To appreciate "Murder by Natural Causes", first you have to accept its TV-movie limitations: few sets, few characters, pauses for commercial breaks, direction with no cinematic interest. The emphasis here is on the writing and the acting. The script has many clever (but not phenomenal) twists. The main plot device reminded me somewhat of Ira Levin's "Deathtrap" (which was filmed three years later). The acting is top-of-the-line: the term "bad Hal Holbrook performance" hasn't been invented yet, as for Katharine Ross, judging from the three films I've seen her in ("The Stepford Wives", "The Swarm", and this one), she must be one of the most underrated (in beauty as well as talent) actresses of the seventies. (**1/2)
Review of Murder by Natural Causes
