Clue

PLOT:

In 1954, against a backdrop of McCarthyism, six strangers are invited to a party in a secluded New England mansion. They are met by the house butler, Wadsworth (Tim Curry), who reminds them each that they have been given pseudonyms to protect their true identity. After dinner, Wadsworth reveals the true nature of the party: each of the guests have been blackmailed by Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving) to hide their secrets. Mr. Green (Michael McKean) is a gay employee of the State Department, which if revealed will cost him his job. Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan) is the wife of a politician who has been accepting bribes for her husband. Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd) is a psychiatrist who has committed adultery with his female patients. Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren) operates an illegal Washington, D.C. bordello. Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull) has been stealing components from military aircraft to sell on the black market. Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn) has had several husbands that have mysteriously died or disappeared, leaving their fortunes to her. Wadsworth reveals he has also been blackmailed to keep secret that his wife has many socialist friends. Wadsworth reveals that he has gathered all the guests together to confront Mr. Boddy (who is due to arrive shortly) and turn him over the police.

When Mr. Boddy arrives and realizes the setup, he reminds the guests that he can reveal their secrets in police custody and offers them an alternative proposition: by using weapons that he has provided to each of them, they can kill Wadsworth and destroy the evidence, keeping their secrets safe while he continues to blackmail them. Mr. Boddy turns out the lights in the room, creating a moment of chaos, and when they are brought back up, Mr. Boddy is dead. The guests all quickly deny killing him. Wadsworth and the guests try to deduce who killed Mr. Boddy by exploring the house. During their slapstick explorations, the cook (Kellye Nakahara) and the maid Yvette (Colleen Camp) are also murdered, along with three others that visit the house during their investigation: a stranded motorist (Jeffrey Kramer), a police officer looking for the motorist (Bill Henderson), and a singing telegram girl (Jane Wiedlin).

Wadsworth comes to the conclusion that he knows who the murderer is, and runs through a frantic re-enactment of the entire evening with the guests in tow. Wadsworth points out that the victims in the other murders were tied to the secrets of the guests. In preparation to reveal the murderer of Mr. Boddy, Wadsworth turns off the electricity to the house. At this point, the story proceeds to one of three endings: A, B, or C. In the film’s initial theatrical run, some theaters announced which ending the viewer would see. In the home video release, the three endings are shown sequentially, with the first two characterized as possible endings, but ending C being the true one.

Ending A

Miss Scarlett is the true culprit, having used her former call-girl Yvette to murder Mr. Boddy and the cook, while she herself killed the others to keep her true business of “secrets extortion” safe, planning on using the information learned tonight for her own benefit. Wadsworth reveals himself to be an FBI agent and arrests Miss Scarlett as police secure the house.

Ending B

Mrs. Peacock is revealed as the murderer of all the victims, and escapes after holding the others at gunpoint. However, Wadsworth reveals himself as an FBI agent with the night set up to spy on Mrs. Peacock’s activities, believing her to be taking bribes by foreign powers, and the police quickly capture her as she flees.

Ending C

It is revealed that no one person committed all of the murders. Professor Plum killed Mr. Boddy, Mrs. Peacock killed the cook, Colonel Mustard killed the motorist, Ms, Scarlett killed the cop, Mrs. White killed Yvette, and singing telegram was killed by Wadsworth. It is revealed that he is really Mr. Boddy, and that the man that was killed was his own butler. Wadsworth had brought the other victims (his accomplices in the blackmail scheme) to the house to be killed by the guests, and thus plans to continue to extort his blackmail scheme over them. Mr. Green then reveals himself as an FBI agent and shoots Wadsworth; as police raid the house, the other guests are arrested for murder.

REVIEW: 

Having never played the classic board game, I’m not familiar with the characters or the plot of the source material. Being the over-analytical mind that I am, I think I was just overthinking things as it appears no prior knowledge of these characters is needed.

Each of the characters is well developed and introduced in such a way so that anyone can keep track of all the players, as long as the viewer pays attention at the beginning of the film and doesn’t get lost as the film progresses.

As a murder mystery, this is actually quite good. Although it is a comedy, it delivers on all fronts…comedy, suspense/horror, satire, etc. Audiences of all ages will be thoroughly entertained, I know I was.

4 out of 5 stars