Our rating: 4 out of 5

Rated: TVPG

reviewed by Rissi C.

My introduction to one of television's most famous and beloved detectives came when I was quite young when my dad occasionally watched these if they aired on a Sunday evening. While I have no memory of their original airing, since we have collected each season and more recently the movies, I too have come to share my dad’s fondness for the disheveled detective that solves crimes with virtually no evidence.

Fed up with her philandering partner, publisher Dian Hunt (Deidre Hall) has decided to sell her stock to a wealthy English businessman who has been after her company for years. After partner and lead photographer Sean Brantly (Ian Buchanan) is summoned to Dian’s office, he becomes alarmed at hearing the news, begging Dian to abandon her plans and give him one more chance while promising to be faithful to only her. Refusing to give in, Dian goes ahead with her plans and leaves in front of many witnesses for her flight to London. En route to the airport a loud shot is heard by the driver and when he drops Miss Hunt off, she seems to be acting mysteriously. When Dian never arrives to her important business meeting she is reported missing and the police start to investigate. Enter Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk), a homicide detective who despite appearances can find the guilty party through the smallest inconsistency. Columbo’s investigation eventually leads him to the conclusion that Dian was murdered, but without the right evidence he has no case. Getting nowhere with the charismatic Sean, who insists Dian is alive and well, Columbo tries to gain information though Sean's current girlfriend Tina (Rebecca Staab) who he thinks was an accomplice. Will this be the one time Columbo is wrong?

The role that Peter Falk made famous is still remembered to this day through these classic DVD sets. Audiences anxiously await his appearance in every show; from the minute we see him laughter erupts as we observe him in his little “foreign” car. On arriving at any crime scene he is often mistaken for unauthorized personal, since he walks around in a crumpled trench coat that has become his character’s signature (he’s rarely seen without it). I applaud whoever created the character of Lieutenant Columbo. His distracted ways of solving crimes that cause the killer(s) to become cocky in thinking they have an advantage is essentially what makes up his character; all the little quirks is brilliant writing. The prospect of finally meeting Mrs. Columbo was intriguing but alas once again we are only treated to Columbo’s continuous endearing stories of her. Naturally with these being about murders, there is a fair amount of violence, but the camera is careful to keep the victim's faces out of the shot. Blood is occasionally seen either dripping from wounds or spotted at the scene of the crime (possibly the most “disturbing” act shows a man shot in the head; blood splatters, it’s captured distantly on camera). A woman is strangled. Occasional profanity is heard. Various affairs are subtly discussed.

Some of the episodes/movies are a bit duller than others but this three-disc set is fantastic. Because we see each murder being committed there isn’t a lot of guesswork on our part, but it doesn’t diminish the mystery because it’s such fun to watch the unkempt detective solve them under unusual circumstances. Some of the brilliantly written movies include Murder in Malibu, which pits Columbo against the deceased’s bitter sister and heartbroken fiancé; a dentist’s office in Uneasy Lies the Crown; and guest teaching in Columbo goes to College where wealthy students know more than necessary about their professor's death. Rounding out the set is Agenda for Murder and Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo -- this film is perhaps the most confusing, simply because it takes us between the present time and the recent past. Regardless of the timeframe in which these aired the characters and story more than make up for any mediocre filmmaking. The evidence Columbo comes up with is so unrealistic (one episode has a piece of cheese as the only evidence) that it wouldn’t hold up in any court. Because of that, you may find the whole scope of the series a bit wacky, but then it wouldn’t be Columbo. And really who doesn’t enjoy a good mystery now and again?

Joining Falk in this set are stellar guest stars including Robert Culp and Brenda Vaccaro. Dialogue is witty and smart, especially when it comes to Columbo’s famous lines. Ultimately, this 1990 collection is well worth adding to any Columbo fans’ DVD collection. Each film is brilliantly conceived; it makes for fantastic viewing to see the killers start out believing that they are safe with such an incompetent detective on their case before they slowly began to let their nerves get the better of them, particularly in the final film, when Columbo sees the killers’ cocky attitudes and knows what they think of him. Seeing them brought to justice was all the better. Ah, but if the killer(s) had only realized they were the ones being played a fool and needed only to stay cool, calm and collected … after all, Columbo had nothing concrete on them.