Murder at 1600 (1997)

Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Brilliant and touching

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

A brutal murder, a political conspiracy and an international hostage crisis are just a few of the ingredients of this movie which was based on the novel "Murder In The White House" by Margaret Truman (the daughter of President Harry S Truman). This entertaining murder mystery contains plenty of drama, action and interesting characters and a police investigation that quickly reveals the presence of a number of suspects, a potential sex scandal involving the President and his son and a great deal of interference from the White House Chief of Security.Washington Homicide Detective Harlan Regis (Wesley Snipes) is called in to investigate after the dead body of an attractive secretary is found in a White House toilet cubicle. Carla Town (Mary Moore) had been stabbed to death and when Regis visits the crime scene, he quickly runs into problems with Security Chief Nick Spikings (Daniel Benzali) who claims that the crime took place outside Regis' jurisdiction. Spikings orders Regis to be removed from the premises and this is only prevented by the intervention of National Security Adviser Alvin Jordan (Alan Alda).Spikings assigns Secret Service Agent Nina Chance (Diane Lane) to work with Regis and keep him informed of any developments. Chance is an ex-Olympic gold medal winning sharpshooter who is unenthusiastic about her assignment and initially conducts herself in a rather formal manner. When information comes to light about President Jack Neil (Ronny Cox) and his son Kyle (Tate Donovan) possibly having had intimate relationships with Carla Town, they both become potential suspects.Things start to get more sinister when the Secret Service set up a White House janitor to be the fall guy for the murder and then bug Regis' apartment. Nina Chance's conscience makes her uncomfortable with being involved in an innocent man being imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and it's this development that gradually makes her start to warm to the task of actually helping Regis' investigation rather than hindering it. The events that follow show that the crime under investigation was no ordinary murder and was in fact, part of a complex political conspiracy.Wesley Snipes displays his character's humour, attitude and determination very convincingly as he continues to pursue his investigation despite all the obstructions that are put in his way and also shows the personal qualities of a guy who's been fascinated by history from a very early age. Diane Lane gives a solid performance as Nina Chance whose demeanour changes as she gradually becomes more suspicious about some things that are going on and gradually buys into what Regis is trying to achieve. The entire cast is top class in this movie but Alan Alda and Daniel Benzali really stand out in their supporting roles as two men who are not as straight-forward as they originally appeared to be."Murder At 1600" is well directed by Dwight H Little who successfully generates a great deal of tension at times (e.g. the sequence in which Chance goes into a storage room where some important records are archived) and the ways in which the characters develop as the story unfolds is also particularly enjoyable to watch. This movie's combination of intrigue and action is tremendously entertaining and together with the quality of Wesley Snipes' performance was, no doubt, the reason why it became so successful at the box office.

i mean it i have seen many films like these where only American president is at risk someone will assassinate him common.why not just choose other countries president there are so many countries.i have no problem with patriotism shown in films but this is too much.the most boring Wesley snipes movie this was.i told you the plot already some people must save presidents ass.but American films always have Russians as enemies this one got one of them own inside the white house.no action no real sex no nothing.it bored memy rating is 1/10 just forget murder at 1600 its another stupid film

What happens when a homicide is committed at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the Presidential Mansion, the White House? My own guess is that it would fall under the jurisdiction of the FBI. But they don't enter the picture here because guarding the president and his family falls under the purview of the Secret Service. I think the FBI would have first jurisdiction because the White House is federal property sitting on federal land, a murder in a Post Office would fall under the same rule.But when a White House staffer who's been having an affair with the president's son Tate Donovan is murdered and her body left in the public bathroom there, the Washington, DC homicide squad is called in. That would be Wesley Snipes and he's partnered with Secret Service liaison Diane Lane. They are called in by White House National Security Adviser Alan Alda who wants due diligence and as much help as possible in solving the murder. And of course he's got an interest in his president Ronny Cox and first lady Diane Baker not to mention the institution of the presidency itself.Snipes and Lane start pursuing one line of investigation, but soon get sidetracked into another because the clues given them don't quite pan out. While this is going on, the country and the president are involved in a hostage crisis with North Korea, another Pueblo like incident. And it turns out they are related.Murder At 1600 is a nice political thriller whose pace doesn't let up at all. There are two other good performances of note in it, Dennis Miller plays Snipes's laconic partner who acts a whole lot like comedian Dennis Miller. And Daniel Benzali plays one creepy head of the White House Secret Service detail.As for Alan Alda those of you who know and appreciate Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce from MASH, you will see an Alan Alda in this film who would probably have Hawkeye shot as a traitor.I recommend Murder At 1600 very highly, try to catch it when broadcast.

As this begins...especially seeing as it's a Wesley Snipes movie, you expect a by-the-numbers Straight to DVD type film....but actually 'MURDER AT 1600' Is a very good Thriller overlooked on it's release in 1997.A young woman is found murdered in the Bathroom at 1600 Pennsylvannia Ave, otherwise known as 'The Whitehouse'.A woman murdered at the Whitehouse, not too dissimilar to the same year's Clint Eastwood Movie Absolute Power, though both Movies tanked at the Box Office....Anyway, Wesley Snipes plays DET. Harlan Regis who is the Homicide detective leading the investigation on the scene, he soon realises that the man the Secret Service have in custody is quite possibly innocent and there could be a Conspiracy leading right up to the Commander in Chief, Regis digs deeper along with help from Secret service agent Nina Chance (Diane lane) and they soon find that both of their lives are in danger as they are getting closer to the truth.As I said in my Summary, This has to be Snipes' best movie,before he went the way of Steven Seagal & Jean Claude Van Damme in Trashy straight to DVD Actioners that are on blockbusters bottom shelf, admittedly it flopped on it's release taking only $41m Worldwide, but I think It's very well written Conspiracy flick with a superb supporting cast that includes Ronny Cox,Dennis Miller,Alan Alda & Daniel Benzali.**** out of *****