La signora in giallo - Appuntamento con la morte

Jessica Fletcher attends a writers' conference. One of the new members, Russian author Yuri Malenkovich, causes a stir by announcing that his manuscript is set to rock the authorities of both Russia and the US. The night of his introduction, he's killed.

It's a good follow-up from South by Southwest; I'm glad they took their time and opted not to churn out TV movies. I think the previous movie was slightly better, but this is still a good second outing.

The storyline is a good one, and the ninety-plus-minute run time allows it to develop well. I didn't work out who the killer was. It's a good story with some interesting characters and a few nice scenes.

The series often had Russian spies and KGB agents, so it was fitting that we had a couple here. I wish they'd expanded a little on the athlete's story, that came to an abrupt end.

Daniel Dae Kim was rather good; this comes just before millions would get to know him in Lost. Richard Crenna was excellent as Warren, and Lansbury's performance was first-rate; she stepped back into Jessica's shoes so easily; she's fabulous here.

7/10.

Following in the footsteps of the TV show, this TV movie did not disappoint. The characters, most especially J.B. Fletcher were well thought out and the acting was good. It was nice to see the return of one of the greatest television shows of all time, and it came back with a story symbolizing what made Murder, She Wrote so good. The people involved didn't see a TV movie with a bigger budget as an opportunity to create more action and special effects, the true reasons for Murder, She Wrotes popularity: the characters and stories (involvement of the viewer in solving the crime) remained in the fore-ground. It truly was a story, an event, a show to die for. (In the literal sense, of course.)

Jessica Fletcher becomes a speaker at Speakers' Incorporated attended by various authors. Russian author Uri Malenkovitch also attends to promote his book about the KGB. When he is killed, Jessica must help a struggling writer who is accused of his murder.

Angela Lansbury looks older yet shines as always, with her reassuring, matronly presence causing to make you forget about the world's ills for just a short while. She gives her character a human quality, which I feel is one of the reasons why MSW was so successful. Here, this TV movie isn't so different than the episode, except that it's longer, elaborating on characterisation and plot. The plot is quite engaging, and it's just all cosy fun that is so much fun.

(Amazon Prime has the four "Murder She Wrote" movies now. Do a search for "Murder She Wrote--New".)

This second MSW movie is about a speakers conference, where writers and others are attending to learn about performing and making money at speaking engagements. The movie was not as good as the first one, but still classic Jessica Fletcher. A nasty ex-KGB director/writer is killed and his manuscript is stolen. Quite a few suspects, but I did guess who the killer was without trying.

At the end of the film, Jessica gives a long speech about why murderers should never be allowed to get away with murder, and why no one should resort to murder. Interesting, since with many MSW TV episodes, the viewer may feel the killer should get away with the killing. I guess this explains why all the MSH stories never lets anyone get an out-of-jail-free card.

I gave up reading the Agatha Christies after I learned to spot the murderer, usually about a third of the way in, when he (or frequently she) was placed at the centre of an over-theatrical scene in front of a fairly large audience.

Although Angela Lansbury and her colleagues have always been at pains to distance themselves from Agatha Christie, the same principle is applied in this story, set in a conference of budding authors, who are each given their turn on the stage. And sure enough, the killer does manage to give away an important clue during his own well-received talk.

In her position as the famous crime-novelist, Jessica has been invited to preside over the conference, and gets a close-up view of a colourful mix of characters, some of them connected with the ex-head of the KGB, also at the conference, who has just been offered a fortune for his memoirs, exposing the secrets of the Soviet Union. When the inevitable murder takes place, Jessica warns more than one character - significantly - that too much willingness to help the police may be aimed at deflecting attention, and can point to the killer. When it comes to the final unmasking, there is another Christie touch, when it turns out that the murderer is not a thug or a psychopath, but a decent and responsible person, driven to extremes by circumstances with which one can sympathise.

Regular fans of Murder She Wrote will recognise a particular in-joke, when one character laments "Jessica Fletcher's here. There's been a murder. What are the odds?" A few years from now, viewers may need a few title-frames to explain the historical context, but when the film was released in 2000, the ending of the Cold War was recent enough to make a strong basis for the story.