Review of Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) by Paul W — 04 Jan 2012

Manhattan Murder Mystery harkens back to what many would call the earlier Woody Allen, but of course it's all the same Woody Allen. It is true that this film is more of a lark than the later Allen films, the ones that address more serious and adult themes.

This one is very much in the spirit of those 1930s films featuring cosmopolitan, smart-talking couples, and probably would have been even more fun if Allen had filmed it in black and white. All the actors here were perfect for their roles, but when the characters of Allen, Keaton, and Alda all start talking at once, critical mass is quickly achieved .

.. fortunately, whenever that happens, Allen (in his role as writer and director) throws in a new development to break things up ... and some of the plot developments are both surprising and scary. It's a fun film; I'm glad I watched it.

Ultimately, though, I like the "adult" Allen films more.