The Columbo murder mystery series comes to an end with the mediocre thriller Columbo Likes the Nightlife. When a freelance journalist is found murdered, the case leads Lt. Columbo back to a nightclub owner who’s involved with an actress that the journalist was doing a story on. The acting is rather poor, and even Peter Falk seems to be phoning in his performance. The storytelling is also particularly weak; as the clues are extraordinarily obvious and the characters are underdeveloped. Additionally, the soundtrack is amateurish and uses generic club music that’s extremely cheesy. Columbo Likes the Nightlife is an underwhelming crime thriller that tries to coast by on the old Columbo charm, but it’s not all that compelling.
The penultimate thriller in the Columbo series, Murder with Too Many Notes is a suspenseful mystery that has a comedic edge. The story follows award winning music conductor Findlay Crawford who kills his understudy after he threatened to expose Crawford’s plagiarism; but Crawford’s plan runs afoul when Lt. Columbo notices some things that don’t add up. Billy Connolly gives a wonderful performance and makes for an intriguing villain for Columbo to match wits with. And while Peter Falk looks a little worn, he’s able to incorporate that into his character and gives Lt. Columbo a new energy. Well-crafted and entertaining, Murder with Too Many Notes is an impressive crime drama.
The Columbo murder mystery Ashes to Ashes is an intriguing thriller. When an investigative reporter goes missing Lt. Columbo is tasked with finding her, and before long he starts to suspect a shady funeral director. Patrick McGoohan returns to the series once again and gives a very strong performance. However, the writing is rather poor and doesn’t bring a lot of suspense or danger to the film. Still, there’s a nice mixture of comedy and the plot is pretty interesting. Ashes to Ashes has some weaknesses, but it also has that old Columbo charm.
William Shatner makes his second appearance in the Columbo series in Butterfly in Shades of Grey. To stop his daughter from running off to pursue a writing career, radio talk show host Fielding Chase kills the man who was shopping her book; but Columbo suspects that Chase’s alibi may be too perfect. Shatner gives a charismatic performance and has great interplay with Falk. However, the Chase character is too much of an obvious parody of Rush Limbaugh; which distracts from the plot. Still, the mystery is quite intriguing and has some cleverness to it. Despite its overt political tones, Butterfly in Shades of Grey is a solid crime thriller.
Things get personal for Columbo in the exciting thriller No Time to Die. When Columbo’s nephew comes to him for help after his bride is abducted on their wedding night, Columbo only has a few hours to find her before her captor kills her. The writers do an impressive job at breaking away from the series formula while still keeping most of the traditional characteristics of a Columbo style mystery. The storytelling’s also especially good; particularly at developing the characters and at building the plot. Additionally, the directing adds a lot of tension and suspense to the film. A well-crafted and intense crime drama, No Time to Die is an excellent entry into the Columbo series.
Rip Torn takes on Columbo in the mystery thriller Death Hits the Jackpot. After winning the lottery photographer Freddy Brower schemes with his uncle to collect his winnings without having to give any to his wife, but his uncle betrays and murders him; and it’s up to Lt. Columbo to prove it. Torn gives an excellent performance and makes for a superb villain for Columbo to go up against. However, there are a few too many superfluous characters that end up cluttering the story and detracting from the mystery. Still, the plot is quite interesting and has some good twists. Smart and entertaining, Death Hits the Jackpot is an intriguing crime drama.
Double Shock tries to deliver twice the mystery, but it doesn’t quite realize its full potential. Lt. Columbo’s case against local culinary show host Dexter Paris for killing his rich uncle gets complicated when he learns that Dexter has an identical twin brother who could also be the killer. Martin Landau pulls double duty, playing identical twins; however he tries a bit too hard to distinguish the characters from each other. Julie Newmar also stars, and gives a strong supporting performance. Still, the directing is poor and unfocused, and weakens the film. Though overall it’s a little underwhelming, Double Shock does have an intriguing mystery and some clever twists.
Lt. Columbo faces off with Mr. Spock in the Columbo/Star Trek crossover, A Stitch in Crime. When a surgeon intentionally botches a patient’s operation so that he’ll appear to die of natural causes, Lt. Columbo has to prove the murder in order to save the patient’s life. Leonard Nimoy gives a great performance and crafts a villain that proves to be a formidable challenge to Columbo. Additionally, the storytelling is well-done and delivers several interesting twists. A Stitch in Crime is a clever and intriguing thriller that boldly goes where Columbo has never gone before.
