Murder at 1600 (1997) User Reviews

You were born to become a chalk outline.

[lastliberal-853-253708 · 6/10 · 4 February 2012]

I like Wesley Snipes in just about everything he has been in. I am not talking Academy Award stuff here, but just enjoyable action fare that will pass the time without making you groan.

New Jack City, Passenger 57, Rising Sun, Demolition Man, Blade I, II, III, U.S. Marshalls, and this one all provide action and entertainment. That's what we watch movies for, isn't it? The story about a conspiracy to get rid of a President (Ronnie Cox) who is not a right-wing nut job like Alan Alda is interesting, and there are interesting characters along the way like Diane Lane (Unfaithful, The Perfect Storm), Daniel Benzali ("Murder One"), and Dennis Miller (Bordello of Blood).

You won't go wrong here as Snipes shows the best character yet.

By the numbers thriller

[cardsrock · 6/10 · 4 July 2020]

Wesley Snipes is his reliably charismatic self in this average crime thriller set around a murder in the White House. I feel like this had more potential, but unfortunately it settles for being being just okay. It has its moments, but is for the most part a pretty cliched and formulaic thriller.

Adequate thriller

[xredgarnetx · 7/10 · 16 September 2007]

MURDER AT 1600 came near the end of Wesley Snipes' theatrical career, before he went STV, and it is a decent-enough, Canadian-lensed thriller about the discovery of a young woman's brutally murdered body in the White House. Could the president's bully of a son (Tate Donovan) have killed her? Or are there more sinister forces at work here? For better or worse, the identity of the killer is made plain just past the halfway mark. But that doesn't mean you can't go along for the ride as shadowy assassins try to keep Snipes, as a D.C. detective, and Diane Lane, as a sympathetic Secret Service agent, from uncovering the truth. Snipes is in tip top shape here and is surrounded by several great character actors: Ronny Cox as the president, Harris Yulin as a hawkish general and Alan Alda as a presidential adviser. Daniel Benzali, who some of you might remember from a short-lived TV crime show some years ago, is on hand as a senior Secret Service agent and Dennis Miller has a small role as a fellow D.C. detective. While MURDER AT 1600 is not a first-rate action film -- for one thing, it is chock full of tired plot devices -- it is certainly watchable. And it beats anything Snipes has done since going STV.

An intriguing premise.

[Hermit C-2 · 7/10 · 27 August 1999]

When it comes to thrillers I usually find that smaller is better. I almost always enjoy the small independent films with the second- and third-levels stars rather than the big Hollywood productions made with the A-team that cater to a broader public taste. But when your thriller is set at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the District of Columbia, it's awfully hard for a low-budget production to pull it off credibly. Besides, I'm interested in the presidency and like films that purport to give you a behind-the-scenes look, even if it is fictional, so I gave 'Murder at 1600' a chance.

Of course, if the movie is going to be longer than 15 minutes, you have to allow it some license. A lot of its success is based on how much you're willing to let go without saying, "Wait a minute!" A lot, too, depends on the cast and Wesley Snipes is a likable enough actor. Diane Lane is a big plus here as the Secret Service agent who works with him. They have a typical rocky relationship, but it's enjoyable. Daniel Benzali is ominous as the head of Secret Service. Snipes asks him what it would take for him to see some White House records and Benzali dryly answers, "Oh, not much. Just an act of Congress." Other veterans in the cast include Alan Alda, Ronny Cox and Harris Yulin. Bigger wasn't necessarily better this time but it was good enough.

Oldie But Goodie

[gpxdlr · 6/10 · 20 December 2019]

Fun movie, 22 years old! ignore plot holes. Wesley & Diane good in their day(s). Both made good enjoyable films. Too bad Wesley didn't want to pay the IRS it's due. Goofs Section lists many MINOR oops that didn't bother me. Like this anyway.

Right Off The Hollywood Assembly Line

[Lechuguilla · 2 September 2007]

At least the whodunit puzzle left me guessing. But that's the only redeeming quality of this pretentious mystery, set at the White House. A lone, good guy cop (played by Wesley Snipes) goes up against the rich and powerful. Our hero fights the bullies and the bad guys with courage and daring. It's a tired, stale concept.

