By an anonymous invitation six strangers are gathered to a stately home staffed by mysterious people. Before long someone is dead and those left must try to track down the killer before the Police arrive. Yet it seems everyone harbours a deep secret, so who can tell whodunnit?

Clue (1985) – Director: Jonathan Lynn

By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2178072

Rating: PG

Running Length: 94 mins

Starring: Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn

Genres: Mystery, Comedy, Crime

REVIEW: ‘CLUE’

A board game may not seem like the place to mine movie ideas, but somehow back in 1985 they managed it. ‘Clue’ (set in the 1950s) is a black-comedy with a highly novel ending strategy that provides multiple options. Who did it? Well, getting to that point is where the fun lies.

Tim Curry as Wadsworth the butler plays the role with his unique relish, once again begging the question as to why he hasn’t had more leading roles. Even with his presence ‘Clue’ takes a while to roll its dice. The general silence in the opening scenes make it difficult for the comedy to get going as the gathered guests to this mysterious mansion awkwardly get to know each other.

Where ‘Clue’ excels is how it pumps up the energy both in camera and with its characters. Madeline Khan’s slightly deranged delivery means that her Mrs. White grabs some scene stealing moments (“Flames! On the side of my face!”) The murder mystery element is more fun to see play out than to learn why, especially considering the notorious multiple endings that change the motivations each time. Yet watching three different endings back to back also feels like its playing out every angle which is fun in its own way.

On the home release though all three endings are presented one after the other, with the last one presented as the ‘true’ ending. Regardless of how things actually wrap up, there is plenty of room for hysterics in each circumstance and their cumulative effect make for even more laughs.

‘Clue’ pushes the pieces of great performances around some good old slapstick and a decent serving of scripted jokes. It has rightly gained a cult following since release, so why not get the board out for a game?

CONTENT: IS ‘CLUE’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Dogs have been left chained up out in the rain.

Professor Plum helps Mrs Scarlett as her car has broken down, but once they get to the house and stand under an umbrella his hand slides down her back and squeezes her bottom. His attention is unwanted but the door opens before she can say anything.

Shark’s Fin soup is served. No-one mentions anything about animal cruelty with this dish.

Yvette the maid wears a very low cut ‘sexy’ maid’ outfit. Virtually all the male characters enjoy looking down her top, especially when she leans between them to serve food.

Mr Boddy leers at Yvette and says “We know each other, don’t we,” before lifting up her skirt briefly. She pulls away.

Mr Boddy tries to escape the house. When he runs into the conservatory the dogs from earlier jump up outside and bark aggressively in a jump scare moment.

A scene reveals things that all the characters are being blackmailed for. Of one character it is stated, “You know what doctor’s aren’t allowed to do with their lady patients? Well, he did.” Another remarks, “Oh, how disgusting.”

One woman describes her profession as, “I run a specialised hotel and telephone service to provide gentlemen with the company of a young lady for a short while.”

Mrs White talks about how one of her husbands were killed. She says, “His head had been cut off as well as his…you know,” whilst looking downwards.

One character states that they are gay. Someone responds by tutting disapprovingly and another gets up and moves away from them.

A mild swear word is used before a character is kneed in the groin.

After discovering a body, one character becomes hysterical. They are slapped hard by another who states that the screaming had to be stopped.

One character is briefly emotional whilst describing how their spouse “decided to end [their] life”. Later the word ‘suicide’ is also used.

One character falls out of the kitchen pantry with a knife stuck in their back, dead. As this character was quite a large person, the person the body falls onto is unable to take their weight. Throughout the movie there will be several times when this body needs to be moved and each time the weight of the deceased is played as a joke.

Whilst looking at salacious pictures one female character exclaims, “No-one can get into THAT position,” whilst a male character responds, “Sure they can” and starts to move the woman onto the chair and bend her before she spits out for him to get off of her.

As a door is opened the body of another slumps forwards with arms outstretched which land on the shoulders of the person who opened the door who screams. The deceased has blood over their face and as the other character falls back it briefly looks as if the dead character is walking or otherwise attacking.

Visitors arrive at the house. Later, one is lethally struck with the wrench from behind, whilst another is also fatally struck with the lead pipe. There is very little blood for either and both moments are over quickly. Another is shot with the pistol but no blood is seen nor is there any suffering.

In order to maintain the illusion that nothing is wrong in front of visitors, the various bodies are posed to look alive, One set up makes it appear as if the corpse is kissing one of the live characters.

One character describes how someone “knows every inch of [their] body,” before a noose is thrown over their neck and there is a brief shot of them being choked to death which lasts around 5 seconds.

As it is described what might have happened, one character re-enacts all the murders with high energy in a comedic scene.

Someone is shot suddenly. They hold their hand to the wound and it comes away bloody. “Oh, good shot!” they remark, before slumping.

Someone remarks to the character who previous stated that they were gay that, “I thought men like you were usually called a fruit”

CAN I SEE A CLIP?