Mord 101 - Ein Fall für Professor Lattimore

"Murder 101" is a not-bad made-for-TV mystery movie. Some of its red herrings are a bit obvious, but the final revelation is indeed a surprise. However, the WAY the movie manages to surprise you is, as someone else on this page has already said, by breaking its own rules. At one point, college professor/mystery writer Brosnan teaches his students that when they reveal the villain in a mystery story, they must have left enough clues for the reader/viewer to make him say "Of course! How didn't I think of that?". That's exactly what this movie DOESN'T do. It leaves out the clues that are essential for someone to discover the real culprit behind the crimes. So I guess you could say that it cheats. But if you like Brosnan, you may not mind. (**)

This is probably one of the coolest made for TV suspense movies I've ever seen. The movie walks you through the whole formula on how to do a suspense/murder movie and even with all this knowledge you still get surprised on who the actual killer is, even though all the answers are being handed to you in a step-by-step formula. I really recommend this movie to anybody who has a friend that your always stuck having to explain Usual Suspects to.

I just saw this movie on tv, and I must admit, it was much better than I thought it would be. In the past, I have not been a huge fan of Pierce Brosnin, but he was really good in this movie. He played a much different character from the action movies I remember him for. It was a nice change. The movie grabbed your attention and kept you wondering how it would all play out in the end. It was one of the best TV movies I have seen. I highly reccomend this movie!

Of the Murder thrillers out there, there's nothing bad about this excellent mystery. Peirce Bronson is excellent. As are the others. Also it has a great surprise ending!!!

Pierce Brosnan plays Charles Lattimore, a crime writer/college lecturer who assigns his students the task of writing the perfect crime. Shortly thereafter, one of the students is found murdered, and Lattimore becomes the main suspect.

The film's underlying premise is fine. The main problem here is that the film has a fairly high "fluff" factor. Its elemental, no frills screenplay, perhaps the result of budget constraints as a TV movie, makes the film seem shallow, too casual, and of low import. There is nothing wrong with fluff films, as they can be very entertaining. But some viewers dismiss them as unworthy of attention. In addition to having a plain vanilla screenplay, "Murder 101" contains some creative humor at the end, which further amplifies its fluff quotient. The result is that some viewers perceive the film as a spoof, or satire, of the murder mystery genre.

But I found "Murder 101" to be a viable whodunit puzzle worthy of my time to try and solve. The plot does contain a few flaws, but they do not detract from the overall effect. Clues to the identity of the killer are very subtle, as one would expect in a good whodunit. One seemingly irrelevant scene is actually a major clue to the killer's motive.

Viewers looking for razzle-dazzle special effects, innovative cinematography, fabulous costumes or set design, or unusual cinematic gimmicks will need to go elsewhere. What "Murder 101" offers is a basic, but nifty, whodunit puzzle. It will take all of your analytic skills and cunning to figure out the correct solution. And, if you're like me, you will really like that exit scene with actress Dey Young. It's a nice final touch.