How sad is this?

Beautiful, moving film.

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

When I first saw this film and saw what it was leading to, I was immediately reminded of the Bette Davis 1964 classic, Dead Ringer, where Bette killed her twin sister and assumed the dead sister's identity. While that is not exactly the case here, the plot of killing sisters within the family comes about.The film stars Woody Allen, as neurotic as ever. The scene in the stuck elevator depicts this at its best. Diane Keaton is fabulous as his wife, neurotic to the core, who begins to suspect foul play when their next door neighbor dies suddenly in the apartment from an apparent coronary.The woman's sudden demise becomes an obsessive thing for Keaton who will not stop at finding clues, even going so far to go into the apartment and search for clues. She is aided by Alan Alda, a family friend, recently divorce who seems to egg her on. Anjelica Huston co-stars as a client of Allen who is bright enough to figure the entire situation out.Neurotic behavior at its best.

Manhattan Murder Mystery basically comprises every characteristic of a bad Woody Allen movie. The plot is ultra basic, not to say simplistic and unfolds in a total linearity. A lot of scenes are just extremely talkative, drag on, and often give the impression they serve only one purpose which is Allen's annoying and unfunny mannerisms. The twists and turns are predictable, often completely ridiculous and have no effect on the viewer whatsoever. As for the plot, it fizzles out by a totally far-fetched justification. And what about the sloppy direction, these approximative shots and big zoom-ins worthy of the worst productions ? There is clearly nothing to save from this long, slow and boring Woody Allen's.

As someone who has really liked or loved most of what she's seen of Woody Allen's filmography(15 left to watch as of now)- he has done some disappointments but none to me have been terrible or unwatchable, more uneven than anything else-, Manhattan Murder Mystery is up there with his best, not quite in his top 5 but most definitely in the top 10. As always with Allen it's adroitly directed and beautifully made with a noir-ish feel that adds so much to the atmosphere and mystery. The music is energetic and haunting, adding much to the comedic and mystery aspects of the story. Love the old songs too, they have a very nostalgic quality and easy to recognise. The writing is hilarious and in distinctive Allen fashion- not quite among the best screenplays of all time but some of the lines here are some of the most quotable from any Woody Allen film- while also keeping the suspense to nail-biting effect. Manhattan Murder Mystery works brilliantly both as a comedy and mystery. The comedy never takes a heavy-handed approach- in fact a lot of it is quite light- and always amuses and the mystery aspect is even better, very Hitchcockian(there was a very Rear Window influence here) and intricate and with great atmosphere and suspense. A highlight is the ending with the mirror sequence paying homage to Lady in Shanghai, it really has to be one of the best ever endings of any of Allen's films and is also very visually striking. The characters as with many Woody Allen films are purposefully neurotic but also compelling in their realism and they all serve a point to the story, no superficiality in sight. Allen gets great performances from the cast and his own performance is excellent. He has believable chemistry with Diane Keaton who gives her absolute all to her most neurotic, bat-out-of-hell character yet. Anjelica Huston is strong as usual though she has given better performances in meatier roles and while Alan Alda gives a better performance in Crimes and Misdemeanors (a textbook example of how to play a weasel of a character well, brilliantly in his case) but he doesn't disappoint either. Overall, a brilliant film and one of Allen's best, a minor work this is not. 10/10 Bethany Cox

A middle-aged couple (Woody Allen and Diane Keaton) suspects foul play when their neighbor's wife suddenly drops dead.You know, how many films can you do about loving New York starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton? Apparently a fair amount, as this film is one more on the pile -- and it is a pile of winners. Sure, you have Zach Braff's film debut that probably never should have happened, but that is forgivable.Who killed the neighbor? Why? Did anyone kill her? And then, is she even dead? This truly is a mystery, with ample amounts of comedy thrown in. And, because it is Woody humor, it is brilliant with its blend of easy jokes and more intellectual jabs (such as the reference to invading Poland while listening to Wagner).