One of the most fun movies I've ever watched but I liked it better 20 years ago, frankly, than today. In a recent viewing, it seemed a bit sleazier than I had remembered. Nonetheless, it still has tons of laughs.

This film has one of my all-time favorite characters: Sidney Wang, played by Peter Sellers. The late English actor did a fabulous job of imitating Charlie Chan. He is the highlight among a very talented cast that includes Peter Falk, David Niven, James Coco, Elsa Lanchester, Alec Guinesses, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker and Truman Capote.

Today, the character oddest for me to view is a young Cromwell who speaks with a French accent! I've never seen him in any role remotely resembling this. The other actors play roles typical of them, such as Niven and Smith's dapper "Thin Man" couple and Falk's, Columbo/Mike Hammer-style American detective.

This a spoof of all the great detectives and the story has a purposely exaggerated amount of twists, particularly at the end....but, despite some of the typical crude 1970s type sexual innuendos, it provides entertainment start-to-finish with absolutely no lulls. It's a classic!

"Murder By Death" is a very silly and often stupid film. Now this is NOT meant as criticism--just an observation about the type of humor in the film. So, if you are looking for an arty or sophisticated film, then you should definitely not watch this film! But, if you can simply watch and accept it as it is, then you probably will have a nice time watching.

The film begins with several detectives being invited to Mr. Twain's house. All the guests are caricatures of literary and movie detectives--such as Miss Marple, Sam Spade, Charlie Chan and the like. All are played rather broadly--again, this WAS the intention of the filmmakers. Their host (Truman Capote) then enters in a VERY dramatic fashion and challenges them all to solve a murder that is ABOUT TO HAPPEN! What's next is, naturally, nonsensical and silly....but who cares? Overall, the film is filled with bad jokes, puns and a few genuine laughs. It's not brilliant by any means but it will most likely make you laugh. And, for that reason, it's well worth your time provided you can enjoy such a fantastically stupid film!

By the way, the ultra-politically correct might blanch at some of the film's humor--such as the blind butler (Alec Guinness) and the Chinese detective (Peter Sellers). It's all in fun but with today's changing sensibilities, you may want to avoid showing it to your friends and family members as there is a lot to potentially offend.

I like this film. It isn't my all time favourite movie, but there are some very good things about it. The script is very good with lines such as "Sorry Wang is Wrong", "Son will get bags. That is why I adopted him," and "Probably some deranged dry cleaner." The acting, from an all-star cast was what made the movie, especially Peter Sellers as Mr Wang(I warmed to the character, as I didn't like him as much when I first saw it),David Niven and Peter Falk(who I've loved since Colombo). Maggie Smith, Alec Guiness and Eileen Brennan were excellent too. The only actor I didn't like was Truman Capote as Lionel Twain, he just wasn't to my liking. The scenes with the murderer trying to kill the guests with moving walls and what have you, were very silly, sometimes at an advantage in comedy, sometimes not. Here they were hilarious, very like Clue. The plot was not too complicated, about a number of guests invited to solve a murder that hasn't yet been committed. My only other complaint was the rather confusing ending. I would appreciate it, if someone helped me with understanding what was the truth, because all I remember were accusations of false identity, Truman Capote and a strange woman laughing. All in all, a very good film, though not as funny as Clue(which is one of my favourite movies). I also recommend Clue and Gosford Park if you like Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries. 8/10 Bethany Cox