In for a Murder (2021) User Reviews

Not Sherlock Holmes

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 8 November 2021]

But who is, am I right? That aside, if you are into crime and whodunnit movies ... trying to figure out, what happened, who is the culprit and actually guilty ... well you are in for a treat with this movie. It's not great but it is funny and light overall. And it has quite the charismatic lead character.

Of course you may feel different about her, but overall I think most will take a liking to her. That being said, if you find her annoying, the movie won't work either. Her character is meant to be a certain way - all in the name of entertainment and fun of course. Not great by any account, but fun if you let it be.

Jacques Clouseau mixes with Shirley Valentine .....

[THEgongoozler · 6/10 · 14 December 2021]

This is Polish version of Pink Panther series in the 60s and 70s, in a nostalgic way. In W JAK MORDERSTWO (2021), the police officer is the replica of Jacques Clouseau. However, he is just the appearance of Jacques Clouseau. The real, inner part of Jacques Clouseau is our heroine here. (It's obvious. The clue? The ringtone of her phone is, yes, Pink Panther's theme.)

What's more interesting about this movie is that the protagonist is more than the nosy, slipshod, kindhearted inspector in Pink Panther. She is actually the fragile girl (in the form of a wife/mother) in SHIRLEY VALENTINE (1989). Being mistreated by people around her, she propels herself in search for redemption of her life. From this angle, WJM is bittersweet, uplifting, as well as entertaining.

The music department has done an excellent job. Whoever responsible is wonderfully Henry Mancini-an. Great to listen to his style of music in modern day cinema after he perished a quarter of century ago.

Murder in a small town.

[hof-4 · 6/10 · 23 October 2021]

Scenario: the town of Podkowa Lesna about 50 kilometers southwest of Warsaw. Characters: Magda, her husband Tomasz, Jacek (Magda's childhood sweetheart, now a police officer), Dr. Walczak (a veterinarian), Robert (a pnony clairvoyant and healer), etc. Plot: Magda takes her dog for a walk in a park and finds a body, A piece of jewelry (a W-shaped gold pendant) links the victim with Magda's best childhood friend Weronika, who disappeared without a trace 15 years ago.

For the rest of the movie Magda tries to solve the enigma with varying success, helped/hindered by Jacek, Robert, Dr. Walczak and other town characters. At the end, everything falls into place like in an Agatha Christie novel. A subplot (which also finds solution at the end) is Magda's relation with her cold, borderline abuser husband.

I liked this movie. Production values are high including music (which quotes several times Bernard Herrmann's themes for Hitchcock). Acting is good all around (not unusual in Polish movies). Anna Smolowik playing Magda carries the movie (she is in almost every scene) with the help of her considerable charisma. Credibility is strained here and there and some comedy sequences (including a little slapstick) are perhaps not as funny as they should be but the result is an entertaining movie, well worth watching.

Light hearted and mindless entertainment

[qui_j · 4/10 · 1 November 2021]

Don't expect too much from this movie as the plot unfolds in a very incoherent manner. The scenes do not necessarily have much continuity and often come across as unlinked. The events happen as if there is a time limit deadline to meet and it all appears very rushed at the end. Beautiful garden sets but a very weak story!

Most enjoyable

[denise-882-139023 · 7/10 · 23 October 2021]

Magda, downtrodden housewife, nursing a sorrow from the past (her best friend from high school, Weronica, has been missing for 15years), discovers a murder victim while walking the dog.

Another school friend, Jacek, is the detective in charge of solving the murder.

All sounding a bit dark?

Well the film actually is quite quirky and takes on an Agatha Christie type feel. Magda becomes the amateur sleuth and Jacek is more of an inspector Clouseau, even though it is Magda who has the Pink Panther ringtone.

The pace keeps up and you really do like Magda and Jacek and the situations they find themselves in make you laugh.

It is an enjoyable film that makes you smile.

the music score misleads you

[abwetman-1-817328 · 5/10 · 24 October 2021]

This a murder mystery but is scored as a horror film so many scenes dont feel right. Music is a directors' shorthand to tell you how to feel.

