The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986)

An interesting adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story, THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE concentrates heavily on costumes (which are admittedly classy) and scenery at the cost of atmosphere and suspense. That's not to say that it isn't a good film, but it does lack that necessary oomph needed to drive it into being something really good. The main reason I found the film had no suspense was that I had read the short story previously and so I already knew the identity of the killer (which is kept ambiguous throughout the film).The acting here is superb, and much of the weight lies on the shoulders of the late, lamented George C. Scott, who is perfectly cast as the fussy and brilliant detective Dupin (a forerunner of Sherlock Holmes), and has all the mannerisms and intelligence down to a tee. He is given able support by the fresh-faced Val Kilmer in a supporting role, while Rebecca De Mornay, better known to audiences for her role as a psychotic nanny in THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, is the token female caught up in the danger. Also appearing is the comedy gent Ian McShane, star of TV's LOVEJOY! Sadly he is not flogging any antique paintings in this film.The gore is light, with some blood splashed over the walls being the main highlight. One interesting aspect is the murder scenes in a park dotted through the film, which serve no real purpose and are a result of the '80s slasher craze, which don't really fit in with the rest of the murder mystery format. There are some great animatronics in the film too. If you're a fan of crime fiction or of Poe then this film is worth seeing as an above average adaptation. It's also a lot similar to a Sherlock Holmes story (with Scott as Holmes and Kilmer as Watson) so if you're anything at all a fan of this kind of classic locked-room murder story (like I am) then this one might be worth a look, even if only for Scott's presence.

This movie is PATHETIC and BORING!. Kilmer and Mornay are stiffer than concrete. the plot is ridiculous--nothing but the worst caricatures and uninformed stereotypical behaviors ever portrayed in a film. the illogical events in the film are untenable--e.g., having sworn to protect the young virgin, the young detective then leaves her alone in the dark park, to be subsequently attacked, even though he knows the murderer is still at large and supposedly in the park! Moreover, it is factually untrue that the "murderer" could have committed this crime, as this species is completely vegetarian and non-violent towards humans unless directly attacked. Check out writings by Birute Galdikas if you have any doubts.It is shameful to perpetuate such outdated notions about a fellow primate that is on the verge of extinction because of humans.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986)** (out of 4) Made-for-TV version of the Edgar Allan Poe story has Detective Auguste Dupin (George C. Scott) coming out of retirement after his daughter (Rebecca DeMornay) comes to him saying that her fiancé has been charged with the brutal murder of a group of people. There aren't any real clues and it appears the murderer just vanished from the scene of the crime and it doesn't take long for the veteran detective to realize something strange is going on. This version of the familiar story really comes across as a disappointment for a number of reasons, which is a real shame since we got such a good cast of actors. The screenplay is the real villain here because the entire thing is shown from the detective's point of view. I'm going to guess that if you were unfamiliar with the story then perhaps this approach would work but if you know who the killer is then the suspense is pretty much taken away from you. The entire film is built around who did the murders but those familiar with the story already know. I think a straight adaptation would have been much more effective had the film let us in on the "secret" and went from there. Another problem is that the music score gets quite annoying at times as it's constantly going into high gear to make you feel as if a scene is all the more dramatic than it really is. Director Jeannot Szwarc (JAWS 2) does a decent job with the material he has to work with. He does manage to build up a nice atmosphere and he also gets some good performances from his cast. Val Kilmer appears in a small role and does a nice job. DeMornay isn't too bad, although she isn't always believable playing the weak lady. She also has to deal with the screenplay giving her an incredibly annoying character. As for Scott, as you'd expect, he's terrific and really delivers a strong performance. It's really too bad he wasn't given a better screenplay because his performance does so much with little to work with. THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE is pretty flat all around, which is a shame because there's some good stuff scattered throughout.

This is one of the classics truly brought to life. Edgar Allen Poe was one of my favorite authors and he was a true magician with the English language. This is a beautiful TV film that really did justice to one of his greatest works thanks to one of our finest American actors. George C. Scott was one of those rare breed of actors who could do everything and anything and did it!He was that good at what he did. He made any film that he was in excellent. He gave a masterful performance as the great detective Dupin in this film and Rebecca De Morney gave him excellent support as his daughter. This film really brought Paris to life and is beautiful to look at. There was an older version of this film starring Bela Lugosi that really took liberties with Poe's story and made it into a cheap horror film, they didn't do it here and that is what makes it worth watching. This was an early example of "psychological profiling" Dupin tried to match any individual into his profile of the murder and had to come up with the fact that it wasn't a human at all. It is far-fetched! but Scott makes it worth your while. Everything about this film from the musical score to the smallest supporting performances is A plus.