The Judge was about to read the latest chapter of her murder mystery to the convicted murder when all Hell broke loose. First came the innermost circle, then there was an administrative foul-up, and now we’re waiting for the 8th circle.
Die Muse des Mörders (2018; English version, Murder By The Book, which is what we saw) is a murder mystery that lets the plot of a book guide the actions of the killer. As plot twists go, I’ve seen worse, such as any mystical movie you’d care to name. It may clue some audience members in to the identity of the maniacal killer, though.
But this story suffers mightily from a lack of interesting characters. Victims, bystanders, killers, all they evoke is a yawn. None, absolutely none, do anything to evoke a positive emotion, such as rescue a cat, give a kid a cotton candy face, or indulge in popcorn lust. Nothing. Quick, kill another one and alarm the Austrian cops a bit more. They need the exercise, emotional and physical.
Add to this the dubbed versions inferior dubbing. Hello, you’re outside, not buried in a bad sounds booth!
And the climax!
Actually, the best part of the movie. The hysterics are reasonable and well-conveyed. But will they survive, or just become more chopped meat? How much do you limply detest them?
In the end, don’t bother with this clunker unless you’re in the mood for an Austrian drama.