This otherwise a bit of fun.

It's fluff, nothing more. Doesn't make it bad though

[thanyakarthik · 7/10 · 18 November 2021]

It's not an actual thriller so don't go in expecting an underdog mum who uses her senses to solve a mystery or even a serious story at that. It's an art house cosy movie with quirky characters and the semblance of a mystery, which is not so much the centre of the story but a plot device for the characters and for us the audience to get to know them better. It's the kind of movie you put on when it's sunny and you've just had too much food. If you're even a minor bit interested in watching something serious, I wouldn't recommend this and instead ask you to go for some proper action/thriller instead.

Nothing Much to Talk About

[albertval-69560 · 5/10 · 14 March 2022]

It tries hard to be a respectable thriller with comedy on the side but it simply doesn't click. It is content to tell a story without much ado.

The actors are just right for their assigned roles, nothing exceptional here.

If you're an avid traveler, scenes of Podkowa Lesna, a few miles west of Warsaw, could be interesting.

Fun movie, great music

[davidfsmithco · 7/10 · 27 October 2021]

Extraordinary musical score, almost as good as Vertigo and somewhat similar in fact. Simple plot, decent acting, but the music made it for me. Disagree with earlier review that music suggested a horror film. Enjoy!

Murder in small town

[anukc-61394 · 9 July 2022]

Fun, and subtly very good. Acting is quite good - they act with their faces and their bodies - quite expressive in an impressive way. Thoroughly enjoyed this movie nice direction.

Female Pink Panther Wannabe

[iquine · 2/10 · 21 January 2022]

Palm in face was a frequent gesture I made while watching this movie. A lady is murdered in a sleepy little town and a local housewife, an avid detective novel reader, invites herself along with the lead detective and starts to quickly outsmart him. Yah, it's one of those movies. It is a light-weight detective comedy with lame dry humor with a terrible and uneven music score coupled with awkward editing and pacing. If you have any experience watching more meaty crime-based movies or even television shows, you'll hate this. I saved you the trouble of watching this so don't do it!

Really pleasant to watch

[mrrcave · 8/10 · 9 November 2021]

A sort of combination between Miss Marple and Mrs Pepperpot. A beautifully shot and easy going film that parodies a little. The lead lady was the main star and deservedly so - playing the part beautifully.

Worth watching in anyone's book who likes proper films.

It's simple and enjoyable.

[geethugeorge · 7/10 · 9 November 2021]

I don't know why it's rated 5. But it's a simple fun and enjoyable movie. I didn't feel bored even once. The plot is predictable but still definitely watchable.

Amateur

[nurieidrizi · 1/10 · 5 March 2022]

This movie is simply amateur and one of the worst movies I have ever seen It has bad acting, bad directing, bad costumography, bad music and bad editing.

Totally a waste of time.

The only thing I enjoyed watching was the city of Podkowa Lesna which seems a very nice and vibrant town. I'd love to visit.

POOR MOVIE

[sunildaswaney-63642 · 3/10 · 14 January 2022]

The translation of the name of this Polish movie is "In for a Murder" Although this film had a good script,every department was very very poorly handled,be it the acting,direction,screenplay or editing.

3/10.

Delightful Murder Mystery

[mjswifirr · 7/10 · 6 April 2023]

Such a fun little movie, with the potential for a continuing series. I'd watch it.

An ensemble of interesting characters, a little awkward & clumsy & heartwarming, but all intelligent with quirky (but not silly) personalities. Lovely nostalgic settings; one of those inviting little villages, perfect for bicycle riding, in which I'd like to live. Interesting camera angles. A joy to watch.

What struck me the most was the very familiar, haunting music. Not sure where I've heard it, but seems most likely from poignant Hitchcock scenes. I'd watch again just to enjoy the feelings engendered by the soundtrack. I'll be researching to see if I can locate the original source.

This is not a masterpiece, but it's the perfect little movie for a rainy Saturday or Sunday afternoon. You won't regret it.

Just could not finish

[Dave-Buffalo · 5/10 · 19 March 2024]

Maybe it's not fair for me to write a review, because I couldn't even finish this movie.

