A Slight Case of Murder (1999) (TV)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Steven Schachter

Writers (WGA):

Donald E. Westlake (book)
William H. Macy (teleplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 September 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery

Plot:

A film critic (William H. Macy) accidentally kills his lover during a spat in which she falls and hits her head...

Plot Keywords:

Film Critic | Blackmail | Accidental Killing | Private Detective | Spiral Staircase

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

William H. Macy	...	Terry Thorpe
Adam Arkin	...	Det. Fred Stapelli
Felicity Huffman	...	Kit Wannamaker
James Cromwell	...	John Edgerson
Julia Campbell	...	Patricia Stapelli
James Pickens Jr.	...	Det. Larry Gray
Paul Mazursky	...	John Brant
Vincent Pastore	...	Cabby
Michael McMurtry	...	Scott
Stephanie Belding	...	Laura Penny
Vik Sahay	...	Bob
Wenna Shaw	...	Brant's assistant
Len Doncheff	...	Mr. Petrovsky
Tanja Jacobs	...	Bank teller
Vito Rezza	...	Capt. O'Donnell
Sandi Stahlbrand	...	Jane (news anchor)
Robin Ward	...	Lance (news anchor)
Raven Dauda	...	Bar waitress
Marilo Nunez	...	Production assistant
Tricia Williams	...	Uniformed cop
Robbi Jay Thuet	...	Young girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shawn Tanaka	...	College student (uncredited)
Walter the Dog	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Steven Schachter

Writing credits (WGA)
Donald E. Westlake		(book)
William H. Macy		(teleplay) &
Steven Schachter		(teleplay)

Produced by
Mitch Engel	....	producer
Salli Newman	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Mader

Cinematography by
André Pienaar

Film Editing by
Paul Dixon

Casting by
Natalie Hart
Diane Kerbel
Jason La Padura

Production Design by
Dan Davis

Art Direction by
Arvinder Grewal		(as Arv Grewal)
Carl Sprague

Set Decoration by
Doug McCullough

Costume Design by
Margaret Mohr

Makeup Department
Mary Sue Heron	....	key makeup artist
Moira Verwijk	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Nan L. Bernstein	....	unit production manager: New York (as Nan Bernstein Freed)
Bruce Dunn	....	post-production supervisor
Tina Grewal	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chris Baillie	....	third assistant director
Jennifer Deathe	....	second assistant director
Libby Hodgson	....	first assistant director
Howard McMaster	....	first assistant director: New York
Andrew Shea	....	first assistant director
Tim Singh	....	second assistant director
Michael Smith	....	second assistant director: New York (as Mike Smith)
Graham Tallman	....	assistant director

Art Department
Kim Brown	....	head painter
Garth Brunt	....	lead man
Jamie Burke	....	construction coordinator
Ric Fernandez	....	head carpenter (as Rick Fernandez)
Victoria Hamilton	....	key scenic artist
Mark Hunter	....	props
Gabriel Lamb	....	set dresser
Peter Miskimmin	....	property master
Philip Saccio	....	property master: New York (as Phil Saccio)
Tom Thompson	....	on-set dresser

Sound Department
Craig Baker	....	boom operator
Bob Costanza	....	sound effects editor
Chaim Gilad	....	sound mixer
G. Michael Graham	....	supervising sound editor
Kristi Johns	....	adr supervisor
Terry O'Bright	....	sound re-recording mixer
Keith Rogers	....	sound re-recording mixer
James Sabat	....	sound mixer: New York (as Jim Sabat)

Special Effects by
Michael Kavanagh	....	special effects coordinator
Derek Liscoumb	....	special effects technician
Ray McMillan	....	front projection
Matt Vogel	....	special effects: New York
Skyler Wilson	....	special effects key

Stunts
Brittney Banks	....	stunt rigger
Eric Bryson	....	stunts
Desmond Campbell	....	stunts
Valentin Nedialkov	....	stunts (as Valentin Nedealkov)
Robert C. Shannon	....	dive supervisor
Mary Ann Stevens	....	stunts (as Maryann Stevens)
John Stoneham Jr.	....	stunt coordinator
Bryan Thomas	....	stunts (as Brian Thomas)