The story is chock-full of pretentious, self-important, irritatingly hip characters, most of them conveniently photogenic. The plot contains lots of chases and some fight scenes. It also contains the obligatory in-your-face news media frenzy, and other tiresome film clichés. The dialogue is banal. Example: "Section 6 secure"; "Go. Freeze!". The film's ending is unimaginative and trite.

Color cinematography is adequate, if conventional. Production design is detailed and quite convincing. Acting is average. The nondescript background music is very manipulative.

"Murder At 1600" comes across as your typical big-budget, high profile film right off the Hollywood assembly line. It's got visual pizazz and lots of "action". But the story lacks substance and depth, the characters are stereotyped, and the dialogue is vapid. It's just one more example of how Hollywood throws production megabucks as substandard screenplays.

Very Good Film, That Has A Great Cast, And A Good Story, With A Cool Twist At The End!, Wesley Snipes And Diane Lane Were Awesome Together!

[callanvass · 7/10 · 21 October 2005]

This is a very good film, that has a great cast, and a good story, with a cool twist ending, Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane were awesome together!. All the characters are great, and it has some good action scenes as well, plus Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane are simply amazing in this!. Alan Alda is fantastic in his role, and i thought the finale was excellent!, plus Snipes and Lane had fantastic chemistry together in my opinion!. For the most part it's unpredictable, and while a lot of people may have figured out the murder at the end, i sure didn't!, plus i thought Snipe's acting was fantastic!. The opening is quite disturbing,but funny at the same time and Daniel Benzali gives a memorable performance as Spikings!, plus it's suspenseful at times as well!. Ronny Cox is great as the president, and while the film may not be all that original, it's still pretty entertaining to watch!, plus The ending was very amusing!. This is a very good film, that has a great cast, and a good story, with a cool twist at the end, Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane were awesome together, highly recommended!. The Direction is very good. Dwight H. Little does a very good job here, with good camera work, great angles, and keeping the film at a fast pace!. The Acting is fantastic!. Wesley Snipes is amazing as always, and is amazing here, while his character was a tough guy, i found him to be likable, and often funny, he also had fantastic chemistry with Diane Lane, was fantastic in the acting department, as always, had a lot of charisma, he was amazing!. (Snipes Rules!!!!). Diane Lane is also amazing as always, and is incredibly gorgeous, she had fantastic chemistry with Snipes, was quite intense, and made what a little part she had, into an interesting one! (Lane Rules!!!!). Alan Alda is wonderful in his role here, he added a lot of class, had quite a presence, i just wished he had more screen time! (Alda Rules!!). Daniel Benzali is creepy as Spikings, and had an unpredictable character, i liked him. Dennis Miller does okay here surprisingly and wasn't that annoying!, go figure. Ronny Cox is awesome as the President, and also wished he had more screen time.Harris Yulin is okay here and nothing more Rest of the cast do fine. Overall highly recommended!. ***1/2 out of 5

One of Snipes More Intelligent Cop Movies

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 15 October 2020]

1997 gave us "Absolute Power" and "Murder at 1600." Both were mystery crime movies based in Washington, D.C. and centered around the President. "Absolute Power" gave us an old expert thief who'd witnessed a sex murder as our protagonist. He had to disclose the real criminal while dealing with a vicious Chief of Staff and loyal pit bull secret service agents.

Here, in "Murder at 1600," our protagonist is Detective Harlan Regis (Wesley Snipes) who's been dispatched to the White House for a murder of a woman who'd just had sex with the President's son. He has to find out who the murderer is while dealing with a surly security chief and loyal pit bull secret service agents. No crime committed at the White House is an ordinary crime and it goes doubly so for murder.

Regis is assigned a secret service liaison named Nina Chance (Diane Lane). Although her job is to ostensibly aid Regis, covering up the White House mess is more of a priority. Eventually, she has a moment of clarity and decides to truly help Regis.

This is one of the more intelligent cop movies Snipes has starred in. I'd put it on par with "Rising Sun" while I'd dismiss "Passenger 57," "Boiling Point," "Drop Zone," and "Money Train." Some of the misdirection in the movie was very see-through though it wasn't obvious who the killer was. There was some action and a lot of shots fired, but this wasn't your wanton action flick that heavily relied upon shooting, chases, and explosions. "Murder at 1600" was an adequate who-dun-it that I wouldn't mind watching on a lazy Saturday night.

