User Reviews

National obsessions often come out in film, and the problem is that they also become the focus of the plot. Here we have the American love affair with the 50s and 60s, the old cars, the old drugstores, and, yes, the dirty underbelly of that glorious and gloriously hypocritical society. The other obsession, of course is Kennedy's assassination and ultimately, in the movie, it is bound to play a pivotal role. So while watching the movie, one does have the definite feeling of déjà vue all over again, this movie has been made before, but I can't put my finger on it.

And yet, in spite of the clichés, and the jagged timeline, the flashbacking, the bouncing back and forth, the story does emerge slowly but surely, the characters define themselves as the frames move through the machine, and it all becomes quite compelling. The acting also leaves something to be desired, but when it is not stiff, with lines delivered like a sandqich at the deli counter, it becomes quite natural. The "modern" characters are not nearly as good as the 60s characters...

Boylan, I found, was perhaps the most memorable figure, a central figure as well. Because his character leaves us in doubt as to his persona. He is not pure white, he is an eavesdropper, a bit of a control freak, he could go either way for a while. That is perhaps the problem with some of the less savory figures, who are archetypically bad. Having the two *foreign baddies" was not the greatest idea....

Given fewer clichés, a more organized plot, and smoother directing, this could have been a very nice yarn.... Given the budget, though, well done.

As the film begins, an unknown person carries separately two dead men into a building. One of the bodies still contains the bloody ax used to kill him. That's in 1963. Now, fast-forward to the "present day" when a woman cop, named Laura Posey (Nichole Donje), proceeds to the New York home of an elderly gentleman, named Frank Maltese. A decades-old unsolved murder, now a cold case, is about to be reopened.

Structured as a series of flashbacks, "The Maltese Murder Mystery" tells the story of a murder in New York that occurs on the same afternoon that JFK is assassinated in Dallas. The main characters include a small-town male pharmacist, an attractive local woman, her husband, two school age girls, a deliveryman, some thugs, and a young fireman. Throw into this eclectic mix some deceit, some drugs, some passion, some jealousy. Add in a couple of extra circumstances. And we have the makings of a brutal crime and its subsequent cover-up.

The 1963 era production design and costumes are quite credible. You really feel like you're back in that time period. Cinematography is acceptable. And most of the acting is credible.

The problem I have with this film is the script. As written, the story is somewhat muddled. Character relationships are not well defined. Further, the plot jumps back and forth. At one point we're "eight years earlier" than 1963. At another point, we're back to 1954. The result is that we have younger and older characters, some of whom are the same people, some not. I could have wished for a script re-write, both to clarify character relationships, and to draft a more satisfying plot structure.

Both a mystery and a thriller, "The Maltese Murder Mystery" offers a dark look at humanity, framed thematically against the background of an infamous day in American history. If the viewer can correctly identify who's who and can muddle through the plot, the film can provide an interesting character study of two individuals: an old man, and a much younger woman who seems to have blocked out some of her past.

And those are the good points! There are too many holes in this ridiculous plot which looks like it was filmed as a high school project. It reeks of amateurism in all aspects of film making. The characters are silly, from the Snidely Whiplash theater owner to the traumatized twin sister of the detective. And then there's the druggist who illegally dispenses cough syrup to the town bad guys in little bottles neatly wrapped in little paper bags. The flashbacks are annoying and the coincidence of the murder occurring on the day JFK was assassinated is absurd. I wasted my time watching this farce...don't waste yours.