Camera and Electrical Department
Tim Barg	....	best boy grip
Laurence Bortnick	....	second assistant camera
Gabriele DiChiara	....	gaffer
Roger Finlay	....	first assistant camera
Mike Gowland	....	generator operator
Kevin Janicelli	....	gaffer: New York
Tiffany Laufer	....	camera production assistant
Dave Lowry	....	key grip: New York
Mark McLean	....	camera trainee
James McRae	....	best boy grip (as Jamie McRae)
Phil Oetiker	....	camera operator
Phil Oetiker	....	director of photography: second unit
Nate Ranger	....	assistant camera
Peter Rosenfeld	....	Steadicam operator
Peter Rosenfeld	....	camera operator
Rob Salviotti	....	second assistant camera
Mark Silver	....	key grip
Jan Thijs	....	still photographer
Johnny Wersta	....	dolly grip

Casting Department
Megan Conacher	....	extras casting
Jenny Lewis	....	casting assistant: Toronto
Keri Owens	....	casting assistant: Los Angeles

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ingrid Price	....	wardrobe supervisor: New York

Editorial Department
David Augsburger	....	assistant editor
Luis Patiño	....	post-production coordinator
Marvey Shatz	....	colorist
David Yoneshige	....	post-production executive

Music Department
Dominick Certo	....	music editor
Benoit Grey	....	composer: additional music
Andy Hill	....	music supervisor
Tommy Holmes	....	assistant music editor

Transportation Department
Tony Bifano	....	transportation coordinator
Lowell Greenspoon	....	transportation captain
Dennis Salomone	....	transportation captain: New York

Other crew
Peter Boboras	....	location manager
Mark Bronson	....	post-production accountant
Julie Cannon	....	production assistant
Timothy Clarkin	....	first assistant accountant
Peter Diczak	....	craft service
Jeff Geisel	....	film logging
Ailis Hamilton	....	assistant production coordinator
Sandra Lum Lock	....	production accountant
Chris Martin	....	assistant location manager
Amanda Micallef	....	assistant to producers
Sarah Anne Milliken	....	production assistant
Seana O'Neill	....	production coordinator
Julie Paquin	....	second assistant accountant (as J.C. Cochrill)
Jacqueline Parkin	....	animal handler
David Price	....	production coordinator: New York
Jarrod Price	....	location production assistant
Santiago Quinones	....	location manager: New York
Anna Rane	....	script supervisor
Keitha M. Redmond	....	production coordinator (as Keitha Redmond)
Nina Saxon	....	title designer
Shawn Tanaka	....	assistant: William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman
Greg Williams	....	playback coordinator
Melanie Wilson	....	unit publicist

Production Companies

• Firebrand Productions
• Turner Network Television (TNT)

Distributors

• Turner Network Television (TNT) (original airing)

Other Companies

• Buena Vista Sound  sound re-recorded at
• Echo Sound Services  sound editing
• Grant Wilfley Casting  extras casting: New York
• Laser Pacific Media  electronic post-production
• New Wave Entertainment  main and end title design
• Pacific Title  opticals
• RD Negative Cutting  negative cutting
• Starcraft  craft services
• William F. White International  grip equipment

Also Known As:

A Travesty

Runtime:

94 min | Israel:89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | Iceland:12 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Firebrand Productions

Quotes:

Terry Thorpe: If you're going to commit a murder -- and I don't recommend it -- one thing you should definitely not do is sleep with the investigating officer's wife. It just makes for a lot of unnecessary complications.

Movie Connections:

References Love on the Run (1936)

A nifty little postmodern anti-Columbo

Okay, I love Bill Macy, who's invariably fun to watch, with those pouchy eyes and that "please don't kick me again" expression-- or maybe it's "please don't kick me again so hard." And I love Donald Westlake, one of the best writers of light capers on the scene today. Westlake wrote the novel on which this is based, which I seem to recall reading as "Enough," not "A Travesty," which is what it says in the credits. The combination of these two guys is inspired, all the better in that Macy co-wrote the adaptation and tailored the lead precisely to his acting strengths. Macy just looks like a typical Westlake hero-- only, as one of the other characters points out, he really can't be the hero if he's killed his girlfriend, even accidentally. And he's not really the hero, I guess, although you do sort of root for him. Macy plays Jerry Thorpe, a not-very-nice TV film critic, whose attempts to evade the consequences of committing an accidental murder get more and more involved as the plot thickens. It's an anti-Columbo, where we follow the criminal, not the cop, and wonder when and how he's going to blow it. Macy's stayed true to the book, adding a lot of character touches and a couple of nifty flourishes. He even includes a funny reference to one of his own previous pictures, "Searching for Bobby Fischer." I guess, for me, the fun was just watching Macy have so much fun in a leading role-- like Steve Buscemi, he's a terrific character actor who rarely gets the chance to carry a film. He carries this one, and I hope to see him carry more.