Perfect Alibi (1995)

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

For this film was so bad that it must have been made on a budget of one dollar. Script is so predictable and trite and done a thousand and one times in other films. This one had no creative input, including most of the acting. To this viewer, Teri Garr and Hector Elizondo stole the movie with their presence. They made a terrific couple of sleuths looking for the clues.The clues were provided by an array of bad actors. Namely Kathleen Quinn, who just forever seems bored with every role she plays. In this she sleep walks most of the time and has as much energy as a dead leaf. Alex McArthur plays her husband and sneers through most of the film to tell us he's the bad guy. Then here's the French tart, played by Lydie Denier, who I think is supposed to be sexy to us. But with her skinny body there's much to be desired. She too looks like a bimbo without a country. Anne Ramsay as the sister fares well as does Charles Martin Smith and Rex Lin. Everyone else should feel embarrassed in having appeared in this garbage.

Spoiler warning.When the main character's sister is pushed down the stairs, the killer breaks a glass of vodka next to her, to make it appear that she's been drinking. But right before she is killed, tells her sister's business partner (Teri Garr) on the phone that she hasn't had a drink in 4 days. Yet the police never mention the results of a toxicology report! And, the characters talk about her being drunk when she fell down the stairs. Huh? Really bad mistake in this movie, which is pretty awful, overall. Surprisingly bad, considering the great cast. Some faults: the writing isn't very good, the music is made-for-TV bad, and there is no tension at all because we already know the answer to the mystery from the first scene in the movie.

Thanks to a smart script and a steady hand from Writer/Director Kevin Meyer, "Perfect Alibi" is an entertaining and very likable mystery thriller. The movie starts methodically and builds up steam as the clues begin to reveal that nothing is what it seems to be. Teri Garr and Hector Elizondo are terrific as they team up to unravel the mystery, reminding me of Nick and Nora Charles, from the "Thin Man" movies. Kathleen Quinlan is excellent as Alex McArthur's tormented wife and the character roles, played by veteran actors Charles Martin Smith, Bruce McGill, Anne Ramsey and Estelle Harris are well done and provide plenty of light moments at just the right time. There's even a cameo by Rex Linn. In all, I felt like I was reading a good book by the fire.

Apparently a direct-to-video film, and with good reason. It's hard to say what's really wrong with this movie. It has a good cast, and the actors played their roles well, the plot wasn't that bad, although predictable. The direction and photography seemed OK. The film just didn't hold my interest. I guess it comes down to the script.