I don't write many reviews, and I almost never NEVER give up on a movie less than halfway through but that's what I did here.

Maybe it was the poor translation from Polish into English or just a different cultural dialog between Poland and USA where I am, but I just really couldn't get into this movie. I am usually a sucker for any and all Murder Mysteries, but not this one.

I had never heard of the movie when I added it to my Netflix queue (March, 2024), so I watched it based on all the positive reviews here on IMDB.

Yet the rating is currently 5.5/10. A vast majority of the reviews are glowingly positive. I feel like I've been misled!

The movie is good for entertainment

[tariqma2002 · 6/10 · 29 October 2021]

I watched the movie and found it to be okay..I usually don't watch non-American movies..but I found it an amusing and funny movie and its events are unobtrusive..the scenery is interesting and the music is good..the movie is generally good for entertainment.

Rather watch paint dry

[d_penn · 1/10 · 31 December 2023]

Horrible, horrible movie. The dialogue was boring, which could have been overcome by some engaging characters, but the acting was bad. It was slow and the plot was too weak to overcome the rest of this movie's faults.

Plot full of holes. Complete waste of time. Only think positive about the movie is movie location is beautiful. The acting of that lady Magda is so irritating.. she behaves like a mental lady. I was just so bored of watching her face...

Probably one of the worst movies EVER...acting, setting, costume, photography.... ACTING.

Horrific. Really, really bad in every aspect. Just take a nap instead.

Hercule Poirot meets Mr. Bean

[philvickiw · 7/10 · 4 December 2021]

Slapstick whodunnit that rolls along with hilarity and hijinks. Even though there is a "plausible" storyline, one is never really interested in solving it, just going along for the ride. Cinematography is top notch, characters plausible and overall plot line doable. It is like watching a sitcom where you don't care what the "problem" is, just how the characters get to resolving it. Minus the laugh track. This is a foreign film dubbed over in English and this at times gets distracting.

A 5.1 is ridiculous. This is a charming movie.

[kuplerd · 8/10 · 5 November 2021]

It's a very well done "light" who-done-it that cleverly uses a number of conventions of Hollywood films of the fifties. The cinematography is excellent with some really beautifully constructed scenes. Anna Smolowik as Magda is wonderful as is Pavel Domagala (Jacek), Przemyslav Stippa (Tomasz) and the supporting cast. Congratulations to the entire team that brought this entertaining and well-crafted film to Netflix!

Something fun and easy to just turn off your brain

[redsox1253 · 7/10 · 2 November 2021]

It's an enjoyable film and easy to just relax and watch even if it's on in the background. Not every movie needs to some sort of best picture nominee and is just made for pure entertainment and I personally feel this one is it. That is if you count yourself as someone who just enjoys films for being films.

Wonderful mix

[zdarov · 7/10 · 7 February 2024]

Other reviews (those with 6 stars and above) have already done a good job of explaining what's going on here. I too would like to see more movies like this made. I thought the acting was good, the story just interesting enough without adding so much detail that you get lost. A little romance, a lot of friendship. No one being very ugly. I'm a huge mystery fan - books and movies and shows. Most mystery fans would enjoy the light treatment and the acting. And the scenery of course! I loved getting some exposure to Polish society, and their humor and their actors. Thanks Netflix, keep doing these productions in other countries, so many have been good. It's great to step out of so much America-centric media.

Great mix of comedy and murder mystery !

[lucienm-60321 · 8/10 · 10 November 2021]

Enjoyed this movie with good comedy mixed with a murder investigation !

Great casting !

Got to love the movie locations with beautiful old world homes and gardens !

Light comedy, cutely played

[cix_one · 8/10 · 22 November 2021]

I can't believe all the negative ratings. This is *not* a whodunnit people, it's more in the vein of The Pink Panther than Murder She Wrote. If the ringtone didn't clue you in, you're perhaps not as good as you think at "finding clues"...

Now, that you'll be coming to the movie with the right expectations, you will be in a position to savor the humor and social satire. And you'll also be in a better position to kick back and enjoy the acting in this light and refreshing comedy.