Columbo is off to Merrie Olde England in Dagger of the Mind. While on an official visit to Scotland Yard to review their policing methods, Lt. Columbo helps out on the case of a famous theater producer who was murdered. Bond Girl Honor Blackman (aka Pussy Galore) gives an excellent performance that has a lot of weight to it. And, the writers do a good job at using the established formula of the series while also changing it; taking Columbo out of L.A. and having him shadow the official London inspector in charge of the case. Additionally, there are some fun pieces of comedy with Columbo playing tourist. Breaking convention, Dagger of the Mind is an impressive and refreshing new take on the Columbo murder mystery
A sensational murder mystery, The Most Crucial Game is smart and exciting. Lt. Columbo must break the air tight alibi of a pro-football general manager who killed the team’s owner in order to seize control. Robert Culp returns to the series and is joined by Dean Stockwell and Susan Howard; who all deliver good performances. The writing is also very strong, and does a good job at building suspense and intrigue. Exceptionally well-crafted, The Most Crucial Game is an entertaining thriller.
Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health is a deadly thriller that spins a good mystery. The story follows Wade Anders, a crime show host who kills a journalist who threatened to expose his shady past, but a few loose ends soon puts Lt. Columbo onto Anders’ trail. George Hamilton returns to the series and gives a strong performance. However, the storytelling’s a bit weak and the clues are blatantly obvious. Predictable but entertaining, Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health is a solid Columbo mystery film.
Stylistic and well-crafted, Murder, A Self Portrait is a noir thriller that’s fun and exciting. While investigating a drowning Lt. Columbo suspects the victim’s ex-husband, famous painter Max Barsini, of killing her, and attempts to prove it by using her dream therapy tape recordings. The characters are quite interesting and are developed fairly well. The visual style of the film is also impressive, especially in its usage of noir undertones. Murder, A Self Portrait is an artistic and intriguing mystery film that’s full of suspense.
Anne Baxter stars in the Columbo thriller Requiem for a Falling Star. The story follows an aging Hollywood starlet who murders her assistant and stages it to look like a case of mistaken identity; and it’s up to Lt. Columbo to sort it all out. The plot has a fair amount of depth to it, but the resolution is a bit too simplistic and is somewhat anticlimactic. However, Baxter has good on-screen chemistry with Peter Falk, and gives a very strong and engaging performance. A well-crafted mystery film, Requiem for a Falling Star is full of suspense and intrigue.
Predictable and mundane, Suitable for Framing is a passionless crime thriller. The story follows an art critic who kills his uncle in order to inherit his art collection, but to succeed he’ll have to manipulate the police and Lt. Columbo into arresting his aunt-in-law for the crime. The plot’s rather obvious, although it does a good job at staging the climax where Columbo reveals how he solved the case. And, there are some strong supporting performances from Don Ameche and Kim Hunter. Suitable for Framing isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just poorly executed.
The Greenhouse Jungle is an impressive crime thriller that has some unexpected twists. When Tony Goodland conspires with his uncle to stage a fake kidnapping in order to break his trust fund, his uncle betrays and murders him to get the money; meanwhile Lt. Columbo is partnered with Sgt. Wilson, an up-and-coming detective who’s eager to solve the Goodland kidnapping by the book. The storytelling’s fairly well-done and does a good job at unraveling the murder plot. And, the Sgt. Wilson character is a welcomed addition to the series, and serbes as a good foil to Columbo and his old fashion methods. A smart and entertaining mystery, The Greenhouse Jungle is another solid entry into the Columbo series.
A landmark entry in the Columbo series, Etude in Black is a riveting crime drama. When an orchestra conductor kills his mistress for threatening to make their affair public Lt. Columbo is assigned to the case, which at first looks like an apparent suicide. The writing’s very good, and does an impressive job at building suspense and intrigue. Additionally, John Cassavetes and Blythe Danner deliver strong performances and have remarkable on-screen presences that engage the audience. And, Columbo’s famous basset hound, Dog, makes his debut appearance, which adds a nice bit of humor. Thrilling and well-crafted, Etude in Black is a captivating murder mystery.
The satirical holiday comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas is ridiculously fun and full of holiday cheer. After Frank taunts his children with their dream gifts they decide to pay him back Christmas Carol style; meanwhile Mac and Charlie try to get into the Christmas spirit by sharing their childhood Christmas traditions. The writing’s pretty good and the series’ witty, irreverent humor is in full force. However, the vulgarity and raunchiest are pushed further than the television series normally goes, which is a bit off-putting. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas is a merry and hilarious comedy, but it goes off the beaten path a bit.
