On M List of Movie Reviews
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Murder at 1600 (1997)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
6/05, 2/21
6/05:
You got to love the movie poster: it's all about the sunglasses.
Murder at 1600 is a stupid, weak murder mystery picture with a whodunnit angle that can be easily figured out right
from the outset. The formula it presents is typical: throw a lot of red herrings and let the murderer stay in the background
for as long as possible. That's why I knew who might have done it.
Wesley Snipes' acting is sometimes poor. Diane Lane is awful. The rest of the cast isn't any better. Everybody is too
serious and robotic.
When Harlan Regis saw the wet footprints inside his apartment before attempting to apprehend the intruder, why didn't he shoot
his leg to prevent him from running any further? If the murder happened at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, then it would mean
the President of the United States would have to cooperate with the authorities, right? Speaking of them, why is the
D.C. police involved (they can't figure out shit, believe me) when it's supposed to be the FBI?
All in all, Murder at 1600 is a major insult to my intelligence.
2/21:
Murder at 1600 has aged well.
The strongest selling point is Wesley Snipes. He's fun to watch. What I remember the most
over the years is his character's dilemma of what to do with his man-made Civil War landscape model. Helping Wesley
Snipes out is the engaging murder mystery with plenty of suspects, but why a D.C. detective when the FBI has the jurisdiction?
There are some who's who in the cast: Ronny Cox of Deliverance,
Harris Yulin of Clear and Present Danger, Daniel
Benzali of Murder One, and Alan Alda of M*A*S*H. Only Diane Lane is the weakest link; she's just all right.
Dennis Miller occasionally disappears for a long stretch which is weird.
I figured out right away who did it in 1997 when Alan Alda first appeared due to his run of baddies in several films:
Whispers in the Dark,
And the Band Played On, and White Mile. So, it's no surprise there. If he wasn't
cast, then yes...the movie would've been unpredictable.
What I like about Murder at 1600 is that it's close to the truth. The U.S. Secret Service is often involved in a
cover-up of anything that concerns the president or his relatives. It's been applied many times during JFK's
term for his sexual liaisons despite the fact that he's married.
The White House is one of the, if not the, most heavily guarded place in the United States. It's also the most surveilled. I
find it all stupid that the murder case can't be solved by showing the video recording of the murderer. The
tape just needs to be produced which reminds me of what happened with Ray Rice in Atlantic City. It's the only
part that bothered me throughout.
Remember the guy who wanted to commit suicide at the beginning of the film and Wesley Snipes punched him in the face? Believe
it or not, the actor did do that for real by slashing his throat in 2005, and his name was Charles Rocket.
All in all, Murder at 1600 is entertaining as long as I don't think deeply about it.