A brisk outing for Peter Falk's Columbo, PLAYBACK sees him going up against Oscar Werner (star of FAHRENHEIT 451). Werner plays a cad of a guy who spends his time cheating on his disabled wife. When his mother-in-law finds out about his nefarious ways, she plans to remove him from the CEO post of the company she runs, but he has other ideas.
PLAYBACK, as the title would suggest, focuses on the then-new technology of CCTV as the murderer plays with the system to give him a perfect alibi. The new technology is incredibly dated (as is the new-fangled digital watch on display) but watching Columbo figure out his way around it is a lot of fun. This mystery is a straightforward one that gets by on the interplay between Falk's bumbling detective and Werner's increasingly exasperated suspect.
Once again, the comedy here is on strong form, particularly in the scenes involving Columbo's dog. An interlude in an art gallery is another highlight, but my favourite moment is when Werner finds Columbo hiding behind a curtain. It had me burst into laughter, something few things do.
PLAYBACK, as the title would suggest, focuses on the then-new technology of CCTV as the murderer plays with the system to give him a perfect alibi. The new technology is incredibly dated (as is the new-fangled digital watch on display) but watching Columbo figure out his way around it is a lot of fun. This mystery is a straightforward one that gets by on the interplay between Falk's bumbling detective and Werner's increasingly exasperated suspect.
Once again, the comedy here is on strong form, particularly in the scenes involving Columbo's dog. An interlude in an art gallery is another highlight, but my favourite moment is when Werner finds Columbo hiding behind a curtain. It had me burst into laughter, something few things do.