Columbo: Agenda for Murder

Orson Welles once said that Patrick McGoohan should had been a big movie star. Born in New York of Irish parents, he grew up in Yorkshire. McGoohan conquered British television at an early age with two hit shows, Danger Man and The Prisoner.

He turned down the role of James Bond as well as other romantic or action leading roles because apparently he would have it stipulated in his contract that he would not kiss the leading lady. He did not want to be unfaithful to his wife in any shape or form, an attitude that would had hurt his film career.

McGoohan won an Emmy for his role as lawyer and political campaign manager Oscar Finch who is on a political ticket to Washington and Attorney General. McGoohan also directed this episode.

21 years earlier Finch had used his influence to have the District Attorney to get rid of vital evidence for a crook. His longtime friend Paul Mackey, now on the Vice President ticket was involved in the event. The crook is in trouble again and wants Finch to use his influence again. Finch cannot afford to put his and Mackey's future in jeopardy.

In an intriguing segment we see Finch doing some things with lots of foil, a gun and some gunpowder. His plan is to make the murder look like a suicide. However Columbo is not so sure, he notices that the dead man sent some jokes from his fax machine, not a sign of a desperate man at the end of his tether.

This episode benefits from McGoohan's performance, cool, calculated even with a hint of sarcasm. There is an effortless interplay with Peter Falk as both previously appeared together in other Columbo stories.

However the film's denouement with chewing gum, cheese and teeth marks leaves it rather unsatisfying.

This is one of the best Columbos. The reason for this is the cat and mouse games Columbo and the bad guy, Patrick McGoohan (who won an Emmy for this one, I believe), use against each other. Also the way Columbo catches him is really funny. I always enjoy Columbo but I enjoy it even more when McGoohan shows up. (For those of you who don't know McGoohan watch the old British tv show "The Prisoner" or more recently watch him as Edward I in "Braveheart.")

McGoohan makes the man he murders looks like he committed suicide. No one knew that McGoohan was showing up excpet for the man he murders. Lt. Columbo is still able to figure out that he did it. To give away more would be wrong, so I won't do that.

The dialogue between Columbo and McGoohan is some of the most entertaining out of all the Columbos that I've seen. McGoohan really thinks he is going to get away with it but he's up against Columbo and we know how that will work out.

AGENDA FOR MURDER is a fine instalment of the late-stage Columbo series and another that features Patrick McGoohan giving a stern and authoritative performance as the murder suspect. McGoohan directed the film too and certainly knows his business, creating a well-paced and snappy production in which the detection and the humour go hand in hand. These elements combine to make AGENDA FOR MURDER one of the strongest of all the latter Columbos.

McGoohan plays a high-flying lawyer who murders an old acquaintance who has dirt on him and makes it look like a suicide. Unfortunately for him, he leaves plenty of clues behind at the crime scene, and Columbo is soon on the case. One of the clues is a major one that's revealed in a twist ending that most viewers will be able to guess, but the rest of the small stuff - like the blood spot underneath the gun - are clever and show once again how it's the little things that count.

Peter Falk is in his element here and really seems to be enjoying himself more than ever. His Columbo is more nuanced than usual and the supporting cast seem to be giving better performances than ever so that he has plenty of material to work with. The humour is character based rather than being silly as in some of the later episodes and despite the hour and a half running time, AGENDA FOR MURDER is never slow or uninteresting. It's a good 'un.

PLOT: A slick attorney (Patrick McGoohan) murders a blackmailer who threatens his political aspirations, making it look like a suicide. Columbo smells something fishy and targets the underhanded lawyer. Denis Arndt plays his buddy, a congressman with hopes of becoming Vice President.

COMMENTARY: McGoohan appeared as the antagonist in two prior episodes, "By Dawn's Early Light" (1974) and "Identity Crisis" (1975) and would return for the forthcoming "Ashes to Ashes" (1998). There's just something about his chemistry with Peter Falk that almost guarantees a quality installment, and so it is here. It's one of the better latter-day segments.

GRADE: B+/A-

The main difference between the early Columbo's and the later ones from the late eighties and 90's were I felt the later episodes lacked the star power of the shows from the 70's. But in 1990 long time actor and director Patrick Mcgoohan returns to play the villain for the third time in Agenda for Murder. This episode was just brilliant and to see Falk and Mcgoohan playing cat and mouse 16 years after their first stint in " By dawns early Light " was just breathtaking. The line of the show is when Columbo parks in Mcgoohans parking stall and Mcgoohan states sarcastically to his secretary " What is that oxidized relic doing in my parking spot ". My God that was great and this show will keep you on the edge until the very end. It's the best the later episodes have to offer so seek it out.