Review of Downpayment on Murder

Not a bad little film, this one turned out more than I thought it would be. The story has a lot of Hitchcock in it: aggressive man gets kicked out of the house by his wife, then turns against her and eventually plans to murder her. There are some twists along the way you won't expect in a film of this kind, though it's not exactly unpredictable either. Same with the acting: pretty decent (Gazzara, Bailey, Morse,...), with some stereotypical roles filled in rather nicely (e.g. David Morse as one of the detectives, dressed in outrageous 80's outfits), though I could have done with a better leading lady. And same with the story too: realistic up to a point, but not all the way. It's a bit like walking a tight rope between pretty good and mediocre. I give this one an average rating (in the most positive sense of the way): 6/10.