This Pierce Brosnan Thriller Is the Ultimate Forgotten Made-for-TV Movie _ The Overlooked Motel

Dread Central

On this week's Overlooked Motel, Tyler Doupé looks back on the essential TV movie, Bill Condon’s Murder 101.  When people think about Academy Award-winning filmmaker Bill Condon’s cinematic oeuvre, they are likely to call to mind celebrated efforts like Gods and Monsters or Dream Girls. He’s a talented creator with a rather impressive track record. So, one can be forgiven for overlooking some of his early career efforts. Murder 101 is only Condon’s second directorial credit but it shows a level of promise that would manifest in a big way in the years to come.  Read the article: https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/523797/pierce-brosnan-thriller-murder-101-is-the-ultimate-forgotten-made-for-tv-movie/  Check Out Our Podcast Network- https://www.dreadcentral.com/dread-podcast-network/  Grab your Dread merchandise, movies, and more- https://store.dreadcentral.com/  Follow Dread Central on social media: Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/DreadCentral Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/dreadcentral/ Twitter- https://twitter.com/DreadCentral TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@dreadcentral

Transcript

00:00TV movies are something of a lost art. At one point in time, major networks would invest

00:04substantial advertising dollars to promote the movie of the week. However, since the

00:08advent of streaming, the television movie has started to go the way of the buffalo.

00:13Though it is all but extinct in the current entertainment landscape, there are still a

00:16number of standout TV movies from years past that I regard fondly. I've previously covered

00:21several noteworthy efforts here, Bad Ronald, and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark to name

00:25a couple. Today I'm back with another essential TV movie, Bill Condon's Murder 101.

00:31When people think about Academy Award winning filmmaker Bill Condon's cinematic au voir,

00:36they're likely to call to mind celebrated efforts like Gods and Monsters or Dreamgirls.

00:40He's a talented creator with a rather impressive track record, so one can be forgiven for overlooking

00:46some of his early career efforts. Murder 101 is only Condon's second directorial credit,

00:52but it shows a level of promise that would manifest in a big way in the years to come.

00:57Murder 101 premiered on the USA Network in 1991. It came after Pierce Brosnan's time

01:02on Remington Steele, and before his tenure as James Bond. A perfect window to get the

01:07up and coming actor to slum it for a TV movie. Brosnan plays Charles Lattimore, a college

01:12instructor and author. He has just returned from a sabbatical following the release of

01:17a book he wrote about a high profile murder. Upon his homecoming, Professor Lattimore tasks

01:22his creative writing students with penning an essay outlining the perfect murder. When

01:27someone takes the assignment a little too literally, one of Lattimore's young students

01:32turns up dead, followed by one of his colleagues. Before long, Lattimore finds himself the prime

01:38suspect in a double homicide, and must work to clear his name and bring the real culprit

01:43to justice.

01:45In addition to sitting at the helm, Condon also co-wrote the picture. Roy Johansson takes

01:50the other writing credit. The pair have dreamt up an intriguing, twisty tale that functions

01:54a lot like an escapist murder mystery novel come to life. There are plenty of in-jokes

01:59and call-outs that predate the post-screen popularity of meta-filmmaking. Similar to

02:04the beloved Wes Craven slasher After It, Murder 101 calls out overused tropes in the thriller

02:09genre, often before leaning into them. The film even ends with a wink and a nod to the

02:14camera that breaks the fourth wall. If you enjoy that type of self-referential comedy,

02:19there's plenty to be found in Murder 101.

02:23The teleplay for this murder mystery is smarter and more polished than a lot of made-for-TV

02:27fare. Pieces of the narrative that you might not expect to connect often surprise the viewer

02:31by doing exactly that. The film also delivers ample red herrings that are likely to keep

02:36most audience members guessing right up until the end. Just as the viewer thinks they have

02:41everything figured out, something completely unexpected transpires. I have seen people

02:46complain that the twist doesn't give the viewer any of the requisite information to

02:49put the pieces together. However, that's not true. The contextual clues are just very

02:54well disguised. I won't go into too much detail so as not to spoil anything, but I

02:59can tell you that Murder 101 effectively sets up its twist ending. There's a plot point

03:04involving a certain accessory item that offers up a cryptic clue to the true identity of

03:08the killer. It's not something everyone will catch on their first viewing because

03:12a seemingly innocuous explanation gives the viewer reason to cast aside the details as

03:17non-essential. Yet the writers explicitly include that element to justify the final

03:21twist.

03:22There are a couple of other key indicators you'll likely notice upon a second visit.

03:27For instance, there's a fast-paced sequence in the third act where a particular character

03:30arrives on the scene at a crucial moment. It's not something the average viewer will

03:34be particularly prone to question, as this piece presents very much like an organic development.

03:40However, the sequence to which I make reference is actually a crucial piece of the puzzle

03:44that makes complete sense in hindsight.

03:47Twists and turns aside, Brosnan's Charles Latimore makes for a rather well-written lead.

03:51He's a surprisingly dynamic character for a TV movie, a bit of a lovable scoundrel.

03:56Latimore is the kind of college professor students idolize. The cool, relatable instructor

04:00that remembers what it's like to be a student. He makes his fair share of questionable decisions,

04:06but Brosnan makes the character so charming that you can't help but forgive him.

04:10Brosnan is the real star of the show here, but the supporting cast members nonetheless

04:14make a lasting impression. There are several memorable players that show up in smaller

04:18roles. Even the tertiary characters are notable in one way or another. For instance, there

04:22are a pair of identical twins with coke bottle glasses in Latimore's class who have precious

04:27few lines in the film. Yet even characters like these two who are essentially glorified

04:31extras make a lasting impression when they do appear.

04:35All in all, Murder 101 is a fast-paced whodunit with quirky, memorable characters and a hefty

04:40helping of meta-humor. The flick is likely to surprise you with a series of unexpected

04:44developments along the way to a surprising conclusion. If you'd like to check Murder

04:48101 out, you can find it relatively inexpensively on physical media via eBay. The film is also

04:53available on YouTube.

04:55That's all for this installment of the Overlook Motel. If you'd like to chat more about underseen

04:59and underrated films, feel free to hit me up with your thoughts on Twitter, Threads,

05:03or Instagram.

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