Her Alibi

Details

It is four years since Philip Blackwood's film critic wife left him and his last successful mystery novel, Death of a Critic, was published. Now he is struggling with an extended case of writer's block and his publishers are becoming impatient. Desperate for inspiration, he heads for the local courtroom, where he meets a group of like-minded novelists also searching for their next idea.

There he witnesses the trial of a beautiful young Romanian woman accused of murder and, sensing that she is innocent, offers her an alibi. He claims that she was having an affair with him and was at his home at the time of the killing. With no reason to doubt his story, the police release her into his care, although Philip knows virtually nothing about her or her past.

Did Nina really attempt to poison Philip and his guests at dinner? Was the incident with the bow and arrow merely an accident? And why is she such a dab hand with a carving knife? As Philip's suspicions grow, his paranoia provides all the inspiration he needs and his new novel begins to flow better than anything he has written in years.

Picture & Sound

The picture quality is only average and suffers from a fair amount of grain throughout the film. There are also occasional marks and imperfections on the print, although the image remains reasonably bright and the colours are generally pleasing. Despite its shortcomings, it is still a considerable improvement over the VHS release.

The soundtrack is presented in basic stereo, but this is more than sufficient for a dialogue-driven romantic comedy. Speech is clear and Georges Delerue's score is reproduced well, although there is little here to give your speakers anything particularly demanding to do.

Menu & Extras

This is an early Warner DVD release and, unlike another of the studio's early titles, Beetlejuice, there are no extras whatsoever - a bit like an early Region 2 disc really! The static menu is equally basic, but don't let that spoil what is otherwise a hilarious romantic comedy.

Overall

This film is really, really funny, with the poisoning incident and a slight problem involving a bow and arrow causing me to nearly split my sides with laughter. Tom Selleck is perfectly cast as Philip, whose growing paranoia and increasingly frantic attempts at self-preservation provide many of the film's best moments.

Paulina Porizkova gives Nina just the right mixture of innocence, mystery and danger, leaving both Philip and the viewer wondering whether she is a misunderstood young woman or a calculating murderer. William Daniels is also excellent as Philip's publisher and confidant, while the quick one-liners from Philip's family add another welcome layer of humour.

There is enough intrigue to keep you guessing for quite a while, but it is the comedy and the easy chemistry between the leading pair that make the film so enjoyable. It may not be particularly sophisticated and the DVD itself is painfully basic, but Her Alibi remains a hugely entertaining and sadly overlooked romantic comedy. Recommended.

Special features

• None