Columbo Cries Wolf

To me, Columbo is one of the best detective series of all time, and one of my favourites ever. Columbo Cries Wolf is not among my absolute favourites of the series, but it is for me one of the better "newer" entries and one of the more successful change-in-formula episodes. Much better than for example Last Salute to the Commodore, another attempt to be different from the usual formula but fell flat, anyhow. Like with all Columbo episodes, Columbo Cries Wolf is beautifully shot, and the location(s) great. The fashions are nice to look at as well, and I liked the rock soundtrack at the start. The writing is smart and always maintains interest, and while I agree about the chauffeur business(the three or four times I've seen this episode, that has always bugged me also) the story(somewhat re-calling Prescription Murder at times) is well paced and makes the most of the formula used. It also has a very clever ending. Peter Falk as he always was is brilliant as Columbo, looking very lively and natural throughout. Ian Bucchanan is not my definition of a great performance, never quite as flamboyant as his character promised to be, but he is solid enough and works well with Falk. Deidre Hall is gorgeous and very convincing. Overall, a favourite it isn't, but I enjoy it very much. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Soap stars Ian Buchanan from General Hospital and the always beautiful Deirdre Hall from Days of Our Lives are involved in a disappearance and possible murder of a publisher. Of course, this brings a slew of much needed publicity for a starving magazine. Gigi Rice has a role as well. It's a familiar story with Ian playing a British Hugh Hefner style younger man and his empire in financial ruins. His partner is played by the beautiful Deidre Hall (she hasn't aged in years) wants out of the business. Of course, the motive is about money. Columbo episodes try to use simple motives rather than complex and the crimes are always pretty simply done whether it is done with a gun. We are never truly left with a gruesome crime scene in Columbo episodes and that's a good thing because Columbo has always been light-hearted at heart and his interactions with the prime suspect is always fascinating. When he thinks he's wrong, he's not.

PLOT: The majority owner of a popular men's mag (Deidre Hall), the kind with layouts of alluring women, disappears when she travels to London. Columbo smells murder and zeroes-in on her womanizing partner (Ian Buchanan), as well as his latest model-trinket (Rebecca Staab).

COMMENTARY: Who cares if the two guest-stars are soap opera actors? This is one of the better latter-day installments. The plot follows the Columbo formula up until the last act and then pulls the rug out from under you.

I thought it was good up to that point with an interesting murder scenario that includes an element of the original Columbo movie "Prescription: Murder" (1968), but the unexpected twist takes it to the next level, even though it's pretty preposterous. Entertainment is the name of the game and this episode delivers.

It's perhaps the best showcase of beautiful women in the show's history, rivaled only by the outstanding "Now You See Him" (1976). Rebecca Staab is a highlight as Tina. You might remember her as Jerry Seinfeld's winsome redhead girlfriend in the episode "The Pledge Drive" (1994).

The movie runs 1 hour, 35 minutes.

GRADE: A-

I must say I was shocked at how many reviewers gave this a fine rating. And I say this as one who does not despise every episode from the later Columbos. Despite the overall downgrade in quality, and the ridiculous and failed attempts to change the formula in many, I still think there were quite a few superb episodes, including the two with McGoohan, the Faye Dunnaway and Dabney Coleman episodes, the one with the dental filling, 'R.I.P Mrs. Columbo,' and the very last episode - just to name a few. However, this one, like most of the others that changed the formula, fails miserably in my opinion. Basically, it is extremely good in the final fifteen minutes, and downright awful for the first 75 - when one is suffocated by dreadful soap opera acting, endless shots of bathing beauties, and the kind of infantile detective work that one finds in a typical cable channel movie of the week whodunit. Only when all this is mercifully gone, is the great Peter Falk allowed to shine again. Moreover, the entire plot and sleuthing in the first 75 minutes have no connection whatsoever to the Columbo style, and the clues he discovers are downright childish by his standards - such as the creamer clue upon which he builds his entire case. Basically, it is nothing more than a bit of good luck that any lousy detective could fall into, w/o requiring any of the Columbo ingenuity and brilliance to notice or decipher. When you stick to the formula, even if the actors and script are mediocre, you can at least enjoy Columbo and his inimitable acting and comments. In this film, you have neither. Just look at the list of 'Quotes.' There is not even a single line worth repeating. Likewise, no dog, car or raincoat jokes to laugh at. Humor in this flop amounts to Columbo getting splashed with water, or sitting in a limo with 6 bimbos. God have mercy on me.

Yes, Columbo gets it wrong or does he? This is an excellent Columbo story which adds a neat twist to the usual formula. Falk is lively throughout and by setting it in the glamour world, there are plenty of opportunities for comic moments. Very well paced and a treat to watch.