Not Bad for a Friday Night at Home

[lawprof · 5/10 · 16 May 2003]

With improbability firmly anchored to impossibility, Honest Dedicated Cop meets Wacko National Security Flacks in "Murder at 1600". The viewer's time passes agreeably. No stress, no strain.

A young woman is found brutally slain in the White House. What else is new? There's no depth to this film, just some fast action and quick takes of D.C. scenery.

Wesley Snipes is a detective with steely resolve and an attitude. Diane Lane is a Secret Service agent, an Olympics gold medalist (not irrelevant to the plot). She's beautiful, very beautiful. They make a great team.

And Alan Alda - he's out of his usual acting persona here. See the film to find out how.

You have to totally suspend disbelief here and accept that not everyone in government is the best and the brightest. But Diane Lane is beautiful, very beautiful.

5/10 (a high rating for this kind of well-crafted but not exactly gripping drama). But Diane Lane is beautiful, very beautiful.

everything is going fine until the third act

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 4 April 2015]

Young White House staffer Carla Town is murdered in the White House. D.C. homicide Detective Regis (Wesley Snipes) is assigned the case. Secret Service Director Nick Spikings (Daniel Benzali) is resistant and assigns agent Nina Chance (Diane Lane) to handle Regis. Detective Stengel (Dennis Miller) is assisting. The janitor is set up as the initiate suspect while Regis catches an assailant bugging his home. Secret service is hiding the evidence and the girl's relationship with President Jack Neil (Ronny Cox)'s son Kyle (Tate Donovan). There is a North Korean hostage crisis and General Clark Tully (Harris Yulin) is pushing to act. Alvin Jordan (Alan Alda) is National Security Adviser and Kitty Neil (Diane Baker) is the first lady.

This starts off as a pretty interesting paranoid conspiracy thriller. Everybody is a suspect and there is lot of tension. Somewhere along the line, the movie goes over the top. It's probably when the DC cop investigating the White House murder becomes a wanted criminal without raising any flags. There are shootouts galore and I can't wrap my mind about how nobody could figure out something is going on. Then there is the secret tunnel into the White House. The movie pushes too far away from believability and it fizzles out. The explosive third act just feels weak, silly and formulaic.

Wow, Does This Deteriorate After A Good First Half

[ccthemovieman-1 · 4/10 · 19 February 2008]

The first hour of this movie was very entertaining, even if it did offer up the normal clichés of the day. It featured good suspense and a likable hero played by Wesley Snipes. I was really enjoying this, but - yes, but - the film goes right down the tubes in the last 40 minutes. The last 20 minutes will really have you cringing.

Not only does the story get convoluted, it loses all credibility. A murder at the White House and no FBI? That's just one of many loopholes. We wind up getting the same tired military-and U.S. government-are-the-bad guys bias that we've seen upteen times in the past 40 years. Hey, the film is entertaining but if you have a brain, you might have problems with this story.

By the way, any film that includes post-MASH Alan Alda or pre-9/11 Dennis Miller is usually pretty bad. We get both in this film.

The ending is so ludicrous, such an insult to anyone's intelligence, that is has to offend anyone, regardless of their political persuasion. This is one of the few films that ends so poorly that both Liberals and Conservatives would agree.

In fact, most people agreed that this film was great for the first half, horrible in the second and was filled with too many clichés that ruined a movie which good have been a good one. Another clue to what you have here is that this was directed by the same guy who did "Halloween 4" and "Free Willy 2."

No Hollywood stereotypes, at last

[Jack_Yan · 8/10 · 27 July 2000]

Murder at 1600 is an enjoyable thriller. There are some formula aspects as other reviewers have mentioned, but on the whole the plot – a murder within 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – leaves the viewer in some suspense. As a "whodunnit", the movie succeeds, and as for this reviewer, the murderer and the actual conspiracy isn't evident till near the end. Wayne Beach and the late David Hodgin create enough plot twists to keep most viewers guessing. Director Dwight Little keeps things tight and well-paced. There is a good sense of logic to Murder at 1600's execution.

