PLOT: A successful realtor (Helen Shaver) seeks vengeance on the two men who put her beloved husband behind bars, where he eventually died. After taking care of one man, she focuses on Columbo's wife and the detective himself.
COMMENTARY: Shaver is fairly charismatic as the almost-40 murderess with a mad gleam in her eye. The funeral for Mrs. Columbo is sort of a fresh angle, albeit highly unbelievable. I say "sort of" because the disheveled detective has been known to stage scenes since the beginning, a la "Prescription: Murder" (1968) and "Negative Reaction" (1974).
If nothing else, it was nice to finally see a picture of the oft-mentioned "Missus." While this installment is a little overrated in some circles, it's certainly okay and has a couple of highlights, e.g. the chili scene with waitress Gracie and the French restaurant sequence which pits Columbo against a Maître D'.
GRADE: B-
COMMENTARY: Shaver is fairly charismatic as the almost-40 murderess with a mad gleam in her eye. The funeral for Mrs. Columbo is sort of a fresh angle, albeit highly unbelievable. I say "sort of" because the disheveled detective has been known to stage scenes since the beginning, a la "Prescription: Murder" (1968) and "Negative Reaction" (1974).
If nothing else, it was nice to finally see a picture of the oft-mentioned "Missus." While this installment is a little overrated in some circles, it's certainly okay and has a couple of highlights, e.g. the chili scene with waitress Gracie and the French restaurant sequence which pits Columbo against a Maître D'.
GRADE: B-