Murder by Death

American parodies of film genres, usually overflowing with straightforward references, mechanical imitation, and simple gags that clearly target the mass audience, discourage me. I appreciate when jokes don't attack what is obvious and instead cleverly work with genre stereotypes and the audience's imagination. When they don't spell everything out and leave room for the viewer's imagination, forcing them to engage their brain. Murder by Death as a parody of classic detective stories operates on the principle of a buffet, where the director, playing the role of a butcher, tries to cram as many lines, gags, and jokes of varying quality into the film, with the idea that everyone will eventually find something in it they like. Never mind that some things seem forced, the taste of certain parts is bland, the whole thing lacks coherence, and the product is past its warranty. The film has no plot, and also don't expect any logical structure in it. The humor is primitive and serves for immediate consumption. I realized that the Czech film The Phantom of Morrisville, which mocks the same elements, works much better for me with its restraint, even though it only utilizes a fraction of what Murder by Death boasts. However, I can at least praise the crew for their accurate casting. Above all, Peter Sellers thoroughly enjoys his portrayal of a Chinese character from the 1960s detective stories. But even Peter Falk with his variation on the detectives from the black series of American film noir is not bad at all. But as a whole, the film feels like a collapsed cake. Overall impression: 35%. (15.10.2018)

Murder by Death is a truly unconventional film that pokes fun at detective stories and the great detectives themselves through its comedy and parody - and it does it very well. One big house full of traps and illusions. Five great minds and their sidekicks. One mysterious host with his blind butler and deaf-mute cook. This list sounds crazy, but that's why this film works so well. The clock strikes midnight, the murder happens, and then various deductions as to the identity of the killer follow, which escalate in a conclusion so unpredictable it makes you dizzy. An original piece of filmmaking with a great script and a fabulous star cast, which manages to captivate even today's viewer quite playfully and without difficulty. (25.12.2018)

A funny detective parody with nice performances, great dialogues and an intentionally messy script. The closer it gets to the end, the messier it becomes, to the point that I was unable to understand it, but I laughed at lot and loud. (26.02.2011)

Absolutely awesome parody in which there is one great joke after another. I admired this impossibly strong yet balanced cast, from which no one stands out at all, but Peter Falk in the role of Bogart in the role of Marlow, Peter Sellers as Chinese Inspector Sidney Wang and Alec Guinness as the blind butler are particularly amazing. (29.01.2018)