It's arguably one of the best films Snipes has starred in. Known more for his tough-guy roles in Passenger 57 and Demolition Man, it's refreshing to see Snipes as a detective who relies more on thinking than weaponry. Revelations keep Snipes' character, Det Harlan Regis, pursuing new leads – just as any logical audience member would. Regis, a history buff who has recreated battles with miniature models in his living room and a well-respected detective, puts both his police training and interests to use. Beach and Hodgin have also humanized Regis: he is about to be evicted – a fact that is quickly introduced in the film's opening sequence – and he and his fellow tenants' problem is solved in a refreshing way.

Diane Lane plays a Secret Service agent, Nina Chance, who begins to suspect a cover-up at the White House and assists Regis. It's established early on that she brought home the gold in sharpshooting at the 1988 Olympics – and her skills are put to good use in several action scenes. Unlike most TV heroines, her aim doesn't get better as the ending nears. There's a welcome consistency that's seldom seen from Hollywood, where the hero often loses a fight at the beginning yet miraculously triumphs at the end. It's a real pleasure to see Lane back in a high-calibre film; for too long we've seen her in forgettable fare such as Judge Dredd and Knight Moves. Lane's acting ability should keep her in the limelight, one hopes – she is an actress who doesn't deserve to fade in her 40s. This will depend on whether the establishment will come to its senses about its ageist attitude toward actresses.

The cast is ably supported by the menacing Daniel Benzali; Alan Alda comes to Snipes's aid as the National Security Adviser to the President; Ronny Cox is a president in crisis as American troops are held hostage in North Korea; Tate Donovan as the president's playboy son. Every character, with the exception of Snipes's sidekick played by Dennis Miller, has a part to play in the plot; thanks to a better-than-usual casting job by the duo of Amanda Johnson and Cathy Sandrich (often good with mysteries) the roles are very well filled.

And refreshingly for Hollywood, we do not have a male European-American hero saving the day with his African-American sidekick. There have been enough biases against minorities in casting films. And there have also been enough films that take things too far the other way. The race issue is never played in this film: director Dwight Little treats each character as a regular person, just like in real life where the majority of us don't give an iota what colour or creed someone is.

Some parts of Christopher Young's score are not terribly fitting although on the whole he does a good job. Sound effects are well handled in this film as is the editing; both contribute well to the suspense and the mood. Steven Bernstein's photography cuts between the real and created White Houses well, and contributes well to the film's overall effect.

This is one of the best and most logical films that has come out of Hollywood for some time. It will not insult many viewers' intelligence for starters. While not 100 per cent original, it is a very well-made film that rests on a solid plot and direction.

On White House, all information are classified!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 25 July 2020]

Pretentious and shady premise about so implausible attempt to overthrow a democratic president over a military deadlock at North Korea about so robust American institution, a subjective crime committed at so sacred ground, as though were a banana's republic, nonetheless as fictional thriller works very well, displaying a clash of two opposite powers at White House, an overzealous security chief Spikings (Daniel Benzali) and the secretary of government Jordan (Alan Alda) who spent thirty years of the devoted works side by side with the president, many elements are introduce in the screenplay suggesting Spikings to cover up a supposedly president's affair or his playboy son, Jordan manages the highly regarded Detective Regis (Snipes) to fulfill his duty on the odd case of murder, in other hand Nina Chance (Diane Lane) from secret service was in charge to accompany the waspish detective Regis under order of Spikings, an engaging and non-stopping political thriller, reaching in a peak at underground sequence, also has many interesting info over so famous spot, with smallest details due it was a true sound stage's replica as never seen before, glad to see again the charming Diane Baker as President's lady, Benzali and Ronnie Cox are blameless in their characters, highly recommended just as entertainment, nothing more!!

Resume:

First watch: 1999 / How many: 3 / Source: Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 7

Kind of Fagged Out Mystery/Action Story.

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 9 August 2007]

Spoiler here. A beautiful young woman is found murdered in a bathroom at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. (That's the White House.) There is a jurisdictional dispute between the Washington, DC, police force, represented by Wesley Snipes, and the Secret Service, represented by Diane Lane. Before you know it, the pair overcome their natural rivalry and work together. That both are harassed and told to lay off by their superiors is by now a cliché.

