Review of Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) by Shawn M — 04 May 2008

One of the most delightful Woody Allen films of the early 90's, Manhattan Murder Mystery, succeeds on several levels -- and one of those levels is its performances, headlined by Diane Keaton's wonderfully hilarious, frenetic turn as a would-be restauranteur/housewife/amateur sleuth which elevates the entire film to an almost classic status.

Keaton and Allen play a bored married couple entering the doldrums of middle-age who have realized independently that they don't have much in common. That is, until the mysterious death of a female neighbor they've both recently met, awakens the dormant sleuths in both of them setting them on a caper-filled adventure to investigate the suspicious widower next door, thereby, igniting their passion for life and, eventually, each other. It's actually a rather conventional love story with a murder mystery as the backdrop, but Allen's winks and nods to the caper genre as well as his reverence for classic film noir plots (Barbara Stanwyck's character in Double Indeminity indeed makes a cameo, blond wig and all) are melded into the action of the story, pulling you into the mystery right along with the dynamic main characters.

Allen employs his love of jazz in a unique way, underscoring the soaring moments of needle in a haystack cat-and-mousing throughout New York City with big band jolts of energy and excitement. And in one particular scene, where Keaton is sneaking around in her neighbor's apartment with an absconded key, the jazz riff gives the scene a much-needed spark of nerve-wracking anticipation.

Great supporting performances all around, including Anjelica Huston as a mystery writer who suggests a possible trap for the perpetrator as well as a way the whole story should end and Alan Alda whose exuberance is infectious and whose puppy-dog crush on Keaton anchors the film in reality.

The only problem I had was Allen's performance. It's literally all over the place. There was no one to reign him and a lot of his improvised dialogue borders on inane. Luckily, Keaton is so watchable next to him, you hardly notice his annoying peccadillos.