Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

I am writing this review hating and loving Woody Allen's movies at the same time. There are his movies that, in theme and structure, seem very similar to me, like Manhattan, Annie Hall and Whatever Works, which also were the movies that first introduced me to his filmography. The awkwardness of his main characters never really struck a chord with me, which is the main gripe I had upon viewing Manahattan Murder Mystery.The alliterative title intrigued me as it suggests a movie in the crime/thriller genre. Hoping this movie wouldn't fall into his usual comedy/romance/drama type of film I was soon very disappointed to find familiar romantic themes like jealousy, infidelity and the resulting, reoccurring matrimonial arguments at the center of the movie rather than a thought-provoking plot. Even though the main characters, Larry and Carol, take on the task of resolving the case of a suspected murder by their neighbor, the film never quite feels like a crime movie. The camera puts the viewer right at the center of the investigation while we watch the scenes unfold from behind of a flowerpot, through a door-frame or a rainy car window. But, unfortunately, the camera not only zooms in on the suspects but more frequently sways to and fro between our main characters during their relentless arguments. While Woody Allen again plays the same role he most often appears to play, I found his hectic, gibberish talking and awkward gestures more off-putting and overdone than in his other movies. By comparison, Dian Keaton's role as Carol was more compelling as, for example, compared to the moment Allen proclaims at the height of the action "Adrenaline is leaking out of my ears!" in the same monotone voice he uses while talking in the conjugal bed. Other common Woody Allen themes are present. Like the title suggests the film takes place in his beloved New York and of course classic movies (e.g. Double Indemnity) appear and are discussed, which I always enjoy about his works. Furthermore, some of the major scenes take place in a cinema which serves as a good setting and is a welcome sight after witnessing tiring disputes in their apartment. After many a quarrel about their further procedure to solve the case and clumsy investigations, that, for me, failed to attach a comedic aspect to the movie the story reaches a rather anticlimactic finale after which the case is rapidly summed up for the viewer.While I like many Allen movies like Zelig, Match Point and Sweet and Lowdown that differ from his generic formula. Sadly, Manhattan Murder Mystery, for me, was not one of them. If you are a fan of his works chances are you will like this movie, but, in my opinion, it is neither a funny comedy nor a gripping thriller. Still I will keep on working my way through his films in hope for another one or two positive surprises.

Manhattan Murder Mystery basically comprises every characteristic of a bad Woody Allen movie. The plot is ultra basic, not to say simplistic and unfolds in a total linearity. A lot of scenes are just extremely talkative, drag on, and often give the impression they serve only one purpose which is Allen's annoying and unfunny mannerisms. The twists and turns are predictable, often completely ridiculous and have no effect on the viewer whatsoever. As for the plot, it fizzles out by a totally far-fetched justification. And what about the sloppy direction, these approximative shots and big zoom-ins worthy of the worst productions ? There is clearly nothing to save from this long, slow and boring Woody Allen's.

I must admit that I'm very surprised this little movie enjoyed such favorable reviews. Admittedly, a movie budgeted at $13.5 million puts it into a top bracket, but the money seems to have been spent mainly on the cast and on greasing hands for all the NYC location shots. And of course, although reviewers loved this movie, it was far from a success with picturegoers. Even accounting for TV and video sales, it would have been lucky to break even. Shot in a freewheeling style on actual Manhattan locations, it re-teams Woody with Diane Keaton. Also along for the ride are Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston, plus an overweight Jerry Adler as the mysterious Mr. House. I'll readily admit that if you're not expecting too much from the movie, it's quite enjoyable, but it's a long way from Allen at his early best or even the Allen of Shadows and Fog, made only two years earlier! True, the on-screen Allen character is still intact, but he seems to lack the on-screen charisma of even a Broadway Danny Rose. Now he's just an irritatingly over-argumentative little guy who has to be talked into everything until he eventually gives in! Available on an excellent Columbia/Tristar DVD.

Manhattan Murder Mystery is considered an important film in Woody Allen's long and illustrious cinematographic career as it is an exemplary proof of his faithfulness to Manhattan and people who live over there. As he knows both of them very well, more than a suspense thriller, his film appears as an acute observation of Manhattan people. The viewer is shown what Manhattan is and what type of people inhabit this area which has the reputation of being one of New York city's best known addresses. The film is replete with typically Woody Allen style humor which consists of short and witty remarks about people and their idiosyncrasies. For this reason, director Woody Allen created his own alter ego in the form of Larry Lipton, an intellectual editor who seems to be getting closer to a young woman as his wife is getting much too curious about a death which happened in their neighborhood. Emotional problems between husbands and wives occupy a good deal of screen space in Woody Allen's films. This is also the case with this film as its numerous subplots deal with the emotional turmoil of men and women. Lastly, there is something enigmatic about movie titles as there are times when viewers don't get to see much of what is described in the title. Judging from that yardstick, Manhattan Murder Mystery tries hard to cash on to that obsession and also succeeds. This is probably one reason why it enabled Woody Allen to show his cinematographic preferences in this film by including numerous important scenes from his favorite Hollywood films.