Suspicion falls on the President's son. Too bad for the President (Ronnie Cox) because now he's got his jewels in a vice. The North Koreans are holding some American hostages, which the Prez wants to negotiate for. Standing against him and in favor of military force are some of the President's chiefs of staff and his adviser, Alan Alda. It is constantly asked of President Cox how, if he can't protect the people in his own residence, he can possibly protect the country? The words in this question make it sound like an insoluble dilemma, whereas the facts of the matter are probably that, yes, somebody can be slaughtered in the White House and the President can still do a good job of protecting the country, as long as he's not sabotaged by his subordinates. It's a kind of bumper-sticker question that, when examined, makes little sense, but to the appealing simplicity of which, many Americans seem attracted. Surrender is not an option, and all that.

Well, you ask, did the president's kid kill the beauty? It looks bad. The son admits he slept with her an hour before her death, and a condom has been found with his semen and her fingerprints on it. (Yukk.) However, as Snipes and Lane find out, the entire murder was a ploy to get the president to choose between saving his son by resigning or playing out a hand with no cards left in it. The President is only a few minutes away from announcing his resignation when the dynamic duo of Snipes and Lane, having squirmed their way through the White House maze of underground tunnels, show up and shout, "Mister President, your son is innocent and here is the evidence on this secret tape!" Alan Alda was behind the whole thing. He wanted to go in with Special Forces or whatever it took to free the hostages, so he had the woman murdered and the son framed. Informed of this plot, the President, no namby-pamby after all, socks Alda in the jaw and puts him under arrest.

It seems to me that the President himself, having been given information relevant to the murder and deliberately withholding it from the investigators is himself guilty of obstruction of justice, accessory after the fact, first degree broodiness, and parking in a handicapped zone. But no matter. We don't care if Presidents fail in every little observation of the law, as long as they keep their pants zipped. There's an intermediate heavy, a bald guy, whom I find always an irritation. He seems to enjoy being on camera too much. And he has this little shtick that he always does, looking humorless and speaking in a hoarse whisper, and that's that. You want to see what a real heavy can do with his role? Watch anything that John Glover is in.

It's an entertaining and distracting movie as long as you don't think about it too much. Action scenes with shoot outs alternate with a plot development filled with intrigue. But there's not much to distinguish this from a dozen other similar movies, except that this one has to do with a murder in the White House. It's as if somebody, maybe a teen-aged Mickey Rooney, suddenly brightened and said, "Let's have a murder mystery, only this one will be in the White House!"

Premise of entire movie wrong

[marknelson7 · 20 May 2002]

I could not get three things out of my head the entire time I watched this movie, therefore ruining it for me.

First, if a Federal employee is murdered on Federal property, it is a Federal crime, and therefore under the jurisdiction of the F.B.I., not the local city police department. This movie would have been much better if the FBI was in charge, and the local city cop, who had no business being there, had to fight against both the Secret Service and the FBI to obtain justice for the person being framed.

Second, the Secret Service agent assigned to help Regis did not realize the First Family was in the White House at the time of the murder until the movie was almost over. Give me a break! Any Secret Service agent assigned to the White House would know exactly where the President was at all times.

Third, what was the motivation of the assisting Secret Service agent to help Regis after she had been told to stop helping him? She stole evidence and killed several people without ever stating her reasons for doing so. How about a little love story at least to make her character somewhat interesting!

Also, it was too bad that Alan Alda's good name had to be soiled with such a bad movie. His character was the only one that was remotely interesting.

No Ordinary Murder, No Ordinary Crime Scene

[seymourblack-1 · 7/10 · 26 January 2014]

A brutal murder, a political conspiracy and an international hostage crisis are just a few of the ingredients of this movie which was based on the novel "Murder In The White House" by Margaret Truman (the daughter of President Harry S Truman). This entertaining murder mystery contains plenty of drama, action and interesting characters and a police investigation that quickly reveals the presence of a number of suspects, a potential sex scandal involving the President and his son and a great deal of interference from the White House Chief of Security.

