Based on an actual Ellery Queen Story (The Cat of Many Tails) this story is about strangler called the Hydra killing people seemingly randomly across New York. Stumped Inspector Queen brings in his nephew Ellery to help solve the crime.
This was an attempt to get another detective in NBC's mystery Wheel (Columbo,McCloud, McMillian and Wife) that went belly up. It's not a bad mystery, its just not a very exciting one.
Ellery this time out is Peter Lawford, and he's an okay detective. The trouble is he's been rethought of as a womanizing Englishman living in NY where his Uncle (his father's half brother) is a police inspector. He plays it like Lawford-which means a bit to aloof and cocksure. Its great but there is no uncertainty. (Then again Lawford is perfect and then some in the final killer scene which shows what the film should have been) The other problem is that you can guess who did it about half way in since the "killer" can't be the killer that early in this sort of a story.
For me the film is a trade off since the okay story is counter balanced by some great shots of NYC in 1970.
worth a peak if you run a cross it but I wouldn't search it out.
This was an attempt to get another detective in NBC's mystery Wheel (Columbo,McCloud, McMillian and Wife) that went belly up. It's not a bad mystery, its just not a very exciting one.
Ellery this time out is Peter Lawford, and he's an okay detective. The trouble is he's been rethought of as a womanizing Englishman living in NY where his Uncle (his father's half brother) is a police inspector. He plays it like Lawford-which means a bit to aloof and cocksure. Its great but there is no uncertainty. (Then again Lawford is perfect and then some in the final killer scene which shows what the film should have been) The other problem is that you can guess who did it about half way in since the "killer" can't be the killer that early in this sort of a story.
For me the film is a trade off since the okay story is counter balanced by some great shots of NYC in 1970.
worth a peak if you run a cross it but I wouldn't search it out.