It's All in the Game 

Couple of women kill their two-timing lover, and one of them tries to seduce Columbo in an effort to divert suspicion.

Director:

Vincent McEveety

Writers:

Richard Levinson (created by), William Link (created by)

Stars:

Peter Falk, Faye Dunaway, Claudia Christian

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Faye Dunaway	...	Lauren Staton
Claudia Christian	...	Lisa Martin
Armando Pucci	...	Nick Franco
Bill Macy	...	Ruddick
John Finnegan	...	Barney
Doug Sheehan	...	Riley
Shelley Morrison	...	Nick's Maid
Tom Henschel	...	Fingerprint Man
Jack Shearer	...	Investigator #1
Shashawnee Hall	...	Investigator #2
Stewart J. Zully	...	Investigator #3
Bruce Ed Morrow	...	Medical Examiner (as Bruce E. Morrow)
Heath Kizzier	...	Photo Clerk
Daniel Trent	...	Detective #1 (as Daniel T. Trent)

Storyline

Lauren Staton and Lisa Martin kill their two-timing lover Nick Franco. Lauren's the one who pulled the trigger, and they've made it look like Franco was killed by a burglar in his apartment. They've prepared well, with both having solid alibis. Lt. Columbo is in charge of the case and is very much attracted to the beautiful Lauren. She uses that to her advantage and is soon buying him gifts and giving him the odd kiss. Columbo is flattered but begins to see anomalies in some of the physical evidence. He becomes certain that Lauren is involved in Franco's death but realizes he will only be able to make an arrest if he gets a confession. He manages to get that, but even he is surprised when learns of her true relationship to Lisa.

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Plot Keywords:

gambling | reverse footage | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Faye Dunaway won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for this episode.

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Goofs

Lisa's neck scar isn't present in the wash room.

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Quotes

Laura Staton: You've come to tell me you can't make it tonight?
Lt. Columbo: Oh, nooooo.
Laura Staton: You've come to tell me there's one more thing?
Lt. Columbo: [Breaks into a huge grin] That's a yes.

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Connections

Referenced in Faye Dunaway: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival (2017)

User Reviews

Nice plotted Columbo movie, written by Peter Falk himself.

This has got to be one of the best written Columbo episodes. Not that it's more clever than others (but it's not stupid either) but it's just more layered. Because of this, this Columbo movie entry can also be seen as one that doesn't stick necessarily purely just to the usual formula.

It's a surprising thing that this episode was written by Peter Falk himself. Amazing since he had never written a screenplay in his life before (at least not one that got turned into a movie) and it as of yet is also the last and only one he ever penned down. I guess starring in so many Columbo movies makes you an expert on police thrillers and Peter Falk one day decided to write down some of his own ideas. The result is a more personal Columbo movie, in which we get to see a more personal side (do we?) of the Lieutenant when he apparently falls for the charms of a young(er) beautiful woman, who however also happens to be the suspect in a murder case.

It's perhaps also a movie that moves along a bit slower than the usual Columbo movie entry. This is because the movie also focuses more on its characters, instead of just purely its murder plot. Still the movie itself also features some nice twists and other clever detective movie aspects. The lover of this genre will surely enjoy this movie even if that one isn't familiar with 'Columbo'.

Another nice thing about this movie is that is stars Faye Dunaway, who of course is a big star, especially back in those days. She plays a good role. We as the viewers knows what she is doing and that she is manipulating but yet we still care for- and appreciate the character, which is really thanks to Dunaway's performance. It's great to see her in the sequences together with Peter Falk. There was some good movie chemistry there.

A better- and slightly different than usual Columbo movie.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le meurtre aux deux visages

Filming Locations:

14622 Ventura Blvd Ste 104, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1