Customer Reviews

They Only Kill Their Masters

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This 1972 film is the first and probably the best of four, varied 1970s movies by the same writer about sensationalistic small-town murders solved by the local police chief against the backdrop of quirky town regulars and a casual romantic interest. The others are: (1) Isn't It Shocking (Alan Alda, 1973); and (2) The Girl In The Empty Grave and (3) Deadly Game (both Andy Griffith, 1977).

Here, Chief Abel Marsh (James Garner) returns from a Los Angeles vacation to read in the paper about a local woman's death while he was away. She was found dead at the beach, with her pet Doberman "Murphy" beside her and its bite marks on her arms. Marsh finds some suspicious signs at her house and learns that Dobermans strike for the neck, not the arms. So he has the woman's body exhumed and autopsied. He discovers that she was drowned in fresh water but dumped in the sea. He also learns that she was pregnant. Her ex-husband (Peter Lawford) tells Marsh that she ended the marriage because she was in love with a woman. Although the killer stripped the victim's house of evidence, Marsh finds in some litter on the floor a photograph of an unidentified nude couple running toward the beach, away from the camera. He takes in Murphy. He also starts a romance with Katharine Ross, who plays the assistant to veterinarian Hal Holbrook, husband of June Allyson.

Marsh arrives at the victim's house to meet Lawford. Marsh finds the house in flames and Lawford unconscious inside, before being slugged. There is a nice scene as Marsh uses the phone in the house (his car tire and radio cord were slashed) to call for a fire truck and ambulance, only to have to sit outside and watch the house burn down and Lawford die, because the assailant, who took off in Lawford's car, blocked with the car the "one-way tunnel" between the town and the house, delaying the reinforcements. Further deductions lead Marsh to a suspect, who drugs and eludes him in an implausible scene (why would Marsh take the bundle from the suspect, tying up his arms, instead of handing it off to the owner, who was standing right there?). Marsh pursues the suspect and gets closer to the killer, with limited help from the bungling county police and apparently little or none from his own men. His relationship, such as it is, with Ross, falls apart due to his work on the case, at least for now.

Unlike Alda, Garner is credible as a police chief. He uses a gun, breaks up a bar fight, and comports himself with authority. Unlike Griffith, Garner plays the role straight. The supporting cast is good, even if not as well-used as Alda's. There is more plotting and detective work in Garner's than the others. It strikes a better balance between serious and light elements than the dreary Alda or silly Griffith versions. Garner's has pleasant music and some good use of locations.

But problems spoil fuller enjoyment of the movie. The plot depends on Marsh not being able to distinguish a 30-year-old woman from a 55-year-old woman. Why did the careful culprit leave the crucial photo behind? And there is no explanation for how the case could have initially been so badly mishandled (mistaking cause of death for bite marks, instead of drowning). The director seems to go out of his way to present early scenes as unpleasant and loud (Marsh banging incessantly on the police car horn outside the station; a waiting room at the vet's with countless barking, jumping dogs; sickly lime green counter trim and wallpaper in the victim's house; Marsh clumsily knocking things on the floor there).

Garner acts so sullen and cynical that he lacks his usual charm and energy. Marsh's catch-phrases "Neat," "City folks," and "When you know where not to look, that tells you something about where to look," feel overused and phony, not natural. Marsh wisecracks about "triple bourbons for lunch," gleefully brings a second full pitcher of beer to his table, and always has a bottle handy. Nothing is made of this. Although likable, attractive actors, the relationship between Garner and Ross is hasty and unexplained in how it begins and especially ends, with excruciating, slow-paced scenes in which he, doing tight-lipped slow burns, and she, inquisitive and confused, take forever to say nothing. Lines that are supposed to be significant are incomprehensible (suspect tells Marsh, "You're shrewd, Abel, but you're not very smart"). Marsh is too rough with Ross and with Murphy.

