Columbo (TV Series) No Time to Die (1992) User Reviews

The Columbo That's Not A Columbo

[stubbers · 6/10 · 5 March 2010]

Hmmmm...this is a real curate's egg. If only this wasn't marketed as an episode of Columbo, then it would actually be a perfectly acceptable standalone kidnapping movie. The thing is, although "No Time To Die" features Lieutenant Columbo, it's not stylistically or structurally a "Columbo" show as such, and doesn't really deserve to be viewed as part of the series.

What it does do is reveal just how important the normal formula is to the success of the show. Although I have no issues with experimental variations on the basic formula, a Columbo without a murder is just not a Columbo. When you sit down to watch an episode of Columbo, you want the familiarity of the basic plot structure so that you can really get into the characters and how their lives have become enmeshed in the horrific aftermath of a sudden homicide.

"No Time To Die" just doesn't work in the same way. The whole format is so different from normal that if you're in the mood for a traditional Columbo, this is bound to leave you feeling short-changed and a bit cheated.

On the other hand though, if you're fully aware before viewing that "No Time To Die" is a kidnap movie rather than a murder mystery, then you'll probably find it quite a gripping story. And at the end of the day, Lt Columbo's presence will only add to your enjoyment.

I compare this to a musician's guest appearance on another artist's album, as opposed to their own release. It's like Lieutenant Columbo is making a guest appearance on a totally separate movie, rather than being the star of his own.

A different kind of Columbo

[bradnfrank · 7/10 · 23 February 2002]

Regular Columbo viewers will be surprised by this movie, which is totally different from the standard Columbo formula. Several years after the revival series began, Peter Falk wanted to experiment with the format, and this is the result. Though it may rub Columbo fans the wrong way, it is actually not a bad film. In fact, this is based on Ed McBain's 87th Precinct novel "So Long As You Both Shall Live". The movie "Columbo Undercover" which came two years later is based on another Ed McBain novel: "Jigsaw". Both movies are very faithful to the novels, the only real difference being that Columbo is substituted for the novels' original detectives.

(Note: when I originally posted this review, I mistakenly said that it was based on Ed McBain's " 'Til Death" -- both novels are set during weddings.)

"No Time to Die" (1992)

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 18 June 2015]

PLOT: The bride of Columbo's nephew (Joanna Going) is kidnapped on their wedding night and Columbo has to find out whodunit before he & his team can track her down and execute a rescue.

COMMENTARY: While several Columbo episodes experiment with the 'Howcatchem' formula, this one and "Undercover" (1994) are the only two to completely abandon it. This can be traced to both scripts being adapted from 87th Precinct mysteries by Ed McBain. Falk & the producers were no doubt getting bored and wanted to experiment with the series. But is "No Time to Die" any good?

As noted, there is no murder at the beginning as usual, but rather a kidnapping. The detective story starts as a Whodunit and eventually turns into a Howcatchem with "can they make it in time" suspense at the close. Actually, the plot doesn't stray from formula as much as "Undercover." The episode simply exchanges a murder at the beginning for a kidnapping. From there Columbo & crew have to sort out the evidence to figure out who the culprit is, locate his whereabouts, and liberate the girl. Some reviewers point out that there's no murder; true, but there is a killing and that's all I'll say on that.

The first time I watched "No Time to Die" I thought it was below average. Maybe because I was turned off by the deviations or perhaps I just wasn't in proper Columbo mode. Seeing it again, I was surprised at how good it is. It's a solid Columbo flick and I appreciated the changes. It's not the same old, same old. It's fresh. And it's superior to the mediocre "Undercover."

GRADE: B

Revised plot that doesn't fit

[dgkdrk · 6/10 · 15 May 2020]

A redone and tired plot variation that doesn't really fit into what many would consider a Colombo mystery. I give it three stars only for the inclusion of some fine actors/actresses. If not for them, this would rate one star at the most. Check out the Simon and Simon episode "Sometimes Dreams Come True" from 1982 for a similar, but superior, make.

And now for something almost completely different.

