Murder by Death

Alphabetical Listing of Movie Reviews

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z


  • Murder by Death -- Eccentric criminologist (Truman Capote) invites five master detectives and assistants (including David Niven, Maggie Smith, Eileen Brennan and James Coco) to his sinister mansion, intending to confound them with a crime they cannot solve. Neil Simon's script owes much to Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians," but its attempt to spoof whodunit movies is badly wide of the mark. Director Robert Moore fails to find much humor in the flimsy plot, multiple inconsistencies and flat dialogue. Even the broad performances of a capable cast don't help matters much (Alec Guinness is wasted in a butler part). Adult and frequently vulgar humor. (A-III) (PG) ( 1976 )




    These movies have been evaluated for artistic merit and moral suitability by the media reviewing division of Catholic News Service. The reviews include the CNS rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.

    The classifications are as follows:

    A-I -- general patronage;
    A-II -- adults and adolescents;
    A-III -- adults;
    L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
    O -- morally offensive.

    Note: Some movies previously were designated A-IV. Older films with this classification should be regarded as classified L.

  • Office for Film and Broadcasting | 1011 First Avenue, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10022 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.

    Catholic News Service Media Review Office — © USCCB. All rights reserved.