Review
Eccentric millionaire Lionel Twain invites five of the world's best detectives to his estate for "a dinner and a murder". Each detective brings a companion, and after settling in, Twain joins them for dinner and issues his challenge: a murder will occur at midnight, and whoever solves it wins $1 million. Any initial incredulity quickly fades as Twain presses a button that blocks all exits and windows, then disappears into the bowels of the house. Just before midnight, the butler is found dead, and right after, Twain himself is found murdered with multiple knives in his back (along with any hope of a reward). Can this motley crew set aside their petty differences and figure out who the murderer is before they're next?
Murder by Death is a joke-a-minute parody of the murder-mystery genre, suffused with the driest British humor despite being directed and written by Americans (Robert Moore and Neil Simon, respectively). Their love for the genre is proudly worn on the movie's meticulously woven sleeves. The jokes aren't limited to the dialogue and performances; they're embedded in the production design as well. The cast is incredibly stacked (except for Truman Capote, who cannot act), and each detective is an homage to famous fictional detectives. The big reveal relishes lampooning the complications and conveniences of how these stories usually end.
Despite all that, I only find the movie mildly amusing. This is my second watch of the film, after a few other murder-mysteries I found fairly boring, and I hoped its madcap nature might help elevate it by contrast. It does a little, in that I generally enjoyed this more than those other films, but I also just don't find it very funny. I'm tempted to blame this on not being familiar with the murder mystery genre, but parodies should also work on their own merits. One doesn't need to be in a band or the music industry to understand what Spinal Tap is making fun of, even if that lived experience adds layers.
After this rewatch, I think my issue is that British humor just isn't my bag (Spinal Tap notwithstanding), or maybe just this specific implementation of it. I can see where the jokes are, and where the film wants me to laugh, but it all comes across as corny or tame for my tastes. More than a few go on for too long, like the bit about the butler's name, a version of "Who's on First?"
As for its most controversial element, Peter Sellers in yellowface as Sidney Wang doesn't bother me on the surface. I understand his character is a sendup of Charlie Chan, who was also played in yellowface. My issue is that I don't see any commentary on the use of yellowface or on how/why these characters were written that way originally, which is usually the bread and butter of a parody. All we get are other characters making fun of his broken English, which is just mockery, which is lazy humor in any context. Without any commentary, the character just feels like an excuse to do it, which I don't find interesting.
The film is undeniably well crafted, and murder mystery fans will find lots to love, but Murder by Death is firmly in the "not for me" category.
