Pretty Good

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

This is the third TV pilot movie to precede the Diagnosis Murder TV series. Dick Van Dyke reprises his role as Dr. Mark Sloan, who suspects that his old flame, heart surgeon Dr. Rachel Walters (Suzanne Pleshette) has murdered U.S. Senator Cabot (David Richards) for causing a hit-and-run accident years ago that put Walters' daughter into a coma.For starters, the acting wasn't bad and the plot goes at a fairly quick pace. The music is pretty catchy and there is a nice touch of drama.However, even though the murderer is not revealed in the beginning like the previous movie, the plot gives the audience the impression of who the perpetrator is, which takes away at least a third of the suspense away from the story. We are asked to sympathized with Walters' character and, for me, Van Dyke's character in trying to solve the crime, while we already have a clue who the murderer is, is pretty annoying. For some reason, Van Dyke is unlike Angela Lansbury's Jessica Fletcher character in Murder, She Wrote or Andy Griffith's character in Matlock. Those characters are memorable, unique and likable. Van Dyke's character appears, in my humble opinion, to be too self-righteous ("look at me, I'm a famed doctor at the hospital and I can solve murders").There are at least several episodes of the TV series that are enjoyable, but this TV movie and others in the series are sub-par at best. There are better made-for-TV murder mystery movies out there.Grade C-

**** MILD SPOILERS ****I do worry about schedulers at the BBC sometimes because this opens with someone getting stabbed with a massive big knife And it was broadcast at 1.30 in the afternoon ! The plot follows the crimes committed by a looney heart surgeon who wants to bump off her patients via blood poisoning . Pretty heavy stuff for a TVM especially one shown at dinnertime on a good Friday . I only hope any children watching this aren`t going into hospital in the near future , and being a TVM we have to put up homely banter like " I always thought you had taste - If I had taste I wouldn`t drink your coffee " . Has anyone on the planet actually had a conversation like the one above ? I didn`t think so I`ve got to contradict what the previous reviewer has said , in TWIST OF THE KNIFE it`s obvious from the start who the murderer is though her motives are not and this being the pilot of DIAGNOSIS MURDER ( I think ) we`re also treated to a tedious plot line of Dr Dick Van Dyke solving the murder mystery . Oh and the murderer is also painted as a victim too , yeah I guess being a white professional female she would be DIAGNOSIS MURDER fans might enjoy this but I`m more of a QUINCY man myself

This movie, one which is part of The Diagnosis Murder series, is a well acted murder mystery. Unlike some episodes of Diagnosis Murder,It doesnt show the viewers who the Murderer is and then show how the Doctors solve the murder, it is writeen so we're just as puzzled as the characters, meaning everyone is always trying to think who it might be. A great movie, I give it 8 out of Ten.