[punishmentpark · 7/10 · 25 October 2015]

The only Columbo episode that completely ignored the mold, and it's not that bad, though I'm also glad they didn't do more like these. One the biggest strong-points of the series is the elaborate perpetration of the crime at the beginning, in which the viewer learns who the killer is (etc.), and Columbo is (usually) still far away. The attraction of it is that every episode begins like an atmospheric thriller, and not until quite a bit later turns into a detective story. But, for 'No time to die', this is not the case.

This episode is about the hunt for a crazy kidnapper, who might be a killer - well, for sure he is, as we find out. The two familiar 'Melrose Place' faces leading next to Peter Falk is somewhat strange, but it works fine in a somewhat cheesy way. The same goes for a familiar 'Frazier' face, a familiar 'The nanny' face and even a familiar 'The A-team' face, and there's more, even. Joanna Going has a familiar face as well, though I couldn't find out where exactly I've seen her before - as a '90s model she fits in perfectly, though.

The story relies heavily on coincidences once again, but it's hardly a problem. Not a great episode, but as a 'now for something almost completely different' within the Columbo saga, it's perfectly doable.

A small 7 out of 10.

Suspenseful

[smitheeallen · 10 December 2001]

Granted this was not your normal "Columbo" episode and grant that some of it was far fetched. This made for a very suspenseful kidnapping drama. In that respect it succeeded. Not the greatest Columbo episode made but definitely not the worst.

Just fixated on a cop's bride

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 16 April 2017]

The Columbo mold was broken in this story. Usually it's Columbo taking a leisurely pace in finding a killer, someone who has already done the homicide, watching the perpetrator slowly trip himself over those "just one more thing" details.

That Columbo catchphrase was not heard at all. Peter Falk's nephew Thomas Calabro also a cop marries Joanna Going and she is kidnapped right afterward.

In this however Columbo heads a team of police racing against time to find Going because there is no ransom note, this is someone just fixated on Going who is a model.

A lot of little things break this case just as in a regular Columbo episode. A white van spotted by a man working late in the hotel Kitchen, a systematic elimination of suspects at the wedding and reception, and a college ring among other details.

The perpetrator is one real serious fruitcake and deadly. But this is the first Columbo story where no one dies. An achievement itself.

It's not great, but it's not the worst Columbo

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 15 March 2016]

I notice a number of fans have slated this episode of COLUMBO, describing as the worst of all time. I can't help but disagree with them. I've seen plenty of other episodes that were less entertaining on account of them being duller than this one. Cheesy and dated I can cope with; dull is the biggest no-no in my book.

NO TIME TO DIE is one of those 1990s TV movies that attempts to shake up the familiar order by offering twists and a new template for the dogged detective. I wish they hadn't experimented like this - there's no point trying to improve on what was pretty much a perfect formula - but at least it helps NO TIME TO DIE stand out from the crowd. There's no actual murder here but rather a kidnapping for the star to solve.

The episode has a number of problems, a completely ineffectual villain being the biggest of them. However, watching Columbo lead a task force is quite a novel experience, and Falk does well in the part, playing up the humour with physicality in a script that gives him virtually no funny lines. The strong supporting cast includes Doug Savant (TRICK OR TREAT), Donald Moffat (THE THING), and cameos for Juliet Mills and Don Swayze.

a master problem solver

[sbarr10 · 8/10 · 27 July 2011]

Okay, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this Columbo episode. It was a break from the Columbo formula, and that's not saying I don't love the Columbo formula, but hey, a fresh approach can be fun. There are many things in particular I like about this movie.

First, like in "Troubled Waters", Columbo is off-duty and with family. For a moment my heart almost stopped, thinking that he was sitting next to Mrs. Columbo there at the banquet table, though it was merely the bride's mother. No, Mrs. Columbo is away, having gone off to take care of her elderly mother, who broke her hip falling off a skateboard. On hearing this gem I felt disappointment at not seeing Mrs. Columbo palliated by amusement, hearing these tantalizing tidbits about the Columbos. Having wondered about his character I welcome any chance to get up close and personal with the lieutenant.

Second, I've always loved Columbo's attention to details and his thoroughness. Yep, it is those little things that matter. Like in "Sex and the Married Detective", Columbo obtains a list of people who were at a key event and he worked through each person one by one until he found what he is looking for.