There is little depth to the characters or relationships. Allyson is a mere stick figure plot device, with only a brief glimpse early and a few coarse, bitter lines ("She was a bitch."; "If you're so smart, you find the car."). The victim is left obscure. Marsh's deputies play no meaningful role. The running joke of the gung-ho county police's incompetence is taken too far when it causes a death.

The plot relies on sensationalism and innuendo rather than clear, satisfying explanation. The killer's confession is nearly incoherent ("....There was nothing left of him. Nothing of me. I had no choice."). The movie seems to exploit homosexuality and "threesomes" as plot gimmicks. It can be crude and offensive, as when Marsh jokes to Ross' question about why he is still single, "I'm a faggot. Have you seen the women in this town?"; Ross remarks, "I guess dykes don't use the pill."; a deputy laughs hysterically when discussing with Marsh a young woman who had part of her anatomy bitten off by a guy with her in the back seat of a car that hit a bump in the road; Marsh mutters in response to Lawford's new teenage-looking floosie girlfriend's question about whether there are motels in town with vibrator beds "in the box," "In the box, neat....City folks."; and dirty old townsmen quiz Marsh about "Did he get much?" on his L.A. vacation.

For me this is one of those great, underrated movies that I end up watching whenever I'm channel surfing and I find it's on. James Garner is great as a slighty cynical and world weary small town police chief in a coastal California town, but the supporting cast and the characters they are given to play are worthy of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. My personal favorites are Edmond O'Brien as the owner of the local liquor store and Arthur O'Connell as the proprietor of the town coffee shop. The details of the story are so choice: the town has trouble getting enough of an appropriation to buy the police department a new typewriter because the county sheriff, Harry Guardino, has a thing for gadgets and has spent out the budget on a helicopter; two officers working late at night in the office start getting punchy when they get a phone call about an unusual complaint. The mystery is a nicely written story without holes, and it doesn't dumb down to anyone. Hammett fan? Rockford fan? You'll have fun with this.

They Only Kill Their Masters is a flawed murder mystery. A meatloaf dinner half way through stops it in its tracks. The female romantic lead is as bland and uninteresting as packaged custard. The director never establishes control over the movie.

On the other hand, it also has a great deal of easy-going charm, a winning performance by James Garner (who carries the picture) and a deliberately misleading set of clues that lead to steamy speculation, smarmy behavior and committed kinkiness. There's a sleight-of-hand solution that makes sense and a Doberman named Murphy with chompers big enough to rip out a throat and a tail that could power an aluminum smelter just by wags.

Never trust small town values, especially if the small town is Eden Landing on the California coast. When a young woman washes up on the sand in front of a beach house, she has major mauling on her body and a prancing Doberman bouncing around in the surf next to her. It's not long before the newspaper pronounces the woman dead by dog and Murphy is scheduled for euthanasia by Dr. Watkins (Hal Holbrook), the town vet. Then Police Chief Abel Marsh (Garner) has a talk with the town coroner. Seems the dog's bites were all on the body's arms and legs. Looks like Murphy might have been trying to rescue her. Then there's evidence that she drowned...on purpose and it wasn't suicide. Her lungs are full of tap water mixed with salt, not seawater. And she was pregnant. As Abel investigates, he finds more questions than answers. He gets bashed and beaten. And he finds he likes the vet's new assistant (Katharine Ross) well enough to invite her over for a meatloaf supper. Abel also finds some erotic photos. Seems the dead woman liked to keep a record of her doings. Through it all Abel remains skeptical, likeable, wry and smart...just like James Garner. The conclusion is tricky and nearly lethal for Abel.

