleen decides that the easiest thing to do would be to murder Seltzer and frame Clifford. The deed is easy and it looks like an open and shut case given how much evidence is available (thanks to the knowledge Kingsley has as a member of the police forensics team). Problem is, for Lt. Columbo, it just doesn't ring true and he just keeps digging.

With the long running Columbo formula it is tempting to try and change it and "new" Columbo films have occasionally fallen into the trap of ditching the formula and trying something new – it rarely worked. However with this film the writers have successfully varied the formula while still retaining enough of it to avoid losing the elements of the series that make it so successful. It is a bit of a problem that the plot is built on a lot of coincidences and illogical risks but generally the film manages to keep things working so that I just accepted the events. Having said that, it didn't ring true that Kinsley, having left enough forensic evidence to frame the pope, would feel he has to get more involved in the case. Such things aside though the film is an engaging mystery that is fun to watch because we get to see Columbo at work, going after his main suspect as per formula but also having more out there to engage his mind and take him in a different direction. It is a nice touch and, like I said, it allows the film to do what the series normally do while also doing things differently.

Falk works with this well and embraces the chance to show his character working internally with the slightest little clues. He delivers some nice comic touches throughout and, as usual, seems totally comfortable within his own skin. The casting of the two male supports is good. Corbin is a solid presence and he provides the tension with Columbo while Rasche provides the "I'll help you solve this" element of the formula – so together they provide the usual stuff but the fact that it is split makes it more interesting. Danese is less convincing but the film doesn't put too much on her. There isn't much support to speak of and generally the main three male actors do well to carry it with good performances.

Overall then a pretty enjoyable Columbo film. Although the change in formula comes with illogical devices and unlikely setups it does generally work and it presents the formula while also changing it. As many of the new Columbo films show, changing the formula is a risky business but here it pulls it off.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
The good, the bad and the ugly, 17 November 2004

Author: Bschorr from Honolulu, HI

Overall this is a pretty good Columbo, in my opinion, though it does have some glaring weaknesses.

Barry Corbin is very good as the loud husband who gets framed by Shera Danese. Danese turns in her usual performance; she's lovely and interesting but seems to play essentially the same character in every episode.

The criminologist "bad guy" does a pretty sloppy job for a supposed expert -- that may be the biggest plot weakness; it's hard to believe he was that dumb. A long way from CSI.

The other weakness is the ending - the twist is good enough, I suppose, but the scene in which he reveals it is contrived and overplayed.

All in all, a good story. If they'd redone the ending and let the villain be a little more clever it would have been a great one. As it is, it's just good.

-B-

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A trace of quality indicative of the original series, 2 January 2003

Author: The Welsh Raging Bull (leighton.phillips@sihe.ac.uk) from Port Talbot, South Wales,UK

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

A 1997 Columbo episode which was made to celebrate 25 years of the detective on television. The plot centres around a woman who conspires with her lover (who just happens to be part of the police forensics team that eventually survey the murder scene) to frame her rich husband for the murder of his business partner who was suing him.

Since Columbo's return to the small screen in 1988, the series has been very hit-and-miss: there have been some episodes which have upheld the decision to bring Columbo back, whilst others merely aggravate and dismay loyal fans of the series with thoughtless and badly conceived changes to the formula.

This particular episode has a strong plot which is executed with the conviction it deserves, but I'm at pains to explain the logic behind putting cat hairs from the murder scene on the back of the person's suit to incriminate him - in a murder scenario, how would they get there; perhaps on a sleeve or on a part of the trousers, but on the back of the suit??

Nevertheless, there are clever aspects to this story: the gradual dismantling of the "frame" with a vital clue and how Columbo initially deduces that the wife and the police forensics expert know each other.

Yes, the episode is haunted with a little predictability: the wedding photos do indicate precisely when the husband acquired cat hair on the back of his suit and yes, they could have trimmed down the last half hour of the movie: it suffers from distinct protractedness because the murderers' plot has all but failed after nearly an hour and the final scene which sees Columbo re-enact how he discovered that the wife and the forensics expert actually knew each other is totally unnecessary and badly staged.

There are some good performances in evidence too: Peter Falk's real-life wife, Shera Danese (who plays the wife who frames her husband) acts well here and here scenes with Columbo are better than you might expect. Also, Barry Corbin as the framed husband perfectly conveys his character's business-like volatility.

Overall, this a distinct "breath of fresh air" for a series which was undeniably ailing with some of its past inferior, badly judged scripts.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Not bad, but the ending drags, 26 December 2002
Author: bregund from San Francisco

Let me say this right off the bat: the two worst actresses in the world are Kate Capshaw and Shera Danese. Watching Danese's misplaced facial expressions, hammy acting, arm waving, and screechy voice sucks all the fun out of this Columbo film. She does absolutely nothing good with the plum role she's given. Bad director or bad acting? I tend to believe the latter.

Danese's acting aside, this is a pretty enjoyable Columbo film, well-paced and fairly involved. The joy of watching Columbo is wondering if he already knows who the killer is; in the 1970s films, you could never tell, and that was part of the fun. That sense of enigma is lost in these later films, especially in this one, where he doesn't realize it until well into the film. No matter what else he does, this is Peter Falk's signature role, and he has been a lucky actor for not getting typecast, given his variety of roles over the years.

All in all, I recommend this film as a worthy contributor to the Columbo legacy.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Barry Corbin As a Bad Guy Who Is An Innocent Chump, 21 June 2008

Author: theowinthrop from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

It is generally said (and I feel unfairly) that all of the Columbo episodes that were made from the late 1980s to the last few years were inferior to the earlier ones. The Levinson - Link formula for the Lieutenant was maintained in these later episodes, but (unless one likes to totally repeat oneself) new tricks were done in the plots. In one concerning a modern painter with a "Matisse" style reputation, as Peter Falk talked to the artist the camera changed into perspective mirroring the artist's style of painting. I happened to think that was rather clever.