Third, while his characteristic humorous harassment of the murderer and "just one more thing" are classic Columbo that we don't see here, we still see in him an incredible ability to talk to people and get them to open up to him in a way that real-life law enforcers don't have. Notice how he initially talks to the hotel cook Bill Bailey late at night, then several hours later rousts Bailey out of bed to look at brochures of vans, of all things. Similarly with the photographer, Columbo rousted him out of bed at an ungodly hour, obtained his cooperation, and got a copy of the wedding photos. That morning he barged in on a meeting of that photographer with a magazine editor and managed to get more photos. Columbo was convinced that people typically don't realize how much they see, and he had a way of magically pulling the necessary information out of them.

Fourth, notice how the police department came running at Columbo's summons. Even the captain was involved in the final confrontation. The department had a great deal of affection and respect for Columbo. All those years driving a beat-up old car, harassing murderers, worrying about all the little details, wearing an embarrassingly wrinkled raincoat - but Columbo was adored by his department.

The circumstances of the kidnapping and the kidnapper himself were bizarre. And we don't get the humor typical of a Columbo episode. But we do get a glimpse of a master problem solver racing against time to prevent a murder. Oh, if only we all had the same kind of steel trap mind and learned to think like Columbo!

Different but not better

[Victor-fitforlife · 6/10 · 16 January 2019]

I love Columbo and every one of them is a decent watch in their own right, including this one. But as a Columbo entry, it was pretty poor. No murder, no Columbo making a nuisance of himself as he normally does. Just a kidnap,the police investigation which involved Columbo...though he was unusually for him...part of a team...and the inevitable rescue. In my opinion the worst Columbo episode...but still a solid 6/10, simply because it still wasbColumbo, no matter how far removed from the norm it was.

Even the title doesn't make sense

[lightville · 4/10 · 22 December 2002]

I agree with most of the Columbo fans that this movie was an unnecessary change of format. Columbo is a unique cop with unorthodox police methods. This movie looks like a remake of any other ordinary detective dramas from the past. And that is the disturbing point, because Columbo is no ordinary detective.

There are two parts in this film that left me intriguing. First, I can't figure out the title of this movie. It is misleading. Maybe a better title would've been "The Vanishing Bride" or something similar. Second, Columbo hides a piece of evidence without offering the reason (to the viewers at least) why he does it.

I don't feel betrayed, just disappointed. I'm glad Peter Falk went back to the usual Columbo.

Different From The Usual Columbo

[kissy1 · 10/10 · 28 December 2014]

I love the show and have watched many episodes of it. This episode was different from any I have seen but I enjoyed it. It didn't follow the usual formula of murder committed followed by Columbo outwitting the murderer. It was more like an episode of Criminal Minds with our hero being more of a team player. It felt more like a thriller and even though Peter Falk was older in this, it was action-oriented and he was in on the action. I also enjoyed the emotional connection of family and friends including Columbo's nephew and all their fellow police officers. It was romantic from the point of view of the bride and groom which was a nice touch for me.

Creepy villain, caring Uncle Columbo, old-fashioned police work.

[gvsharon · 7/10 · 23 June 2021]

While this was not in the normal Columbo format, I still enjoyed it. The protagonists were sympathetic, the villain was creepy and menacing. We got to see Columbo as the caring uncle, showing another aspect of his life. What struck me most was how much hard work, creativity, and time it took to track down the information needed to find the kidnapper in the days before the Internet. No criminal database, no digitized college records, no facial recognition software, etc. They had to rely on enlarged photographs, physically paging through college yearbooks, phoning every medical facility in town, collecting printed brochures from every car dealership to help identify the suspect's vehicle. Lots and lots of police personnel giving it their all to save the kidnapped bride. And a satisfying end result.

Perfect for insomniacs.

[co010c6650 · 1/10 · 11 June 2006]

I love Columbo and have seen pretty much all of the episodes but this one undoubtedly ranks as the worst of the lot. A mind-bogglingly tedious, pointless, muddled pile of unwatchable drivel that wastes both the time of the viewing audience and of the acting talents of an exceedingly bored-looking Peter Falk. The 'plot', such as it is, just seems to be made up as the film goes along with not even the slightest hint of the ingredients to the formula that made the show such a brilliant success to start with. One part of the proceedings which I found extremely puzzling ( or possibly annoying ) was Peter Falk's character being introduced to the guests at the wedding as 'Lt' Columbo. If the producers insist on keeping Columbo's first name a secret, why couldn't they have omitted this line altogether as it sounds ridiculous? Like I said, this is the pits and all true Columbo fans would do well to avoid it like the plague.

