Tödliche Tricks

When Columbo returned to television in the late '80s, the integrity of the original series was usually in place. The qualities that made Columbo tops were never more apparent than in "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine," with guest stars Anthony Andrews, Anthony Zerbe, and Karen Austin. Andrews plays a psychic being wooed by a government organization for his gifts, but of course, they want to see proof. He is connected with a psychic institute run by beautiful Karen Austin, who not only wants the credibility a win like this could give her institute, but Andrews himself. She is running tests and helping him cheat.

Enter Zerbe, a magician who makes his living debunking psychics. He is brought in by the government to administer special tests to Andrews. Turns out, he and Andrews knew each other once, long ago, in a third world prison, and when Zerbe saw his chance to get out, he did, leaving Andrews behind. There is a hint here of more than just a prison friendship - in the hands of two excellent actors like Zerbe and Andrews, they have etched these characters and their relationship with a lot of layers. Andrews plays the card of their old friendship to get Zerbe to give him elaborate tests that are carried out by trickery, and then sanction him as real to the government. This accomplished, Andrews plays the revenge card for what Zerbe did by abandoning him years ago and, in a remarkable scene, gets rid of him. It's brilliantly done as the murder is never shown, but it makes you sick anyway.

It's up to Columbo to debunk the psychic and reveal him for what he really is, a cold-blooded killer. Watch Columbo figure out the tests, with the help of a boy who is a magic aficionado, and be prepared to be caught up in the scenario and feel like you've just seen a pretty great magic show. One of the truly great Columbos.

Not bad as a TV movie and pretty much in tune with the classical Columbo of 70s. But this one has a few annoying defects, I must say.

1. Was that long setup really necessary? Couldn't we simply learn of the shared past of the duo and how the younger one was scamming the military in 10 minutes instead of the 20 or 30 that began to look like a lifetime? I'm all for long openings, but as long as they serve their purpose perfectly. There was some dead weight on the first act of this one. (catch that pun!)

2. How exactly did Columbo "catch" the killer this time? I mean, okay, he somewhat confessed but... Was there really any hard evidence? Or even a soft one? The ending suggested that Columbo was gonna book him for the attempted murder against himself only. How will THAT hold in court?!? No witnesses, nothing solid... This killer will walk! And... Given he is okay with murdering Columbo (not the crime in investigation, but another one that is, by the way) WHY wouldn't he do it right now, given the lieutenant is all by himself, totally unprotected against a much younger and taller man?

3. The trick done during the test... Are military officials so dumb they would fall for it? Not bad, but the overcomplication with the process had to be a giveaway for the people funding that paranormal study. Given Columbo solved it thanks to help from a 13 year old kid, especially.

4. I get the entertainment value with the name "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine" and the suspense of seeing our beloved detective in that position. But, FFS, please, NO! This is SO FAR from being credible! Has Columbo gone INSANE? Will he really be risking his own life? Gambling on which side the killer would place the collar piece? "Safe" will behead him, the other side will be harmless. That's Russian roulette! What if the guy WAS guilty BUT didn't want to behead Columbo? I mean... Really, really dumb!... This could happen only if Columbo was tired of his wife and life and willing to actually commit suicide by the hands of a murderer. I could be on board with that final scene if we were shown that the collar piece was fixed in such a way that Columbo would be at no risk, and that other officially assigned people could be there to catch the confession of the killer, but no... You can't end a Columbo episode so abruptly, detached from the very basics of his modus operandi and certain legislative facts.

I won't say it's bad TV overall, but it certainly is some missed chance in comparison to that other, classical episode involving magic, guest starring Jack Cassidy.

This is not the first time Columbo has entered the world of magic and illusion in the course of his investigations; it is an ideal setting for murder, with its built-in "things are not what they seem to be" theme. This movie, however, goes into greater detail exploring the mechanics of trickery, and adds in the richer theme of (supposed) paranormal phenomena to make things more confusing. A renowned magician and debunker of fake mystics (perhaps modelled somewhat on James Randi) declares that a celebrated young psychic is the genuine article, and has actually succeeded in passing rigorous laboratory tests to prove his psychic ability. In fact, the psychic is a fake, as the magician is fully aware, but a combination of guilt and sentiment over some shared history between the two men leads him to cover up for the young man, who takes advantage of this weakness to kill him. Columbo must not only work his way through the tricky surfaces presented by professional magicians, he has to also deal with a murderer who has been authoritatively declared a genuine psychic by the victim. The most useful advice he gets comes from a rather snotty little boy who is a magic buff and tells him "It's a trick. You start out knowing it's a trick, and then you figure out how to do it." Watching Columbo learn how to duplicate the apparently mystical feats of his opponent is highly enjoyable.

After a hiatus of over a decade Peter Falk returns as the dogged and persistent homicide detective Columbo of the LAPD. As usual he's got himself a suspect who thinks he's a cut or two above the hoi ploi.

Anthony Zerbe is our victim here and he's a magician in the tradition of Harry Houdini. And as history has taught us one of Houdini's sidelines was the exposure of psychics whom he thought were all a gang of frauds.

Zerbe knows that Anthony Andrews is a fraud and he's got some personal knowledge of that because they have some history together. Zerbe by the way is no saint either.

Zerbe is done in by one of his magician's props, a guillotine he uses in his act that proves to be all too real.

One thing about this episode, like in a few others Columbo doesn't have much of a case, he just hopes the suspect trips himself up. Andrews does in fact, but Peter Falk puts himself in harm's way to do it.

But of course he gets his man.

I think of Peter Falk's Lieutenant Columbo as an old friend. I love watching him in action. Peter Falk is so good at playing him and he obviously enjoys it as well because he keeps coming back to him as well. I know that he kept the trademark raincoat from the series. Columbo Goes to the Guillotine was the first of many Columbo television films that came back after a decade long absence from our homes. We notice that Columbo hasn't changed that much including his raincoat over the last ten or so years that he stopped playing him. He's still the smart, funny, forgetful, and lovable Italian detective that we remember and treasure. I wish there was another episode even now. They're all treasures. I love how he doesn't change with the times but the characters do.