Nothing so complicated here. Instead it was the biggest threat to Columbo's investigation from the police side of it since Richard Kiley (in an early episode) played the Police Commissioner who murdered his wife. Here the villain is David Rasche (a good choice - he and Dabney Coleman had to wait for these late episodes to finally rise or fall to the occasion as guest villain). Rasch is a pathologist with the L.A. Police who has been romancing Shera Denese (Mrs. Falk in real life), who is married to Barry Corbin, a multi-millionaire scoundrel.

It is Corbin that makes me enjoy this episode. It is like the negative side of his go-getting military millionaire Maurice Minnifield in NORTHERN EXPOSURE. But Maurice, for all his flaws, was a decent fellow, and Alaska is the last frontier (in many respects) for American capitalism. He was a booster of the state. Not so Corbin's "Clifford Calvert". He is a financial success, but in the tradition of Jay Gould or Charles Ponzi or Charles Keating. Gordon Gecko would have approved of him. He has swindled his way to a grand life style, and has been clever enough to make it nearly foolproof. In fact he is so rich that he can let everything hang out - not only his stout belly, but his real enjoyment of the good life.

There are only two things that threaten this vulgarian. Franklin Cover is one of the suckers who fell for Corbin's schemes, and has brought a shareholders suit. To Corbin this is an annoyance (he knows Cover and the two never have gotten along). The other thing is that his trophy wife loathes him, and wants out of the marriage. But Corbin was as smart with her as he was with stockholders - she had to sign a prenuptial agreement that leaves her nothing if she leaves or divorces him. But if he is (shall we say) put out of the way by the State of California with a life sentence for murder, well she can then enjoy his millions without him.

Rasche is the perfect match for Denese. He knows how to plant the right clues to catch Corbin. Together they murder Cover, and then frame the hapless swindler for the killing. It is one of the few times a scoundrel is made sympathetic by worse scoundrels.

Enter our favorite methodical Lieutenant. He sees the forensic reports and has seen the homicide scenes. He has also met Rasche (he has to, as the man is the head forensics at the scene of the crime), Corbin, and Denese. Yeah, it looks like a good case against Corbin, but he insists he was at a big dinner party too far from the scene of the crime to have committed it.

I won't spoil the fun about how Columbo saves the skin of the swindler. It's a matter of etiquette in the end. But the best is how Corbin while talking to Columbo learns they share a taste for cigars...and lectures him on the only civilized way of smoking a fine cigar. At the end a grateful Corbin gives a gift to Columbo on this point - with dubious results for the Lieutenant.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best, 2 January 2005

Author: Ethan J. Muse (pastorethan@msn.com) from Gilbertown, Alabama

I've read lots of comments about this movie, both good and bad, and I must say that I think it is one of the best of the newer Columbo movies. This was actually the first time I'd seen him stumped for the majority of the movie, and it wasn't until shortly before the end that he actually figured it out. Although I love Columbo, the main reason I decided to watch this one was because I loved David Rasche in Sledge Hammer (please make more of those). However, the plot for this one kept me riveted to the couch and not wanting to move. Possibly not as good as many of the classics from the 70s, but definitely better than most of the newer episodes I've seen. Watch it if you get a chance.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Oh-no!! Not those blown-up pictures again!!, 15 April 2003
Author: lightville from salinas, ca

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I can't tell how many times Columbo has solved his case using blown-up photographs, or videos. I knew how the solution of this crime was coming when he stumbled upon those wedding pictures.

This is another below average Columbo. The most ironic thing is that supposedly crime expert makes innocent mistakes during the commitment of the crime. This episode is at the bottom of my lists of favorites.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
This "Columbo" continues with its trademark enjoyable prime suspects: Barry Corbin impresses., 5 November 2001

Author: 8-Foot from Montgomery Village, Maryland

In addition to slow-to-unravel plots and Columbo's simultaneously folksy and irritating (to suspects) manner, many episodes in the Columbo saga also feature colorful prime suspects played by felicitously chosen actors. Often, a delightful chemistry develops between Columbo and his quarry.

Once again, great chemistry! Barry Corbin delivers as a brawling, coarse, mince-few-words business tycoon with no patience for irritations.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Lots of fun, 5 November 2001
Author: aromatic-2 (aromatic@ivillage.com) from New York, NY

This is a particularly enjoyable series entry because it is extremely well-written. David Rasche's character is particularly well-written and well-acted. He is never over the top, clumsy, or obvious. The clues that got Columbo on his trail were perfect -- subtle (i did not catch them, I must confess) but available and fair.

Shera Danese (Falk's real-life wife) is also extremely true to her character and is a joy to watch. She's been in about six or seven Columbo movies now, and she keeps delivering more on-target performances. And, some clever twists make Barry Corbin's character one of the best on a Columbo episode ever. I hope he shows up on a future Columbo.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
A writer's and mystery lover's point of view., 21 February 2001
Author: gbg-1 from Pennsylvania, USA

Columbo is a unique character who is fun to watch. However, during "A Trace of Murder" the fun was coupled with a great plot. It is my favorite and probably the only one that provided its "fun" content due to the character. As usual, but also surprised many of us with a fresh, brilliant story line. Although I have always enjoyed Columbo, "A Trace of Murder" is the only one that comes to mind in detail when discussing the series with others. Let's have more work of that quality... and soon!

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