The Landline Detective

I would never have believed that an old guy on a phone could keep me riveted to the screen for so long. Who needs sets, deep score. or anything. When you have incredible writing and superb acting... I guess that's all you need. Could you please re-make Dial M for Murder now and I guarantee a 10!

I enjoyed this film much more than I expected even though the voices on the phone were obviously not those of trained actors. The main character James Furuta (Dann Seki) was marvelous and held my attention the entire time, no small feat.

As a Japanophile who lived many years in Japan, and hopes to return to live there permanently, I loved that the story focused on the interconnectedness of the Japanese-American community, which reminded me of life in Japan. And I loved the usage of old photos of Japanese-Americans appearing intermittently on the screen as the story progressed, representing some of the characters from the murder mystery rooted in past events, but would have preferred them in sharp focus before the film's end to make the characters come to life in the present.

Entertaining and something different than the usual murder mystery fare and all without vulgarity or bloody, violent scenes.

I have never sat through a 1 act film with so much enjoyment before! It is clever, witty, simple, enjoyable and even funny, and very well acted by ALL. The thing that struck me the most was that what the people said on the phone IS what you would say, and it was great! Well written, with everything you need in a film. A triumph! Congratulations.

...but the production values and the dialogue are strictly amateur hour. If it weren't for the likeability factor of the sole on screen performer, this would be one of the worst films ever made. If you can get past the first 15 or 20 minutes, it might grow on you. But the technical drawbacks...the pauses...the overly loud voices on the phone and the incredibly childish dialogue all have to be overlooked.

If you appreciate excellent acting, imagine an entire movie with only one actor. A movie that holds your attention because of that 1 actor's ability and well-written dialogue. Oh sure, there are other voice actors, but the one on-screen actor holds this story together. You are forced to imagine the scenes, just like reading a good book. I was so impressed!