Columbo: Ashes to Ashes (1998) (TV)

Director:

Patrick McGoohan

Writers:

Richard Levinson (creator) &
William Link (creator) ...

Release Date:

8 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Columbo is called in to investigate the disappearance of a Hollywood gossip reporter. All evidence points...

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Mortician | Police | Police Detective | Crime Investigation

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Patrick McGoohan	...	Eric Prince
Rue McClanahan	...	Verity Chandler
Richard Riehle	...	Sergeant Degarmo
Spencer Garrett	...	Roger Gambles
Aubrey Morris	...	Fred
Edie McClurg	...	Mrs. Lerby
Richard Libertini
Ron Masak	...	Eddie Fenelle (as Ron Másak)
Catherine McGoohan	...	Rita
Scott N. Stevens
Sally Kellerman	...	Liz Houston
Conrad Bachmann	...	Henry Chalfont (as Conrad Bachman)
Ken Weiler	...	Singer
Sid Burston	...	Driver

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

Catherine McGoohan (Rita) is the real life daughter of Patrick McGoohan (Eric Prince).

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Columbo says that diamonds can't burn, that is not true, diamonds burns at 850 degrees Celsius.

Movie Connections:

Follows Columbo: Undercover (1994) (TV)

Unconvincing plot development but sticks to formula and has good performances from both lead actors

Eric Prince is a funeral director to the stars and has made a fortune out of burying the rich and famous. However he has also done very well out of using his access to the bodies to discover their secrets by way of autopsy and for many, many years has sold the secrets of the dead to gossip queen Verity Chandler. After they became lovers, he finished their personal and professional relationships but not without hurting her and, when she discovers Prince has stolen expensive jewellery off the body of a famous actress, she plans to expose him and finish him. She kills her in a rage and hides her body within a coffin in his preparation room. When he can't get hold of her anywhere, Chandler's secretary, Roger Gambles, calls the police in a state. The high profile nature of this simple "missing persons" case means that the LAPD put Lieutenant Columbo on the case.

I have had some bad experiences with the modern Columbo films and, with this being the most recent one I had seen, I was worried that this wouldn't be that great at all. The presence of Columbo regular (and reliable) McGoohan convinced me to relax into it. Things get going quickly with an early crime of passion that is covered up pretty well. In fact, from a mystery writer's point of view it is covered up a little too well and it means that when Columbo starts to make the links, they are quite tenuous and more about good fortune than the workings of his sharp mind. That said, it still works well enough and produces the sort of cat and mouse game that the Columbo series is famous for. The solution is quite nice (but again a bit unconvincing) but mostly this works because of the actors.

Falk may not be as good as he was in the original few series, but he is still a classic character and he does Columbo very well. He was a bit more forceful and loud than I am used to and that didn't always work to his advantage but mostly he was as comfortable as a familiar pair of shoes. McGoohan was as good as usual in the series, albeit he just played his usual character in a different profession. He works well with Columbo and takes his undoing with good grace. Support is colourful from McClanahan and perhaps a little underused from Kellerman but there are quite a few familiar (if unplacable) faces buried in smaller roles.

Overall this is a solid Columbo despite being made in the late 90's. The plot is not totally convincing and doesn't really allow for intriguing development but it still works because of the chemistry at its core. Fans will like the way it pretty much follows the winning formula and it is certainly better than some of the lacklustre modern films even if it isn't up to the standard of the classic series.