Manhattan Murder Mystery (Jude Seymour) -- 3.5 out of 5

Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

Sometimes Manhattan can seem like the busiest of boroughs in New York City. The people who live in Manhattan are always occupied, and respites in between need to be filled with some sort of interesting hobby. For Carol Lipton (Diane Keaton), showing her son off to school has left her with nothing to do during the day. When her neighbor, Lillian House (Lynn Cohen), dies unexpectedly of a heart problem, Lipton immediately suspects foul play. While she is not a detective, she is bored at home, and sometimes this can be enough to suspect some sensationalist ideas about an otherwise routine death. Carol is determined to investigate this case, much the behest of her husband, Larry (Woody Allen). When he refuses to be an associate investigator, Carol turns to a family friend, Ted (Alan Alda) to help her cause and feed her melodramatic theories. As evidence against Lillian's husband, Paul House (Jerry Adler) grows, Ted and Carol grow closer together while Larry stews. Larry finally agrees to cater to his wife's theories when he fears the moves Ted might be making on his wife. Carol and Larry look for a motive, start breaking into the House residence, and trail Mr. House until the conclusion: a scene that is a direct homage to the film "Lady From Shanghai".

The biggest strength to "Manhattan Murder Mystery" is how it incorporates elements from other movies into its plot. The movie that starts Carol's detective urges is "Double Indemnity", the story of two people trying to dupe an insurance agency for some easy money. The scene that "Manhattan Murder Mystery" incorporates from "Double Indemnity" is the one where Edward G. Robinson explains to Fred MacMurray that even though a case seems open and shut, there is "a little man" inside of him that acts up that tells him something is awry. The same "little man" might be inside of Carol Lipton, for in the face of a routine heart attack, she feels the need to incessantly probe. When speculating becomes too much, Carol decides to enter the House apartment to look around for more clues. This is a scene that could have existed in "Rear Window", when Grace Kelly becomes an investigator for Jimmy Stewart's wild theories.

Woody Allen creates one of the best plot twists in this movie to add to the movie homages. As soon as evidence begins to build, the movie comes to its climax with Carol spotting Lillian House on a New York City bus. Since Lillian was supposedly dead of the heart attack, this sighting turns the case in an entirely different direction. Carol brings home her new evidence to Larry, and Allen at first treats it with his usual cynicism and affinity for the one liner. "Which bus was this? The bus to heaven?" Larry quips. When Carol tries to convince Larry, he just resorts to mild teasing. "I think it's a pretty fair assumption that a dead woman doesn't turn up in the New York Transit Association."

The second strength of the movie lies in its interplay with the character's relationships. Carol is growing closer to Ted, much the behest of Larry. This seems to suit Ted fine, as he uses this newfound revival in his relationship to express his lusting for Carol. Carol, meanwhile, steams as Larry seems to be gushing over Marcia Fox (Anjelica Huston), a writer who is more then just interested in this case that Carol and Ted have uncovered. Marcia's planning to trap Mr. House both excites Larry and Ted, and brings out the jealousy in Carol. The interplay of relationships, and the boundaries that marriage brings is done quite well.

The only thing that seems to detract from this movie is the use of hand held shots as a dominant camera mode. Allen's films tended to be shot handheld for a span of two or three years in 1992-1994, and this movie is jarred by several clumsy movements that constantly remind the viewer they are watching a movie, not getting engrossed in a "murder mystery".

Woody Allen has created another good film in "Manhattan Murder Mystery", a film that takes nothing seriously in resolving a very serious affair. I do not think Allen's intentions were to make people tense. Rather, he probably preferred the audience to be laughing at the characters as they fumble with the evidence and with their own feelings. It is done well, and the movie is quite enjoyable to watch.