Murder 101

I purchased this title with some apprehension; TV movies are not high on my 'Must See' list. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised after viewing this little-known gem! It has a little bit of everything: plot twists, suspense, action, sex, and a roughly bearded Brosnan (for Brosnan fans)!

I saw this movie in terrible Czech dubbing, but there are good jokes and satire in this movie which is difficult to erase. Slow motion in story but great in atmosphere, cast and in total feeling. And if you are a fan of Pierce Brosnan, don't miss this movie.

Pierce Brosnan is one of the few actors that can move from role to

role with ease. He has never been restricted by the James Bond

role. From the volcano expert in Dante's Peak, to Mrs Doubtfire,

and the Russian spy who fights Michael Caine in ‘The Fourth

Protocol. In Murder 101, an ingenious thriller, Brosnan plays Charles

Lattimore a succsseful author, who has written a best seller, about

a famous murder trial. While he is giving a series of lectures at a

local college, a student in his class is found murdered, while she

is spending the night with Lattimore. With his alibi dead, and the

police hot on his trail, Lattimore begins to suspect that the subject

of his book, is behind the killing. Along with his ex wife, and the other students, he sets out to

unmask the real killer. An enjoyable thriller, with a good twist in the tale. I would

recommend anyone to see it, but don't miss the final scene, it's

wonderful.

"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. (**)

After Remington Steele ended, Pierce Brosnan made some big miniseries and a couple of very good movies for television. In the two that I've seen, he plays a college professor - he's a woman's perfect fantasy of one for sure, plus his accent makes him sound erudite.

In this movie, "Murder 101," he's Professor Charles Lattimore, teaching students to write a murder story while he tries to reconcile with his ex-wife, who caught him cheating with one of his students. When a beautiful member of his current class is murdered, Lattimore finds himself a prime suspect. He has to find out who's framing him - and there is more than one possibility and more than one murder to complicate the situation.

"Murder 101" has a few twists in it and makes for an above-average experience. If you like it, try to see the TV movie where Brosnan plays an English professor, "Victim of Love," which costars JoBeth Williams and Virginia Madsen. Both films make for good suspense and good viewing.