What’s Going On?

Poker Face stars Natasha Lyonne as Charlie and early on it is revealed she has an unusual ability – she can tell when people are lying, essentially 100% of the time. As Charlie points out this is not as helpful as it sounds, the best practical use was with playing cards but a mobster put a stop to that and she now works in his casino as a waitress. Events transpire that Charlie must go on the run and every episode she is in a new place with a new cash-in-hand job. Poker Face follows the formula of Columbo in that we see the murder at the start of the episode, we see who did it and why and the elaborate plot they concoct to get away with it. And they would have too if it wasn’t for that meddling Natasha Lyonne. The show is mainly Charlie working out how the murder was done and then being able to prove it – she may know but she needs “cop proof”. It seem odd that every week Charlie finds herself dealing with another murder…and it is, but you have to just go with that.

In Front of the Camera

Now as just about the rest of the cast changes every episode the show rests on Natasha Lyonne. Fortunately, Lyonne is a great actor and immensely charming and likeable. Perhaps known to many for her role in American Pie Lyonne has worked on many amazing projects such as starring in But I’m A Cheerleader and Russian Doll, the Groundhog Day-style Netflix hit.

Every episode features an array of talent – Adrian Brody, Chloe Sevigny, Tim Blake Nelson, Luis Guzman, Jameela Jamil all-star in episodes, and that is just the beginning. It seems like great actors have been throwing themselves at Johnson to either be murdered or a murderer.

Behind The Scenes

Rian Johnson is credited as the show’s creator and writes and directs a number of episodes but there are a number of writers and directors who work on the show.

Does It Work?

Poker Face is great television – not perhaps like Succession or Better Call Saul – but in an immensely enjoyable episodic TV made by talented people to a high standard. Each episode is different and often they focus on different things – not simply how was the murder done, in one episode the writing of a song is as much as a mystery as the murder. The show does a lot to play with your expectations – people we assume to be villains aren’t and people we assume to be nice are shown to be deadly. People are complicated and Charlie often makes friends not just with the victim or the wrongfully accused but the murderers themselves, there are no caricatures of bad people who are thoroughly unpleasant.

Natasha Lyonne is fantastic and you feel like you could watch her for hours just chatting to people. Unsurprisingly, for someone who can tell when people are lying, Charlie has a cynical aspect to her, yet will repeatedly put herself in harm’s way to help others but Lyonne is only the best part of a great show.

Rating: (4 / 5)

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Today, we will analyse the common elements of murder mystery films, how the genre has changed over time, how the detective archetype has contributed to the genre’s popularity, and provide you with some great mystery films to watch.

Making A Murder Mystery

Generally, a murder mystery focuses on the investigation of a murder/series of murders, committed during the opening act. A detective (professional/private/amateur), or someone else, will try to solve the case. Throughout the story evidence about the killer’s motives and identity is compiled through crime scene examinations and hearing testimony from the supporting cast, (with several red-herrings trying to fool the audience). The film will end with the killer’s/killers’ identity being revealed. Chiefly the genre invites audiences to guess the murderer’s identity, using the evidence before the reveal.

The Little Things

Despite the genre’s common narrative elements still being prominent, not everything remains the same. The murder mystery formula has been used to tell many different stories in different styles since its inception. From period adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie’s work to seedy film noirs, fluffy comedic capers, spectacular action thrillers, disgusting horror thrillers, giallos, and more. It’s a genre that has proven it can be used to tell any story. 

And the genre has continually updated itself. Not just by using increasingly modern crime-solving techniques and technology in their stories, but also by changing its attitudes and content. For example, after the release of Psycho, based on Ed Gein’s crimes, the genre began to further explore the killer’s mindset and the impact of their crimes. This, coupled with censorship relaxation, led to a greater emphasis on violence, sex, and psychological analysis. Making the genre feel more true to life. The genre has equally been willing to critique and break its own rules. Sometimes films will have the killer not be caught or identified and even the detectives have been shown as villainous or corrupt, again making the genre feel more real.

This infinite malleability with such a simple formula allows creatives a huge canvas to play with. And it gives audiences something comfortably familiar but never wholly the same. It’s easy to understand why the genre has stuck around. 

Poirot to Blanc

Interestingly the new wave of cinematic whodunit’s use of the detective exemplifies the genre’s comforting familiarity while also being modern in its implementation.

Investigators like Hercule Poirot (Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022)), Benoit Blanc (Knives Out), and Inspector Stoppard (See How They Run) feel like classic gentlemen sleuths and hard-boiled detectives. They have their familiar attitudes, as well as the star power expected from the genre. Kenneth Branagh, Daniel Craig, and Sam Rockwell play each character respectively. And they serve as our good-humoured guides through the investigation. Allowing us to not become overwhelmed by the murder’s morbidity.

But these figures also offer a lot to modern audiences. Poirot and Blanc offer an authoritative figure not tied in with the bad practices of the police. Which has received understandable derision lately. They are also a lot more sympathetic when listening to the perspectives of suspects. For example, Blanc ultimately helps Marta to prove her innocence. Both offer relief from concerns about policing. And while Stoppard is a police detective his surly nature shows that this life is not a happy one. Thus some can argue acting as a critique of the detective role.

Ultimately the use of familiar genre staples for whodunit detectives allows audiences to easily become invested with the mystery. But they can also serve as a great springboard to tackle many different questions about our relationship with the law. Thus giving audiences more to engage with.

And Then There Were Many

To conclude our look into the murder mystery genre here are some great examples for you to watch:

Historical: The Hound of The Baskervilles (1939)

Contemporary: Knives Out

Noir: The Third Man

Neo-Noir: Memento

Giallo: Don’t Torture A Duckling

True Crime: Zodiac

Also Read: Seven Creative Movies Dealing With Memory Loss

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