Worst columbo ever......

[anthonycwhittle · 24 December 2000]

What a calamity. What happened to our surreptitious detective. This is not a Columbo film, this is a kidnapping drama. Even in the closing scenes Peter Falk looked fed up with what's going on. Even the beautiful Joanna Going can't help this ignominous mess......

Columbo Goes Kojak !

[elshikh4 · 7/10 · 20 August 2017]

This is a very good episode after all. I loved how they knew and found the kidnapper from scratch, the breathless pace, and most of the performances. However, what stood alone was the try to change the forever format of Columbo.

During the course of the series, which contained 69 movies from Prescription: Murder (1968) to Columbo Likes the Nightlife (2003), there were rare examples for breaking the Columbo mold. Double Shock (1973) hided who the killer was till the last scene (it's always known in the first one), A Matter of Honor (1976) hided the killer's motive till the end, Columbo Goes to College (1990) hided the way of killing till the very end, Rest in Peace Mrs. Columbo (1990) told the story by many flashbacks.

As you see, all of these episodes changed bits and pieces, here and there, yet inside the same format of "Someone thinks that he or she committed the perfect murder, then how Columbo proves that he or she is wrong". This round, there is no murder in the first place. It's a kidnapping. And our lead must use his super smart mind to search and locate before it's too late. Now compared to the aforementioned episodes, this is not a mild change, inasmuch as a revolution!

Nevertheless, there were 2 downsides. The first is, for sure, the character of the kidnapper. Who is that guy, and what does he want, and why he got THAT crazy??? He has no back-story, no singularity, no taste, and I hated when they made him use that lipstick; as if "wild madness" is an enough answer for all the questions!

The second one is that we don't have Columbo around. Yes, the Columbo-ish moments are available; being interweaved into the new fabric. For instance, the "one more thing" moment is present, silently, when the forgetful lieutenant remembers something in the police station, and returns to bring it. And for another, he doesn't lean to use his gun, as usual, accompanied by a sarcastic smile this time. But generally, this is not Columbo which we know and love. Because this one has different pace for moving and talking. Moreover, we aren't accustomed to seeing him working in police stations, among team; mostly we don't get to see anyone but him. Hence, he became Kojak, not Columbo anymore!

Ironically, there is an episode of Kojak with nearly the same plot. And I mean "Birthday Party" the first episode of season 4, which was aired for the first time on 26 September 1976, and centered on kidnapping Kojak's niece, and his efforts to get her back.

No Time to Die (1992) isn't a bad episode of Columbo. It's just bad in terms of not enjoying our dear Columbo. Changing the format is one thing, but changing the lead character is another. However, as an episode that really breaks the mold, it's million times better than Undercover (1994), which killed the mold, along with Columbo too!

Unfairly Maligned

[BRU67 · 6/10 · 1 August 2020]

According to Colombo connoisseurs, this is the show's worst episode of all time. Akin to the Happy Days' shark jump episode.

Well, I'm a big fan of Columbo and I've seen all of the 1970s episodes, and many of the 1989+ episodes too. While Any Old Port in a Storm and The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case have nothing to fear, this is nowhere near as bad as Last Salute to the Commodore and Mind Over Mayhem either.

It actually stands on its own because, as many have pointed out, this one does not follow the Colombo plotline. In most episodes, we witness a murder and know who the killer is, and usually the motive, from the get-go. We then get to enjoy the interplay between the deceptively absent-minded Colombo and the arrogant killer as the disheveled detective sets little traps and then skewers the criminal with his own mistakes in the dramatic reveal ending.

Here, we do not have a murder at all but, rather, a kidnapping. We do not learn who the kidnapper is and what his motivation and sinister goal is until later in the story. And there is no interaction at all between Columbo and the killer during the entire episode.

In other words, we are in the dark with Colombo through the episode, and that is kind of cool for a change. I'm not saying I would like all episodes to be this way but it was neat to break the mold for one episode.

