Themes: Murder Investigations, Serial Killers, Star Detectives
Main Cast: Christopher Plummer, James Mason, Donald Sutherland, Geneviève Bujold, David Hemmings
Release Year: 1979
Country: UK/CA
Run Time: 120 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
The murders by the infamous British criminal, Jack the Ripper, catch the attention of Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer), but he does not receive the expected call from Scotland Yard because he is being purposefully excluded from the investigation. Instead, Robert Lees (Donald Sutherland), a psychic who volunteered information to the police about the murders, provides the Great Detective with the necessary incitement to action. As the murders proceed, it becomes clear to all concerned that it is more important to stop them than to announce their solution, and Holmes enters the fray with the help of his trusty aide, Dr. Watson (James Mason). The former mistress of a "prominent personage," Annie Crook (Genevieve Bujold), provides crucial information leading to a final confrontation on London's docks. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Review
Murder by Decree is an unusual take on both a Sherlock Holmes movie and the Jack the Ripper murders. Unfortunately, unusual is not always good. What's strangest about Bob Clark's film is that it abandons everything viewers have come to expect from a portrayal of the world's most famous detective. Christopher Plummer is a fine actor, but his Holmes is everything the iconic version of the character is not -- emotional when he should be detached, impetuous when he should be rational, morally indignant when he should follow the evidentiary path with neutral disinterest. Instead of cerebral, this Holmes is a man of action, getting into numerous dust-ups and even lunging to strangle a character he considers unjust. When Murder by Decree is not taking itself too seriously, it's taking itself too lightly, framing the relationship between Holmes and Dr. Watson (a passive and ineffectual James Mason) as whimsical fodder for a weekly buddy television series, something like Magnum P.I. The film's small scale also mimics that of TV -- Clark's team floods his locations with fog, ostensibly creating an air of mystery, but actually trying to cloak the fact that his London is just three streets on a small set, shot from different angles. Excepting a few sudden action scenes, the film is basically two hours of turgidly paced talking-head sequences, capped by Holmes prancing around a courtroom, dramatically pointing the finger of blame at every British official short of the Queen of England. Since John Hopkins' script does a poor job generating sympathy for the victims or establishing any sense of London torn asunder, it's hard to understand why Holmes is so agitated. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Susan Clark - Mary Kelly; Anthony Quayle - Sir Charles Warren; John Gielgud - Lord Salisbury, Prime Minister; Frank Finlay - Inspector Lestrade; June Brown - Elizabeth Stride; Ken Jones - Dock Guard; Peter Jonfield - William Slade; Tedde Moore - Mrs. Lees; Ron Pember - Makins; Chris Wiggins - Dr. Harding; Hilary Sesta - Catherine Eddowes; Terry Duggan
Credit
Peter Childs - Art Director, Bob Clark - Co-producer, Rene Dupont - Co-producer, Judy Moorcraft - Costume Designer, Ariel Levy - First Assistant Director, Bob Clark - Director, Stan Cole - Editor, Paul Zaza - Composer (Music Score), Carl Zittrer - Composer (Music Score), Kenneth Ian Davis - Production Designer, Harry Pottle - Production Designer, Reginald Morris - Cinematographer, Robert A. Goldstone - Producer, Joe Grimaldi - Sound/Sound Designer, Dave Appleby - Sound/Sound Designer, Ken Heeley-Ray - Sound Editor, John Hopkins - Screenwriter
The film was nominated for 8 Genie Awards in 1980, of which it won 5, including Best Achievement in Direction (Bob Clark), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Geneviève Bujold) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Christopher Plummer).
