To me, this movie is perfection.

Just perfect...

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Contrary to what another reviewer wrote about this title, it HAS been released on video and can be readily obtained via Amazon; I believe a DVD version is still pending, although those too may be easily found online. Either way, it is definitely worth seeking out. Fans of TV's "Columbo" series will be especially delighted, as it was written and devised by the same team (Richard Levinson and William Link) who created the cigar-chomping detective, and has the same ingenious flavor and excellent plotting. As a TV "mentalist" like Kreskin who finds himself the target of a murder plot, Hal Holbrook is simply smashing. Possible Spoiler Ahead: There's a British film that predates this one by nearly 15 years, "Man in the Dark" (aka "Blind Corner") that would appear to have directly inspired the murder plot, particularly the third-act twist; although the earlier movie has nothing to do with mentalism, the rest of the plot of "Murder by Natural Causes" would appear to have been lifted wholesale from "Man in the Dark." Interestingly, rather than having purported the "second sight" that Hal Holbrook has, the intended murder victim in "Man in the Dark" has no sight at all.

Thirty years ago on Feb.17th and on Hal Holbrook's birthday I might add, premiered the movie "Murder By Natural Causes". By the mystery team that brought us "Columbo",brings us a movie in the same style that has lust,greed,and of course....MURDER! Katharine Ross(The Graduate,Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,They Only Kill Their Masters,The Stepford Wives,to name a few)plays Allison Sinclair a woman who wants her lover Gil Weston(Barry Bostwick:Grandpa Clyde of Phineas and Ferb,and Mayor Randall M. Winston Jr. of Spin City)to kill her mentalist husband Arthur Sinclair(Hal Holbrook:Magnum Force,Creepshow,and etc.)who has a bad heart by natural causes,so that she can inherit all his wealth. The plan is set and let the game begin...but who will win? This movie will have your heart pounding at the edge of your seat til the end. A must for mystery fans! This movie also stars Richard Anderson(Oscar Goldman of "The Six Million Dollar Man"and "The Bionic Woman")as lawyer friend George Brubaker. Hal Holbrook at his best!

Just reinforcing what everyone who has seen this will tell you: out and out brilliant from start to finish. Katherine Ross, Hal Holbrook, Barry Bostwick and Richard Anderson are all in top form but the fiendishly twist-laden Levinson / Link script is the real star. This is the duo's very best effort, topping even their finest COLUMBO offerings.Besides a time capsule dollop of 1970s talk show topicality, I cannot imagine ANY fan of crime drama or whodunits being anything but thrilled with this continuously clever and original story. Probably among the very best TV mystery movies of its kind you'll ever see and smarter than 99% of features. Must see!

I must admit that before editing this movie I was dreading having to watch this movie just because the year was 1979 when it was made. As I began watching this movie I totally forgot about the year and got caught up in the mind reader. I also was curious to where I had seen the wife's secret lover before. And then I realized it was the Mayor from Spin City. It was pretty funny watching this movie because of the way this character was acting.I like the whole plot though. It kept me in suspense throughout the whole movie. This is a good movie to rent. DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE YEAR 1979!!!2 THUMBS UP!