The story and pacing were pretty strong and it didn't have any ridiculously implausible clues or lucky breaks like some Columbo episodes, particularly the later ones, are prone to. My only gripe was with Melissa (Joanna Going). Early on, she appears to be a strong confident woman who isn't going to take any crap from her captor, and coolly and cleverly devises a way out of her cell. But in the last part of the show she disappointingly turns to complete mush and would have been toast if the guys had gotten to her even a second later. I kept waiting for her to do something, anything, to defend herelf against the creepy weird dude (the late Daniel McDonald). But nope.

In addition to a pretty decent show, you get to see a pre-Nanny Niles (Daniel Davis) as a persnickety fashion photographer and a pre- Melrose Place Dr. Mancini (Thomas Calabro) as Columbo's jilted nephew. It also stars the late great Daniel Moffat, and Patrick Swayze's brother Don.

Probably not in the top tier of Columbo episodes but certainly good TV. Definitely worth a watch if you run across it.

Juliet Mills and Patrick Swayze's brother and other stars in an atypical Columbo

[safenoe · 7/10 · 30 May 2023]

One of the biggest stars from British acting royalty, Juliet Mills, guest stars in No Time a Die, which isn't a typical Columbo episode because as the title suggests, no one dies. Daniel Davis of The Nanny fame guest stars, as does Dan Butler performing a straight role as a cop (Dan was Bulldog in Frasier).

Joanna Going plays the kidnapped bride, and I only recently found out that Going is a Scottish name.

Legendary actor Lance LeGault also appears as a police captain

To cap off the casting, Don Swayze, the brother of Patrick, guest stars.

I thought James Cromwell of Babe fame was in this episode, but it was Donald Moffat who looks likes James.

The worst Columbo?

[TheLittleSongbird · 3/10 · 25 March 2012]

Although I didn't think much of Grand Deceptions or Last Salute to the Commodore and was underwhelmed by Dead Weight, even they had their few interest points. Which is more than I can say for No Time to Die. And I say this as a huge fan of Columbo. I give it points for its striking filming, Joanna Going's hotness and while Columbo is nowhere near as interesting as he has been before and since Peter Falk still does his best, though he has been much better. However there are too many things wrong with this episode to list, starting with the title. Very misleading, I agree that something like The Vanishing Bride(slightly generic perhaps) would've been far better. As for the pace, I wouldn't say it is one of the dullest entries of the series, I'd go as far to say it was the dullest, even beating the overlong and sluggish Last Salute to the Commodore, it starts not easy to get into and ends just as unsatisfyingly. At least Commodore had the sailing jokes, No Time to Die has nothing remotely interesting, intelligent, clever or funny in its writing, it all feels very humourless and aimless. The story is another attempt at a change of formula, and fails utterly, with the story getting increasingly implausible and stupid and no delightful scenes between Columbo and the villain. The characters are some of the blandest of any Columbo episode, the victim is completely lacking in personality and the villain is a right wimp it is difficult to feel anything for him. The music feels obtrusive and doesn't add much to the atmosphere, and of the acting the only one who acquits himself close to adequately is Falk. In conclusion, a failure and perhaps the worst of the series. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Gripping, Complex and Enriches Both Columbo and the Formula

[poetcomic1 · 10/10 · 4 November 2020]

Perhaps the best of the 'late' Columbo movies. I enjoyed the 'police work' that involves a team of real cops working together, a captain, a station house... the usual Columbo formula makes hims a sort of outsider and the other police vague walk on figures. The opening is NOT the 'murder reveal' formula and so we go on a suspenseful journey that involves a great deal more emotion than just watching Robert Culp or Jack Cassidy squirm - frankly the formula was getting threadbare by then. Columbo is still recognizably Columbo but with an extra level of intensity, emotional involvement in the story and an easy aura of authority that the other cops and even the captain respects. It is both creepy and suspenseful and you must remember that the previous year The Silence of the Lambs had come out and surely that inspired the writers. I cannot think of another outright psycho as the Columbo quarry, it was about time.

Does Columbo Dance Like A Star?

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 31 March 2011]

This is a radical departure from the typical Columbo episode. It tries to mix a little creepy suspense with pulling all nights & racing the clock. The reason it is so different is the script was written by Evan Hunter. Hunter wrote the screenplay for Hitchcock (The Birds) and the novel Blackboard Jungle. The only other Columbo he would do is 1994's Undercover.

