Paul Gerard is a famous gourmet and his reviews on televisions, radio, books and magazines can make or break a restaurant. When one restaurant owner decides that 25% of his profit is too high a price to pay for Gerard's support, he confronts Gerard and threatens to expose him as a fraud. Not keen to end his career this way Gerard poisons Vittorio Rossi with the poisonous part of a Japanese fish. He hopes it will look like an accident but when Detective Columbo is put on the case it starts to look like it won't all go away as quickly as he had hoped.
As always I confess my bias towards this series because I grew up in Northern Ireland spending wet weekends watching Columbo and Perry Mason on BBC2 so both those film series hold a special place in my heart. This film is typical of the series which, for fans like myself, is a good thing even if I understand why some don't see any reason for fuss. The plot sees the usual "perfect" murder fuelled by hidden motives followed by Columbo picking away at it. Although this episode lacks tension it is still fun and is built well on the usual formula cat and mouse games in a world where the sharp detective "learns" from his suspect while also building a trap for them. The script is very good (by the standards of the series) and produces lots of nice scenes including some in Italian.
With this series a lot rests on the cast to make something happen with the plot. Falk is nearly always perfect in the "old" Columbo films and so it is here; he wears his character like a second skin and he is as reliable as ever. Jourdan's intellectual and aloof character offered a nice conflict between the two men and, although it is not the best pairing in the series, it is enjoyable to watch them work off one anther. Jourdan could have been better but it is fun to watch his annoyance at Falk building. Support is OK with turns from Danese, Alda, Gazzo and the recently deceased Mako but as ever the film is made with the lead two.
Overall then this is a good entry in an ever-reliable series. The script is good and both Falk and Jourdan work well together to produce an enjoyable relationship dynamic which is the heart of the film. Fans will love it.
As always I confess my bias towards this series because I grew up in Northern Ireland spending wet weekends watching Columbo and Perry Mason on BBC2 so both those film series hold a special place in my heart. This film is typical of the series which, for fans like myself, is a good thing even if I understand why some don't see any reason for fuss. The plot sees the usual "perfect" murder fuelled by hidden motives followed by Columbo picking away at it. Although this episode lacks tension it is still fun and is built well on the usual formula cat and mouse games in a world where the sharp detective "learns" from his suspect while also building a trap for them. The script is very good (by the standards of the series) and produces lots of nice scenes including some in Italian.
With this series a lot rests on the cast to make something happen with the plot. Falk is nearly always perfect in the "old" Columbo films and so it is here; he wears his character like a second skin and he is as reliable as ever. Jourdan's intellectual and aloof character offered a nice conflict between the two men and, although it is not the best pairing in the series, it is enjoyable to watch them work off one anther. Jourdan could have been better but it is fun to watch his annoyance at Falk building. Support is OK with turns from Danese, Alda, Gazzo and the recently deceased Mako but as ever the film is made with the lead two.
Overall then this is a good entry in an ever-reliable series. The script is good and both Falk and Jourdan work well together to produce an enjoyable relationship dynamic which is the heart of the film. Fans will love it.