Some fine actors join Garner in this flawed but interesting murder mystery. Katharine Ross, unfortunately, brings little to the part. The character is bland, has a nice smile, not much personality and pours too much dressing on the salad she makes for herself and Abel to accompany Abel's meatloaf. But as compensation there are all those excellent, aging actors who show up and demonstrate why Garner is wise enough not to go toe-to-toe with them in their scenes together. Tom Ewell is one of Abel's cops; June Allyson is the vet's wife; Edmund O'Brien is the liquor store owner; Arthur O'Connell owns the local diner and Ann Rutherford is Abel's police dispatcher. Even Peter Lawford shows up as a sleaze with a lot of hair. They give us more than cameos, but none of the parts requires actors as known as they are. The result is that each actor gets a little extra business to do so that we can appreciate their skill and we can remember their great roles. As much as they add to the movie's pleasure, their presence distracts from the story.

I've always liked this movie. The solution is unexpected. Garner is Garner, and that's a plus. And it's still good to see in their old age just how skilled and professional were Edmund O'Brien (D.O.A., Seven Days in May, The Wild Bunch), Tom Ewell (Adam's Rib, The Seven Year Itch) and Arthur O'Connell (Picnic, Anatomy of a Murder).

They Only Kill Their Masters comes from Warner's Archive Collection, films from their vault that may once have been released long ago as a VHS and then disappeared. Warner slaps them as is on DVDs and charges a premium. The quality of each movie's transfer is no better than the quality of the print from the vault. In this case, the quality is better than average. There are no extras and no chapter index. You can click ahead at ten-minute intervals. Check around for the best price.

I just watched the Warner Archive Dvd version of They Only Kill Their Masters. It stars James Garner. It was made in the 70's and is a gem
I will not go into plots or bore you with a synopsis. I will tell you that it is a fun movie. With a stellar cast. Edmund Obrien,Peter Lawford and Harry Gaurdino just to name a few. The story is well plotted so you do not get bored while watching.
Garner is the star and does well in carrying the movie. it is great to see him in something that did not just having him survive on his charm. It was this movie that had me actually start to check out other Garner films.
I recommend this movie for mystery buffs and Garner fans. It is a bit steep in price so be willing to shop around.

Great cast, good story and pacing makes this a fun and enjoyable murder mystery from the '70's. Garner is a small town police chief investigating the murder of a women (initially thought to be the result of a dog attack.) Katherine Ross is the sexy new love interest. Hal Holbrook and a host of cameos round out the cast. Very enjoyable little crime-drama.

The doberman's are the "gimmick" in an otherwise average movie. However they are an impressive gimmick.The trainers get the dogs to do some amazing things. Imagine a "Benji" movie for grown-ups. If you are interested in animal training or dobermans, you'll like this movie.

I was thrilled to see this title in print, as Katharine Ross is one of my favorite actresses. Please note, I have yet to view this DVD. But, I learned today after viewing the WB Archive Collection website that this is not a remastered version. It is simply a video master produced as a DVD. Thus, I already have concerns about the quality. If I had realized this before purchasing, I probably would not have done so. This apparently is the case for all DVD titles available from the WB Archive Collection.

As I remember it. A long-lost James Garner classic film that still hold together after all these years. A good value for the money.

A potentially taut and engrossing murder mystery is bungled by a flabby script with unneeded small town "humor" inserted into the proceedings, not to mention a disturbing undercurrent of homophobia. When a woman's body is found mutilated on a beach, her Doberman is thought to have turned on her and killed her. When an autopsy shows she was murdered, a small town cop (James Garner) must sift through the victim's secret and unconventional life to find her killer. Outside of the provocative (for 1972), lesbian angle and the smutty innuendos, this could have been a TV movie. Cast includes Katharine Ross, June Allyson (very good in her one big scene), Peter Lawford, Tom Ewell, Hal Holbrook, Ann Rutherford and Arthur O'Connell.

The Warners Archive MOD DVD is a decent wide screen (1.85) transfer.

Tape was promptly delivered in less than 10 days.
Tape is in excellent condition, and like my other purchases
from your sellers,the postage charged is more than reasonable
and the feed back: ie notification etc very professional.
Highly recommend again
Millie Fowden