Murder by Natural Causes (1979)
An elaborate mystery involving a famous mentalist, his unfaithful wife who is trying to literally scare him to death, the best friend of the family, and the wife's ham-actor lover -- not only an intriguing who- (or whether) dunit, but also a literate, adult dramatic puzzle with an endless series of twists.
Watch Trailer
Free Trial Channels
Cast
Similar titles
Reviews
This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place
Stylish but barely mediocre overall
The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
I have to this one gets very suspenseful and has a couple of unexpected turns but the ending came a no big surprise but played a little differently than I guessed.Hal Holbrook was the real star of the show (and such an underrated actor), but are also awesome performances by both Katharine Ross and Barry Bostwick. The three of them took center stage for a while but Richard Anderson showed up to give another super performance. Everyone in this film is very convincing.If you are married to a mentalist who has a good detective on his side then I don't recommend cheating on them, you might be left with three alternatives.8/10
To appreciate "Murder by Natural Causes", first you have to accept its TV-movie limitations: few sets, few characters, pauses for commercial breaks, direction with no cinematic interest. The emphasis here is on the writing and the acting. The script has many clever (but not phenomenal) twists. The main plot device reminded me somewhat of Ira Levin's "Deathtrap" (which was filmed three years later). The acting is top-of-the-line: the term "bad Hal Holbrook performance" hasn't been invented yet, as for Katharine Ross, judging from the three films I've seen her in ("The Stepford Wives", "The Swarm", and this one), she must be one of the most underrated (in beauty as well as talent) actresses of the seventies. (**1/2)
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!
Here it is, 24 years later and I still remember it from only one viewing. It had the most amazing storyline and writing with some pretty impressive twists and turns in the last half hour. I would LOVE to see it again. Hal Holbrook is truly one of the amazing and underappreciated actors of our time.