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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A pleasant surprise, August 29, 2003
I took a chance on this obscure little movie having never heard of it and being unable to find any reviews for it. Hell, at the time this review is written, amazon.com doesn't even provide a picture of the case! I was surprised to find an entertaining movie with more twists than a circus pretzel. The short and skinny of it is: A serial killer is on the loose, and just so happens to kill man A's wife while she is out cheating on him with man A's best friend, man B. The insurance company won't pay, because this serial killer has a habit of taking his victims away from the crime scene. No body, no proof of death. Man B feels so sorry for his friend man A, that he concocts a plan involving another man and woman to copycat the serial killer in a carefully acted mock murder, which this time will be caught on tape due to certain prearranged circumstances. When the insurance company pays for THAT alleged murder, man B intends to split his share of the money with his best friend, man A, to try to make up for his wrongs against him and to turn around his bad fortune resulting from his inability to collect the life insurance for his wife. Anyhow, during the course of carrying out this plan, the three would-be con-artists get involved with the real serial killer. In the mean time their plan changes numerous times through acts of betrayal among the three conspirators, and it will keep you guessing and changing your mind about your grasp of what is really going on until the end. I'd certainly recommend seeing this movie whether you buy it or not, particularly if you think you are good at figuring out a mystery before the end (I bet in this case you won't though).
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Very Unusual Suspects ! - Great DVD !!!, September 12, 2003
One of those clever twist and turn crime thrillers where you think you know exactly whats going on and end up knowing absolutely nothing! Very reminiscent of The Usual Suspects and Shallow Grave in style, this film about a life insurance con that goes horrifically wrong carves out its own slice of the murder scam genre with equally confident relish. The plot is far too complicated to totally outline here but, in short, a killer is going around murdering young women and hiding their bodies. One guys partner falls victim to the latest attack and his grief turns to torment when the life insurance man wont pay up. To an insurer no corpse could mean no-one has been murdered and no need to pay out! And so it is left to the bereaved guys actor friend and a bunch of dodgy accomplices to plan to a fake killing on videotape for the necessary visual evidence that will make them a fortune. Of course it soon becomes clear that no-one is on the same page here and soon theyre all working on their own wicked versions of how to get rich quick with back stabbing results!? Strong performances from a largely unknown cast and a pacy style kept me hooked from beginning to stinging end. Small but perfectly formed, if you want a change from the current big movie fare and you are prepared to think a little while you?re being entertained, you should definitely try this one out!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
CLEVER LITTLE THRILLER, March 21, 2005
MURDER BY DESIGN is a clever little thriller to say the least. It's intriguing and well acted; the script has enough twists to become a pretzel of pandemonium! To try and summarize the plot is rather difficult and could result in some spoilers, so I won't risk that. Suffice to say, it's a chilling exercise in murder, deception, greed and lust. There is one big plot mishap however that keeps me from giving it a 5, and that involves the blundered attempt on a young woman resulting in the perpetrator's getting hit with a cellphone. If you watch the film, you may agree that this is somewhat deceptive. But all in all, MURDER BY DESIGN is a breath of fresh air in an overworked genre.
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