Columbo: Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

Yes got to be one of the best titles of an episode of not just Columbo but any other crime mystery shows. Anyway enough of the title, for what it's worth here's my assessment. I agree with most of what is said by other reviewers on here. Hamilton is as brilliant as ever- not quite as good as his previous episode but still a typical Hamilton performance that holds his own with both Peter Falk and Haskell- who is only in it for a short time due to being the victim- also great.

But I do agree that there are clumsy bits especially the beginning setting up who the character is by dialogue (explaining how he got job etc to someone who already knows) a big no no. Don't think it's ever happened in another Columbo new or old certainly not to this low degree. And the clumsiness of the murderer himself any wonder Columbo picked this up straight away. Even I and other non detectives would. And it borrows the cigarette trick from Agenda for Murder and re working tapes from Playback (and a couple of others too) so not exactly original. But what makes it great is that the originality of Columbo and his sleuthing is on full display.

So writing and set ups and ending not perfect but performances and style are. Overall a good classic.

PLOT: A crime show host (George Hamilton) murders a rival who blackmails him via an old porn flick to get his job (Peter Haskell).

COMMENTARY: Hamilton returns 16 years after his first gig with Columbo in "A Deadly State of Mind" (1975). The crime show is patterned after America's Most Wanted with John Walsh and makes for an interesting context. It's a solid episode that follows the formula to a 't,' nothing more, nothing less. Another reviewer accurately described it as "perfectly serviceable."

GRADE: B/B-

I am a fan of Columbo and while Caution: Murder Can be Hazardous to your Health is not the best of the lot, it is very enjoyable. The plot is well written and everything with a good motive but it has been used before and perhaps better, while Peter Falk has been better as Columbo. Don't get me wrong he was still wonderful but he has also been exceptional and outstanding too. The episode does look striking though, and the music is intense and atmospheric. I also loved the script, it was funny and intelligent and Columbo and Wade had some delightful scenes together, and the direction and pacing are super efficient. The acting is fine too, as I've said Falk is wonderful if not exceptional while George Hamilton plays a different character to what he played in A Deadly State of Mind. In my personal opinion he gave the better performance in that episode, but he is excellent and works well with Falk showing easily the frustration that make the best villains intriguing to watch. Overall, very good episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I sort of liked this Columbo movie its atmosphere, which was real thriller like and its approach even at times reminded me of film-noir, in the movie its first 30 minutes or so. It's really nice and done in a good old fashioned way, with the right camera angles and use of light. It doesn't mean instantly that this movie is a brilliant one though but its solid enough to consider this a good late Columbo movie entry. It's definitely a better movie than the average 'later' Columbo movie entry.

26 years after his previous Columbo movie appearance, George Hamilton returns once again to play the main lead opposite Peter Falk, again as the murderer, in a total different and new role of course. I liked him in his role and he was a good Columbo 'villain', who gave the good old Lieutenant some good competition. They had some nice sequences together. Problem with the 'modern' new Columbo movies always sort of had been that it didn't feature a good well known actor opposite Peter Falk. This movie obviously doesn't suffer from this problem. But I must say though that this movie doesn't feature Peter Falk at this best. He has certainly played the character better and his performance isn't quite consistent enough within this movie, which is probably also due to he movie its director Daryl Duke, who also directed the really dreadful movie "Tai-Pan", among many other projects.

It has a rather good and enjoyable story but the fact that the same sort of plot to cover up the murder had been used before in an earlier Columbo movie also doesn't help of course. It got used before in the 1975 movie "Columbo: Playback". Nevertheless it of course also still has plenty enough 'original' moments of its own with its story, even though of course in essence every Columbo movie is more or less the same. But oh well, that is what made the Columbo series so great and consistent. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

It also is true that within this movie more clues than usual are left out for the Lieutenant, which doesn't mean that the movie its murderer is more stupid or sloppy but I more see it as the writers being more overly enthusiastic than others. It doesn't make the movie or story bad and it in fact perhaps even makes it more enjoyable, to see Columbo hard at work and discovering all kind of small but important clues. Luckily the movie is also filled with some enjoyable effective relieving Columbo-comedy.

Simply a good late Columbo movie entry.

7/10

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Our old friend, and cover boy for Tanning Quarterly, George Hamilton is front and center here. He has stepped on the toes of a guy who is out for revenge. Apparently, George did a porno film in his youth and the guy is blackmailing him. Hence, a murder plot using cigarettes and a deadly poison. George's character is a huge TV personality on a true crime show. He is arrogant and smug and in danger of losing his cash cow. The problem involves some cigarette butts he used. The victim was a chain smoker, leaving himself a target for the killer. George also uses a surveillance tape to cover his tracks. Of course, Columbo knows it's him quite quickly, but he has to gather evidence. It's a well made episode with some nicely put together deductions.