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This was a Columbo movie with some amusing moments in it such as its opening but overall this entry isn't quite appealing enough in any sense. It maintains a slow dragging pace and just does not have the most interesting characters, story and settings. It's not a movie that is bad or that I hated watching but it could had been all better when you compare it to most other Columbo movie.
All Columbo movies of course feature a murderer in it that committed often a cold blooded and cleverly thought out murder. Despite their act you always sort of start to like and bond with him or her, just like Lt. Columbo always attempts to do. Often Columbo movies that are bad, are bad because of the fact that they don't feature a murderer in it that you'll find sympathetic and likable enough. This is also the case with this Columbo movie.
So yes although Patrick Bauchau can act he still feels miscast in this movie, since he doesn't play a real likable character. Or perhaps this is more due to the movie its writing, which also doesn't feature the most compelling story about an artist, who is married to two woman and has a girlfriend, all living at the same mansion. Most of the supporting actors, such as Isabel García Lorca and Shera Danese aren't among the greatest however. Shera Danese actually starred in 6 Columbo movies throughout her career. No big surprise, since she is married to Peter Falk.
Luckily the movie still knows how to amuses, which is the foremost reason why the movie is still such a fine watchable one. The movie again puts the Lt. Columbo in some awkward and amusing positions, which provide the movie with some nice relieving humor.
It's a stylish Columbo movie that also tries out some new tricks but this doesn't completely work out however. Later Columbo movies often tried out new things but they always went back to the series its usual and successful formula, the series became so well known for.
The story tries to be clever at parts but instead its rather stretching things. This movie just doesn't have the most likely story. Columbo movies of course never exactly been known for its realistic stories but this movie is just overdoing things at times. The left out evidence all could had been discovered earlier by Columbo, especially with the help of some of the forensic evidence. It gives the entire movie and investigation by Columbo all seem a bit pointless in the end.
Nothing too horrible but just not among the best Columbo movies out there.
6/10
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