Columbo: Season 13, Episode 2A Trace of Murder (15 May 1997)A beautiful wife and her forensic expert boyfriend try to frame her very rich husband for murder. Director:Vincent McEveety |
|
| 0Share... |
Columbo: Season 13, Episode 2A Trace of Murder (15 May 1997)A beautiful wife and her forensic expert boyfriend try to frame her very rich husband for murder. Director:Vincent McEveety |
|
| 0Share... |
| Episode cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Peter Falk | ... | ||
| David Rasche | ... |
Patrick Kinsley
|
|
| Shera Danese | ... |
Cathleen Calvert
|
|
| Barry Corbin | ... |
Clifford Calvert
|
|
|
|
Raye Birk | ... |
Howard Seltzer
|
|
|
Will Nye | ... |
Officer Will
|
| John Finnegan | ... | ||
| Franklin Cover | ... |
Harry Jenkins
|
|
|
|
Alice Backes | ... |
Harriet Jenkins
|
| Dion Anderson | ... |
Stuart March
|
|
| Donna Bullock | ... |
Tracy Rose
|
|
| John F. O'Donohue | ... |
Doherty
|
|
| Dyana Ortelli | ... |
Colenari
|
|
| Kymberly Newberry | ... |
District Attorney
(as Kymberly S. Newberry)
|
|
| Maury Sterling | ... |
Store Clerk
|
|
A millionaire's being threatened with a lawsuit by a man he did business with. When he gets into a fight with the man, his trophy wife is more embarrassed than concerned about her husband. Now she can't divorce her husband because of a pre-nuptial agreement. And if she kills him, she would be the prime suspect. So she along with her lover decides to kill the man who is using her husband and frame her husband. Which they do. When Columbo investigates the murder, one of the forensic people helping him is the woman's lover. Written by <rcs0411@yahoo.com>
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.