Meurtre dans l'espace

Murder in Space was a whodunnit murder mystery suspense film that featured on ITV screens in the UK on the 13th August 1985. The film was in fact a first so far as I know, as it was the UK's first nationwide whodunnit competition involving a film. Run in conjunction with the TV Times magazine, entrants had to name the characters responsible for the various murders in the film. As well as being able to watch the film, people who were keen to enter could also ring a telephone service and listen to recordings of interviews with the characters before they began the mission aboard the Conestoga. I remember as I did enter the competition but was only 13 at the time and was smitten with Michael Ironside ( still am lol). The second part which was the ending divulged the identity of the killers. It formed part of a TV show hosted by -the then popular- Anneka Rice and was screened in the autumn (Sept or Oct?) Several contestants were on the show who had correctly identified the killers, but only one guessed all of them and won the prize.

Cute, stock murder mystery which completes its task of entertaining you on a rainy day or boring night. I happened to rent this in high school when I was on a Michael Ironside binge, and found it to be quite the ensemble effort. Complex, with the typical, hilarious score including the "DA DA DAAAA"'s when the shocking plot twist lines are revealed and such. Wilford Brimley, cashing in on the COCOON fame, holds your attention in a rough and ragged, "Well doggone it this is my job and I'm taking it seriously, regardless of the ever hectic family life..." You might laugh at a lot of the schtick, but if you're into the Murder mystery, this is a nice take on it. The question of who holds authority and to what extent should that authority be taken in a confined space situation is raised. This movie made me think a little about that. Kudos to all involved. Michael Ironside rules. (with or without hairpieces) Incidentally, if you like Mr. Ironside, check out COMMON BONDS, NEON CITY, TOTAL RECALL, V, or WATCHERS, among many others.

As you might have noticed if you follow my reviews, I also reviewed a fair share of TV thrillers and noticed that the made for TV thrillers all look the same. But when I had to watch MURDER IN SPACE I knew it was different tho it was just as good as the typical made for TV thrillers.

When the story begins we see the Conestoga that returned briefly on Earth after visiting Mars and when it departs again one of the ten teammates, Russian Olga Denerenko that was also married with a big guy of the Russian government, dies. After the autopsy that reveals she was narcotized, starts an investigation about the various murders during the space travel with a crew that includes Captain Neal Braddock and Andrew McCallister (Michael Ironside and Wilford Brimley) as the suspects while the entire world including Alexander Rostov (Martin Balsam) waits in silence.

What I mean for a different made for TV thriller I mean that is the first one set in space during a travel around the globe, but the situations don't make it any different from the typical Hallmark channel thriller. Overall, nice acting and tense moments make this worthwhile if you don't have anything better to do for an hour and a half.

The main reason why I watched this 80's made-for-TV effort was very obvious: it features the mighty Michael Ironside and veteran actor Wilford Brimley (whenever I stumble upon a film with either of them in it, I'm likely to check it out). The second reason for watching this film was because of the alluring premise: the story involves an international murder mystery set on board a space ship on its way back to earth. And when you watch 'Murder In Space' for one of these reasons, you're more than likely to be amused by it. But rest assured, the plot itself gets pretty silly at times, especially concerning the motivations of some of the characters. To reveal more, would spoil the fun, but at some points the revelations in the plot seem to be almost bordering on soap opera material. Then again, this film was made for TV after all, wasn't it?

Members of the crew do get killed on board the space ship, but the film is virtually devoid of any suspense or action. The body's are usually just found after the facts and it's up to the remaining crew members to figure out what the hell is going on. The speculations on the identity of the killer are formed in collaboration with Dr. Andrew McCallister (amongst other mission members, back on earth), played by Wilford Brimley. And since the Russians (amongst other nationalities) are involved too, these communications between the space ship and the ground control base on earth provide a big part of the fun in the script. Both Brimley and Ironside deliver in their roles, though some of their statements & conversations come close to being ridiculous, given the situation & events. The rest of the cast pulls their weight too, but can't hold a performance candle to the two leading actors.

As a whodunit, 'Murder In Space' is strictly standard stock material. You'll most likely be less than amazed by it. But surprisingly the film does manage to entertain for 90 minutes. Whether it be for all the right or wrong reasons, you may decide.