In both cases his script plots for this series did not involve a murder as the central theme to the crime. The subject in this one is Kidnapping of a bride. He writes a story of a strangely obsessed man whose obsession is the bride of Columbo's nephew. Even though the story has no recognition that she even knows who he is, he is planning to kidnap her, marry her, & then murder her. The ceremony and the number of photos he has of her are creepy.

There are some things which are consistent here. Columbo's bird dog efforts to find the kidnapper and his bride for one. The day & time of each event is shown as the episode progresses logically. It starts with the Wedding on Saturday night and then winds all the way through chronologically until the climax on Monday at Noon. Columbo enlists the entire police department on his kidnapper hunt.

What is unlike Columbo is that he hides a shoe that he finds on the fire escape when the kidnapper took the bride and never explains why to the audience and never uses the shoe for any reason in the story. Then, he talks to a witness who saw the white van the kidnapper took, but waits a long time before telling anyone on the force about the witness.

The bonus early is trying to decide is Columbo (Faulk) should be dancing with the stars as he dances at the wedding reception. Then, you get to see Columbo manage to annoy several people who are not the criminal which is a radical departure for this series. That is what is missing here. The "just one more thing" doesn't come in this show.

It is Columbo trying to solve a kidnapping but without any ransom demands. That's because the kidnapper gets what he wants at the start, the girl. That is her second penalty, the first is the dance with Columbo at her wedding reception. The third for her is having an obsessed man steal her from her husband, and then try to set up the most sickening wedding since Dr. Phibes. Yikes!!!

Worst Columbo ever

[jbirks106 · 2/10 · 15 May 2015]

It's not just because this is the one episode that poses -- at least for the first half -- as a whodunit that fails so miserably. It fails in virtually every other way too. A plot with more holes and loose threads than a Goodwill sweater. A plot with no murder, just a crime so ridiculous and a criminal so absurd, and yet so disturbing and lurid, that it's hard to believe this "Columbo" ever got made. I guess the network suits loosened up a bit after "Twin Peaks"...

Every other "Columbo" starts out with a murder and ends with the murderer getting his comeuppance -- but very much alive. In this sorry caper the bad guy was a sicko but he didn't come close to killing the girl. But boy he sure got killed something good didn't he? Because ... why exactly? He kidnapped a cop's wife on their wedding night? Hell, nowadays you'd get your own reality series for that. Or maybe it was that crappy music on the tape.

Some firsts for this TV series.

[danrs000008 · 8/10 · 2 November 2021]

If I'm not mistaken this is the first Columbo episode where a murder does not take place. I was personally glad because the more I got into the episode the more I sympathized with the kidnapping victim, the beautiful bride played by Joanna Going. I also believe this is the first episode where we see Lieutenant Columbo dancing. He seems to be having a good time at the wedding reception as he dances with the bride. In this episode we also see Columbo working as a member of a team with other police officers instead of doing the whole investigation on his own. We also see what is most likely the most perverted and demented perpetrator of any of the episodes. Finally, if I'm not mistaken we see Columbo holding a gun in his hand for the first time. In the scene where they rescue the bride Colombo's nephew shoots the bad guy but we do see Colombo standing there with a gun in his hand. I was personally satisfied to see that. I was glad that Colombo didn't show up to rescue his nephew's while just having a finger to point at the guy.

It would be too easy to just say

[Delrvich · 7/10 · 11 August 2020]

Its not like the original first three or four seasons. It was good to see Peter Falk, but, some of the dialogue was rather dated (eg Who in blazes is knocking at my door? Who the devil is asking?) also having heard a modern expletive in a scene. Also the old stereotypical crazy loner and Colombo being the only brains in a team of other detectives kept it from being an 8.

We have found the worst Columbo.

[eckesg1-800-663207 · 1/10 · 28 December 2014]

The only Columbo that I skipped through parts to finish.

The problem was all those intersperses, especially with the victim trying to break out of the room, because we all knew that she would not completely escape. Just wasted my time. This is more an SVU case rather than Columbo.

The acting is okay but there was just not enough in the plot and style to save this mess.

The ending was also abrupt. Columbo just entered the room and the movie was over. No big discovery, no gotcha. Just entering a room with a bit of relief and the movie is over.