Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Blake Peterson "I don't know why you're not more fascinated by this! We could be living next to a murderer," Carol Lipton (Diane Keaton) emphasizes to her doubtful husband, Larry (Woody Allen). Larry isn't so convinced: "New York is a melting pot: I'm used to it!" When put in the situation of having a murderer live next door, there are two kinds of people: there are (1) the bored who decide their life could use a little fluffer, deciding to solve the mystery themselves, like a modern day Miss Marple, or (2) the fearful who figure it would be best to mind their own business and let karma stop by sometime in the future.Trouble is, Carol is of the first category, Larry of the second. She can't rest until she really knows what's going on; Larry, however, would rather go to work, come home for dinner at 5:00, stay up until the late hours of the evening to catch a forgotten classic on the classic movie channel, and continue the same routine for the rest of his life, spicing it up in safe ways when the occasion arises. But Carol has a mind of her own, and Larry, being played by Woody Allen (in which case meaning Allen is basically playing himself), is much too weak of a figure to stop her Nancy Drew madness.Who can blame her? Here's the situation: as the film opens, Larry and Carol bump into their aging neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. House (Jerry Adler and Lynn Cohen), who proceed to casually invite them up for coffee. The two are dull, but sweet: reaching old age, they have already purchased twin headstones, filling their days with blissful uneventfulness and hobbies like stamp collecting. Larry finds them pleasantly boring; the invitation was polite, sure, but neighbors are meant to be neighbors, not friends. Yet just as he's stating this sentiment to the kooky Carol, the unexpected happens with brute force. The following day, Mrs. House is announced dead. She had a heart condition.Larry is surprised but figures it to be another tragedy in the cruel game of life; Carol, on the other hand, is suspicious. Mrs. House never mentioned having a heart condition (strange considering she felt the need to discuss her hysterectomy only minutes into conversation). Mr. House must have murdered her. So she decides to do a little investigating herself, and, as it turns out, something is amiss. One point Carol, zero points Larry.These days, Woody Allen seems to travel back and forth between meaningful work and more passable fare. Critics flock to his old-age unevenness like a group of hungry vultures, but I've always enjoyed what he has to offer. When he's taking a break from changing the lives of his audience and having fun for a change, it's infectious (most of the time). "Manhattan Murder Mystery" is his finest, dare I say it, "lightweight" project. I could be biased, considering I watched the majority of his most famous films when I was too young to really understand their meaning, but over the years, "Manhattan Murder Mystery" has always stuck with me the most. Is it the contagiously humorous repartee between Allen and Keaton (in their first film together since 1979's "Manhattan"), the obvious homages to film noir(you can't beat "The Lady from Shanghai" playfulness of the ending) and Agatha Christie, the likable supporting performances from Alan Alda (the likable best friend type) and Anjelica Huston (the superiorly cool female figure), the New York setting? I can hardly decide, but Allen's deft combination of whodunit antics and absolutely hilarious exchanges makes every single thing about "Manhattan Murder Mystery" an unequivocal delight. And because he's realistic, of course he slides marital trouble and middle-aged discontent into the mix; it's the only way such an exciting story could exist in real life!With a luminous Keaton by his side, a truckload of his best lines ("Claustrophobia and a dead body - this is a neurotic's jackpot!"; "I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start to get the urge to conquer Poland."), and an unabashed sense of fun, "Manhattan Murder Mystery" is Allen at his best: confident, sensible, engaging, and uproarious.

TheLittleSongbird As someone who has really liked or loved most of what she's seen of Woody Allen's filmography(15 left to watch as of now)- he has done some disappointments but none to me have been terrible or unwatchable, more uneven than anything else-, Manhattan Murder Mystery is up there with his best, not quite in his top 5 but most definitely in the top 10. As always with Allen it's adroitly directed and beautifully made with a noir-ish feel that adds so much to the atmosphere and mystery. The music is energetic and haunting, adding much to the comedic and mystery aspects of the story. Love the old songs too, they have a very nostalgic quality and easy to recognise. The writing is hilarious and in distinctive Allen fashion- not quite among the best screenplays of all time but some of the lines here are some of the most quotable from any Woody Allen film- while also keeping the suspense to nail-biting effect. Manhattan Murder Mystery works brilliantly both as a comedy and mystery. The comedy never takes a heavy-handed approach- in fact a lot of it is quite light- and always amuses and the mystery aspect is even better, very Hitchcockian(there was a very Rear Window influence here) and intricate and with great atmosphere and suspense. A highlight is the ending with the mirror sequence paying homage to Lady in Shanghai, it really has to be one of the best ever endings of any of Allen's films and is also very visually striking. The characters as with many Woody Allen films are purposefully neurotic but also compelling in their realism and they all serve a point to the story, no superficiality in sight. Allen gets great performances from the cast and his own performance is excellent. He has believable chemistry with Diane Keaton who gives her absolute all to her most neurotic, bat-out-of-hell character yet. Anjelica Huston is strong as usual though she has given better performances in meatier roles and while Alan Alda gives a better performance in Crimes and Misdemeanors (a textbook example of how to play a weasel of a character well, brilliantly in his case) but he doesn't disappoint either. Overall, a brilliant film and one of Allen's best, a minor work this is not. 10/10 Bethany Cox

JohnHowardReid I must admit that I'm very surprised this little movie enjoyed such favorable reviews. Admittedly, a movie budgeted at $13.5 million puts it into a top bracket, but the money seems to have been spent mainly on the cast and on greasing hands for all the NYC location shots. And of course, although reviewers loved this movie, it was far from a success with picturegoers. Even accounting for TV and video sales, it would have been lucky to break even. Shot in a freewheeling style on actual Manhattan locations, it re-teams Woody with Diane Keaton. Also along for the ride are Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston, plus an overweight Jerry Adler as the mysterious Mr. House. I'll readily admit that if you're not expecting too much from the movie, it's quite enjoyable, but it's a long way from Allen at his early best or even the Allen of Shadows and Fog, made only two years earlier! True, the on-screen Allen character is still intact, but he seems to lack the on-screen charisma of even a Broadway Danny Rose. Now he's just an irritatingly over-argumentative little guy who has to be talked into everything until he eventually gives in! Available on an excellent Columbia/Tristar DVD.

LeonLouisRicci The Movie that is most Famous for the Reuniting of Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. It lands somewhere in the Middle of the Comedian's Comedies. There are the usual number of Woody-isms and a rather Complex Murder Mystery that keeps things on the run.Showing more Neurosis than usual Woody fidgets relentlessly and babbles non-stop and for the uninitiated probably too much. There is some fine support from Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston for the Bickering Couple to play off and the Murder Mystery is ever present. Many Film Buff Homages that aren't the least bit subtle, the best being the crisp overlay of the Movie onto the Lady From Shanghai (1947).Allen doesn't hit this one out of the Park, but does manage a Stand-Up Double as some things work quite well and others seem a bit Forced for the usually Smooth Writer/Director. Fans will no doubt find it Rewarding and Entertaining, but for a new look in on the Career of Woody Allen, this one is not where to start.