TROUBLED WATERS is certainly one of the finest of the COLUMBO episodes from the 1970s, a story in which a change of venue breathes new life into the story format. The story goes that Columbo and his wife (who remains unseen) take a cruise ship voyage to Acapulco, where Columbo becomes involved with the murder of a singer that's taken place on board.
This is a snappy mystery, with a simple execution and involving denouement. Falk gives one of the finest performances yet as the likable and dogged detective and there's plenty of 'fish out of water' humour to get you liking him. Robert Vaughn is always reliable and that's no different here, and the excellent supporting cast incorporates the likes of Patrick Macnee and Dean Stockwell. I've always enjoyed thrillers and mysteries that take place on moving vehicles in which the passengers are trapped on board and TROUBLED WATERS carries on that fine tradition.
This is a snappy mystery, with a simple execution and involving denouement. Falk gives one of the finest performances yet as the likable and dogged detective and there's plenty of 'fish out of water' humour to get you liking him. Robert Vaughn is always reliable and that's no different here, and the excellent supporting cast incorporates the likes of Patrick Macnee and Dean Stockwell. I've always enjoyed thrillers and mysteries that take place on moving vehicles in which the passengers are trapped on board and TROUBLED WATERS carries on that fine tradition.