Columbo "A Stitch in Crime" #2.6 (1973) (TV)

Solid Columbo, 20 April 2005

One of the better Columbo movies I've seen thus far. The mystery is intelligent and the killer's actions are what you would expect from a doctor. The mystery will keep you guessing up to the last scene. Often, these Columbo movies have a less than satisfactory ending. It's as if the writers too often had no idea how to end the thing and resort to having the killer confess when faced with the flimsiest of evidence. That's not the case here. The evidence, when finally presented, is damning and leaves no doubt about the doctor's guilt.

Leonard Nimoy makes an excellent advisory for Peter Falk's Columbo. He is essentially playing Mr. Spock - calm, rational, and intelligent. Even with faced with Columbo's erratic behavior, he never loses his cool. In fact, this is one of the few episodes where I remember Columbo losing it. In one scene, he slams a clock to the desk and let's the unflappable Nimoy have it. It's a very uncharacteristic moment for Columbo, but only proves he's human like the rest of us.

The only real weakness I see in the movie is the decision to cast Will Geer as the head of an important research project. Maybe I saw the Waltons too many times while growing up, but Geer is too kindly and simple to be my ideal choice to play such an important doctor and researcher.

8/10