It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A spoof of the spooky mansion murder mystery, such as Agatha Christie's 'And The There Were None' (as well as the wider 'whodunnit' genre, of course), that was made in an era when such films were often as smart as the pieces they satirised. 'Murder By Death (1976)' is genuinely funny thanks to the fact that it is so consistently clever, keeping up a mile-a-minute pace packed with as many intelligent pastiche-based jokes as possible. There are only two major issues, the first being that the ending - which is initially intentionally puzzling as plot reveal upon contradictory plot reveal are piled on to ridiculous yet hilarious effect - becomes completely confusing once an almost meta layer is introduced and a character begins to refer to the machinations of mystery novel writing with the implication that each detective has a hand in creating their own fiction, leaving the piece on a rather sour note. The second issue being that, while every character is an amalgamation of broad stereotypes meant to imitate individual archetypes of detective seen across multiple forms of media, there's a rather unfortunate Chinese character played by Peter Sellars that is clearly well-intentioned and generally fairly entertaining yet still is unconvincing and retroactively seems in poor taste. Still, the script is smart and the satire sharp enough to provide consistent and hearty laughs throughout. 7/10

Five detectives and their sidekicks are invited to the house of millionaire Lionel Twain for a "dinner and murder" evening. What was thought to be a game, at a point, turns deadly serious.OK, ish, but not very engrossing. The plot seems quite basic, to the point of non-existence, on the one hand, and overly complex, and gratuitously so, on the other. Humour is mostly quite corny, though it has its moments. Good cast, though they all pretty much play stereotypical roles, roles you would expect them to play, and which they have played several times. No exceptional performances - they could do the characters in their sleep.

MURDER BY DEATH is both a send-up of the whole detective genre along with a riff on the classic haunted house movies of old. The plot, like that of CLUE and others in this sub-genre, is simple in the extreme: a group of detectives arrive at a creepy old mansion and must club together to solve a murder.What I liked most about this film was the quality of the writing. Although the producers didn't have the rights to use real-life literary detectives, they're all obvious spins on the famous names: Poirot, Sam Spade, Miss Marple, et al. The jokes come thick and fast and there's barely a slow moment as these guys bumble their way through the plot and drop the ball on regular occasions. Not all of the jokes work, but there's a noticeably higher success rate here than in other spoofs and it never flags at any rate.And what a cast! David Niven's role as a plummy toff is a highlight, but I also have a soft spot for Peter Falk, coming across as a cross between Columbo and a '40s era pulp PI. Peter Sellers stands out as the Chinese detective, and before you cry racist, it's worth noting that he's spoofing the western actors who played Chinese detectives back in 1930s and 1940s cinema. Elsa Lanchester (THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) is also a hoot as a batty older lady. With the dialogue in the hands of such reliable stars, it would have been hard for it to all go wrong, and thankfully it doesn't. It's great fun.

On a dark and potentially stormy night, the world's five greatest living detectives are summoned to an old mansion, where they are asked to solve a "Murder by Death" that is about to happen. The five super-sleuths are: hard-boiled Peter Falk (as Sam Diamond as Sam Spade), buck-toothed Peter Sellers (as Sidney Wang as Charlie Chan), portly James Coco (as Milo Perrier as Hercule Poirot), dapper David Niven (as Dick Charleston as Nick Charles) and elderly Elsa Lanchester (as Jessica Marbles as Jane Marple). Their companions include chic Maggie Smith (as Dora), sexy Eileen Brennan (as Tess) and senile Estelle Winwood (as Withers)...Blind butler Alec Guinness (as Bensonmum) and deaf mute Nancy Walker (as Yetta) attend to the guests. Butterball criminologist Truman Capote (as Lionel Twain) offers one million dollars to the winning detective. There are fewer funny moments than there should be when this Neil Simon story works, mainly during the early running time. Those figuring out the ending should receive the million dollar prize money - probably, it has something to do with confusing and unsatisfactory endings.***** Murder by Death (6/23/76) Robert Moore ~ Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Nancy Walker