A Blueprint for Murder

Plot

Joseph Cotten stars in A Blueprint for Murder as Whitney Cameron, a man who harbors a deep and abiding affection for his pretty sister-in-law Lynne Cameron (Jean Peters). When one of Lynne's stepchildren dies, the autopsy indicates that the child was poisoned. Despite his feelings for Lynne, Whitney can't help but feel that she was responsible for the child's death--and that she intends to go on killing until she becomes sole heir of her late husband's estate. The "moment of truth" occurs during a climactic ocean voyage which consumes nearly a third of the film. A Blueprint for Murder was written and directed by Andrew L. Stone, whose legendary insistence upon "realism" at all costs was such that it's a wonder he didn't persuade Peters to commit a real murder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Review

A Blueprint for Murder is a moderately entertaining crime thriller. These kinds of films usually fall into two camps -- a "whodunit" mystery type or one in which the suspected villain is identified early on and the film becomes about how to stop the villain. Blueprint is one of the latter, which is generally much more difficult to pull off. Despite trying to sow some seeds of doubt along the way, the identity of the killer is established early on, which means that clever plotting and neat tricks are needed to add suspense and keep the story moving. Blueprint falls short in this area, both in the writing and in the directing. The story is a bit too cut and dried, and the method by which Joseph Cotton decides to "catch" his suspect feels contrived. Andrew L. Stone's direction is also a bit too by-the-book. A bit more imagination would have brought a higher level of excitement to the film. However, Blueprint does benefit from a fine cast. It's no surprise that Cotten is in his element here, serving the story quite well with his edgy voice and questioning eyes. And Jean Peters plays sultry, seductive and suspicious perfectly. The surprise is how good Gary Merrill, in a supporting role, turns out to be. Throw in fine support from Catherine McLeod and Jack Kruschen, and there's enough going on in Blueprint to make up for many of its flaws. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

• Joseph Cotten - Whitney Cameron
• Jean Peters - Lynne Cameron
• Gary Merrill - Fred Sargent
• Catherine McLeod - Maggie Sargent
• Jack Kruschen - Hal Cole

Barney Phillips - Capt. Pringle; Freddy Ridgeway - Doug, Jr.; Joyce McCluskey - Nurse Brownell; Mae Marsh - Anna; Harry Carter - Wheeler; Walter Sande - John L. Henderson; Tyler McVey - Technician; Teddy Mangean - Attendant; Aline Towne - File clerk; Ray Hyke - Pharmacist; Charles Collins - Pesticide seller; Eugene Borden - Headwaiter; Carleton Young - Frank Connelly; Grandon Rhodes - Judge Adams; Herbert Butterfield - Judge; George Melford - Bailiff; Jonathan Hale - Dr. Stevenson

Credit

Charles LeMaire - Costume Designer, Andrew L. Stone - Director, William B. Murphy - Editor, Lionel Newman - Musical Direction/Supervision, Leo Tover - Cinematographer, Michael Abel - Producer, Andrew L. Stone - Screenwriter

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