Customer Reviews

Movie Murderer [VHS]

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tom Selleck costars with the late Arthur Kennedy in this movie as a team of insurance investigators after someone who is destroying movies. This is one of times first roles and he clearly shows why he would become a leading man in series tv and movies. This movie is a must view.

"The Movie Murderer" was a made-for-TV movie that few people remember, but it had a great cast and some nice touches that summed up everything that was "cool" about the Late-60s / Early-70s period. The plot concerns an arsonist who is destroying all prints of an obscure film made by some unknown student filmmakers. So right off we have some interesting parallels with more recent films like "Inglourious Basterds". [SPOILER ALERT] One of the key plot points is that the movie in question is basically an Avant-Garde / Surreal / Hippie type film that made little sense (but they accidentally captured a shot of some mafia guy / mob informant in one scene), and my memory is that in 1980 when MTV started to become popular my dad would always recall this film. There are many cultural gems from this time period, hopefully some day we will see DVD's of this and also "The Man" with James Earl Jones. They deserve better than to be lost to history.

The late, great Warren Oates plays an arsonist ---not a psycho, but a pro who prides himself on the fact that no one has ever been hurt in any of his torch jobs. Now it's movie theaters that are being hit -- but why? That's what insurance investigators Arthur Kennedy and the young, mustache-less Tom Selleck have to find out.

The movie is aided by crisp writing and sexy Nita Talbot --- and the answer to the puzzle will be a complete surprise.

This movie has been neglected, but it's very enjoyable, and worth watching more than once. And the split-screen technique that the film often uses is not a gimmick; it's fully justified by the story line and adds to the pleasure the viewer will experience.

Tom Selleck was so young at this point in his career that he may not yet have grown any hair on his chest. (Since he never takes his shirt off, however, we can't be sure.) The premise here is intriguing: an arsonist is setting fire to film studios and movie theaters in an attempt to destroy all prints of a particular motion picture. But why? The answer's a bit disappointing but a solid cast still makes this worth a casual viewing. There's not only Tom Selleck but also Arthur Kennedy, Frank Campanella, Warren Oates, Jeff Corey, Robert Webber, Russell Johnson, Nita Talbot, Severn Darden, Elisha Cook jr, and Henry Jones. Now if only some way could have been found to show Tom Selleck taking a shower!