Columbo must solve a murder without a body in Blueprint for Murder. An overly worried ex-wife of a business tycoon calls the police when he appears to have gone missing, and it’s up to Lt. Columbo to discover if he’s in fact been murdered. Peter Falk steps into the directing chair and does a fairly good job. However, the writing just isn’t up to par and fails to make the characters that interesting, or the mystery that intriguing. Still, Falk is able to carry a lot of the load by bringing an extra amount of charisma and humor to his character. Blueprint for Murder is an interesting thriller, but not all together that compelling.
The Columbo murder mystery Lady in Waiting is an entertaining and clever thriller. In order to break free of her overbearing brother Beth Chadwick kills him and attempts to make it look like an accident, but while tying up loose ends Lt. Columbo starts to suspect that the accident was actually a murder. Susan Clark and Leslie Nielsen lead the cast and deliver strong performances; Clark in particular has a lot of charisma and plays well off of Peter Falk. However, there are some odd directing choices that detract from the storytelling. Yet overall, Lady in Waiting is an engaging crime drama.
It’s a Planet of the Apes reunion in the crime thriller Short Fuse. Planet of the Apes series alumni Roddy McDowall, James Gregory, and William Windom star in this tale of an ambitious playboy who seeks to take over his family’s company by killing his uncle in an apparent car accident, but when explosives are found in the debris homicide detective Lt. Columbo must find the killer. While Roddy McDowall gives a good performance, his character is poorly written. Additionally, the directing is rather mediocre and doesn’t bring a lot of suspense or tension to the film. Short Fuse is a solid murder mystery, but the film craft has some weaknesses.
An ingenious mystery, The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case is full of suspense and intrigue. When a member of an elite high I.Q. club attempts to pull off the perfect murder he'll have to outsmart Lt. Columbo in order to get away with it. The storytelling's very good, and does an excellent job at creating rich, interesting characters. The writing is also quite impressive, especially in developing tension and unraveling the mystery. The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case is a smart and captivating thriller that's especially well-crafted.
Dead Weight is an unconventional Columbo mystery that's full of intrigue. After killing his business partner military contractor Gen. Hollister discovers that there's an eye-witness to his crime and attempts to get her to recant her testimony before Lt. Columbo can build a case against him. The plot is written rather well, and plays with the series formula a bit. Additionally, Eddie Albert and Suzanne Pleshette deliver strong performances that give an exceptional amount of depth to their characters. A clever thriller, Dead Weight is an impressive addition to the Columbo series.
A smart and well-crafted murder mystery, Death Lends a Hand delivers an impressive thriller. The head of a security company kills the wife of a media tycoon after his attempt to blackmail her fails, and it's up to Lieutenant Columbo to solve the case. The writing's especially good, particularly the storytelling and character development. Robert Culp makes his first appearance in the series and gives a terrific performance. And, Columbo's notorious POS car, the Peugeot 403 convertible, makes its debut. Death Lends a Hand is an engaging crime drama that's full of intrigue.
Murder by the Book is a somewhat clever crime thriller from legendary director Steven Spielberg. The story follows a famous mystery novelist named Ken Franklin who kills his writing partner Jim Ferris when he threatens to go out on his own, but upon learn that Jim did all of the writing LAPD detective Lt. Columbo starts to suspect Franklin of the murder. Jack Cassidy brings a lot of charisma to his role as Franklin, but he doesn't quite pull off the duality of the character. Still, the plot is thought-out fairly well and has some interesting twists. While it's a bit rushed at times and doesn't do much character development, Murder by the Book is a solid murder mystery.
The Columbo series is rebooted with the mystery thriller Ransom for a Dead Man. Lieutenant Columbo is brought in to assist with the kidnapping case of a high profile lawyer, but when he turns up dead Columbo suspects that the wife has staged the whole thing. Lee Grant does a magnificent job at crafting a villain that's able to hold her own with Columbo and parry his joists. And, Peter Falk revamps the Columbo character as a clever, amiable, and unassuming detective that never shows all of his cards. The storytelling is also much improved, focusing on the investigation instead of the crime. Ransom for a Dead Man marks the rebirth of the Columbo series, and delivers a smart and engaging crime drama.
The crime thriller Prescription: Murder marks the debut of Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo. Adapted from a stage play, a philandering psychiatrist attempts to get out of his marriage by committing the perfect murder, but to get away with it he'll have to get by a sly, soft-spoken homicide lieutenant named Columbo. This is a very different portrayal of Columbo than what the character would become; he's much more menacing, cautious, and direct. The film is also overly focused on the details of committing the murder; which hurts the pacing and momentum. Prescription: Murder is an interesting entry in the Columbo series, it has the raw material but doesn't quite have the formula right.
