Murder at 1600

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Diane Lane, Alan Alda, Dennis Miller
Directed by: Dwight H. Little
Rating: R
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Action
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A Washington, D.C. police detective (Wesley Snipes) is assigned to investigate the murder of a young woman in the White House. He is impeded in his work by the National Security Advisor (Alan Alda), a Secret Service Agent (Diane Lane) who may or may not be helpful to him, and the threat of a conspiracy and those trying to cover it up.

Review:

Tim: Sure, this movie is a bit ridiculous, but it is about a murder in the White House and only a D.C. detective stands in the way of a governmental cover-up. This film packed a little more punch when it was first released. Since 9/11, the film's conclusion is even more implausible and absurd. Still, realizing that, this film is still pretty entertaining.

Wesley Snipes is decent in the lead role. His character is a bit one-dimensional and the whole "history buff" comes off unbelievable and silly. Diane Lane is good. She doesn't have a very good role to play, but she manages to be believable regardless.

The movie moves at a decent pace, and this is huge because it doesn't give us too long to sit and contemplate on the weaker aspects of it. We're kept moving as the mystery unravels. The plot is slightly more clever than one might think, although it comes unraveled at the end as the movie ends in absolutely ridiculous fashion.

This movie was better upon its initial release- time has not been kind to it, as its already weak storyline is made even worse by recent events. Also, several similar and better quality films (including 1997's Absolute Power) have been released that puts this one to shame. All the same, if you're looking for an adequate political crime thriller, you won't hate yourself after watching this.


Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Absolute Power, Passenger 57