William H. Macy stars as a movie critic who finds himself trying to cover up a murder. Will his lifetime of experiences with film murders help him cover up the one that he finds himself involved in?
Terry Thorpe (William H. Macy) is arguing with his girlfriend Laura (Stephanie Belding) when she falls, hits her head, and dies. He thinks that the police will automatically peg him as the murderer so he decides to cover up the crime. He removes all traces of himself from the apartment and think that he’s Scott free. However, he’s approached by a private investigator named John Edgerson (James Cromwell) who has a bad toupee and wants $35,000. It seems that Laura’s ex-husband had Edgerson staking out her apartment and he happened to see Thorpe leaving.
Thinking that Thorpe looked suspicious, Edgerson “entered” the apartment and found Laura’s body and an invitation with Thorpe’s name on it under the body. Sensing a potential money making opportunity, Edgerson now wants to sell the negatives of the film he shot of Thorpe to Thorpe for the aforementioned $35,000. This leaves Thorpe running around and trying to come up with the money. He tries to get some money from his other girlfriend Kit (Felicity Huffman) but comes up empty. Meanwhile, Thorpe is called in to be questioned by Detective Stapelli (Adam Arkin) who is investigating Laura’s murder.
Terry is just able to scrape together the money (thanks to a bank robbery) for Edgerson. He makes delivery and retrieves the negatives, but on second thought Terry thinks better of having paid and thinks that Edgerson would make a better fall guy than he and re-blackmails the private investigator. Stapelli invites Terry over to his house for dinner and meets his annoying wife Patricia (Julia Campbell). Terry is getting some strange vibes from the Detective and thinks that his goose is cooked.
Kit and Terry enjoy watching movies
That is until the Detective pulls out his screenplay and wants Terry to look it over. Terry is so relieved that his goose has been saved that he invites the movie loving Stapellis over to his place to watch a print of Gaslight that he has. Edgerson doesn’t take kindly to being blackmailed and shows up at Terry’s apartment, but Terry does away with him, but Mrs. Stapelli is knocking on the door. He hides Edgerson’s body and shows her Gaslight since Detective Stapelli couldn’t make it.
During the screening Mrs. Stapelli grabs Terry’s knee and they end up lighting some gas of their own. Terry has now has several problems. He has to dispose of Edgerson, keep Detective Stapelli from finding out that he’s stooping his wife, and keep Kit in the dark, and keep from getting put in jail for murder. Just your average daily functions for a movie critic.
A Slight Case of Murder is a tasty little treat that relies heavily on the performance of William H. Macy. Luckily for the movie, Macy is an excellent actor and carries the movie with ease. In an interesting twist he breaks the third wall and addresses the audience directly. He’s given ample support from Cromwell, Arkin, Huffman, and Campbell.
The movie was originally made for TNT and is a pleasant way to kill a rainy afternoon in front of the television. The show is played for comedic value but there’s a bit of a noir vibe that runs throughout the film.
A Slight Case of Murder is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Sadly, there are no special features. There’s not even a trailer.
Terry gets hit up for money by Edgerson
William H. Macy again proves that he is a wonderful actor. He carries this film and has some fine support from his supporting players. If you’re a Macy fan then this is the film for you. Fans of film critics and noir films might also find something to be entertained by as well. A solid rental, if you’re looking for one.
A Slight Case of Murder is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is now a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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