Reviews

Unlike the other reviewers, I have never read the book this episode is based on. But I have seen quite a lot of detective shows, and I would argue that this is a good one. The detectives' lives and personalities are put second to the central mystery, but they provide an engaging background to the main plot. The acting, by the leads and the many familiar-faced guest stars, is excellent.

The solution to any mystery, in my opinion, should be two things: surprising and believable. Many detective shows try so hard to shock the audience that they fail to make the solution at all plausible. Too often the murderer's motive is outrageous or based on some vague aphorism like "a person in love will do anything" or "people would do anything for money." The motives in "Well Schooled in Murder" are much more complex, and much more involving, and the film has a strong social message as well. In short, this mystery does what it ought to do, and does it with style. Recommended.

Brilliant book with wonderful characterizations and insights into human nature, particularly the nature of addiction, which still resonate strongly today.

As for the movie... eh. Nothing special. The cameraman clearly had an unfortunate addiction to circling and circling and CIRCLING around everything, making the viewer quite nauseous. Why the director didn't put a stop to this is beyond me--but maybe he was too busy trying, and somehow failing, to draw good performances from these normally excellent but inappropriately-cast actors. All in all, a weak adaptation. Your three hours would be better spent reading (or re-reading) the book.

I just saw the last two-thirds of this movie on TV, and was very impressed by it. I'm not fond of Civil War movies in general, because they are bound to be very sad. This movie fulfills that promise, but nonetheless I found myself liking it a lot. The Class of '61 succeeds in humanizing both sides of that terrible war, by giving you characters on both sides to root for. Rather than rooting for the North or the South, you instead find yourself rooting desperately for peace so the lives of the men and women involved will not be destroyed. Though many important issues are involved in the plot, the movie is about the characters, not about the issues. The acting is superb, especially for a TV movie. The relationship between Shelby, a southern gentleman, and Lucius, his friend and slave, is particularly compelling. This movie, on the whole, is very worth watching despite its inevitably depressing end.