Washington Homicide Detective Harlan Regis (Wesley Snipes) is called in to investigate after the dead body of an attractive secretary is found in a White House toilet cubicle. Carla Town (Mary Moore) had been stabbed to death and when Regis visits the crime scene, he quickly runs into problems with Security Chief Nick Spikings (Daniel Benzali) who claims that the crime took place outside Regis' jurisdiction. Spikings orders Regis to be removed from the premises and this is only prevented by the intervention of National Security Adviser Alvin Jordan (Alan Alda).

Spikings assigns Secret Service Agent Nina Chance (Diane Lane) to work with Regis and keep him informed of any developments. Chance is an ex-Olympic gold medal winning sharpshooter who is unenthusiastic about her assignment and initially conducts herself in a rather formal manner. When information comes to light about President Jack Neil (Ronny Cox) and his son Kyle (Tate Donovan) possibly having had intimate relationships with Carla Town, they both become potential suspects.

Things start to get more sinister when the Secret Service set up a White House janitor to be the fall guy for the murder and then bug Regis' apartment. Nina Chance's conscience makes her uncomfortable with being involved in an innocent man being imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and it's this development that gradually makes her start to warm to the task of actually helping Regis' investigation rather than hindering it. The events that follow show that the crime under investigation was no ordinary murder and was in fact, part of a complex political conspiracy.

Wesley Snipes displays his character's humour, attitude and determination very convincingly as he continues to pursue his investigation despite all the obstructions that are put in his way and also shows the personal qualities of a guy who's been fascinated by history from a very early age. Diane Lane gives a solid performance as Nina Chance whose demeanour changes as she gradually becomes more suspicious about some things that are going on and gradually buys into what Regis is trying to achieve. The entire cast is top class in this movie but Alan Alda and Daniel Benzali really stand out in their supporting roles as two men who are not as straight-forward as they originally appeared to be.

"Murder At 1600" is well directed by Dwight H Little who successfully generates a great deal of tension at times (e.g. the sequence in which Chance goes into a storage room where some important records are archived) and the ways in which the characters develop as the story unfolds is also particularly enjoyable to watch. This movie's combination of intrigue and action is tremendously entertaining and together with the quality of Wesley Snipes' performance was, no doubt, the reason why it became so successful at the box office.

Alright mystery thriller

[davispittman · 6/10 · 17 March 2016]

Murder at 1600 is an OK thriller film. The cast all does a pretty good job, especially Diane lane and Wesley snipes. Alan Alda also does a good sufficient job at portraying his role. The dialogue between characters is alright at best, nothing great, but nothing terrible either. The film does at least keep you guessing for the majority of the runtime. The mystery kinda builds as it goes, which is always fun. The mystery isn't the greatest one ever to be in a movie, but it is interesting to see how it all comes and works together to see who is behind everything and why in the end. The action scenes (shooting, punching, etc.) were pretty fun of the mill action sequences. That's not bad necessarily, just would've liked to have seen something a little different from the usual. 6/10 overall.

Good Action/Thriller

[mjw2305 · 6/10 · 13 October 2007]

Harlan Regis (Wesley Snipes) is a homicide cop, Nina Chance (Diane Lane) is a secret service agent; when a murdered victim is found in the white house they are left trying to piece together the real truth behind the murder, finding plenty of smoke and mirrors that are trying to disguise the truth.

Murder at 1600 is a good solid thriller, with an interesting premise and a strong cast, and even though its an enjoyable ride; it somehow seems to captivate less than it really should. Its still a good way to spend a few hours, but you'll find less here than initially meets the eye.

6/10

Snipes is great, but what starts as a fine political thriller just ends up with explosions, grunting fights and snipers

[Terrell-4 · 7/10 · 8 December 2008]

Murder at 1600 starts with all the clever thriller set-ups and intriguing plot grabbers of slick Hollywood at its best. It ends with all the pointless, cliché-ridden thriller hokum of slick Hollywood at its worst. What makes it work as well as it does is the appealing, intelligent performance of Wesley Snipes, an actor whose career has disintegrated into pointless, second-rate macho movies. Most of Murder at 1600 is an exciting ride, and I always enjoy boarding the roller coaster. Finally reaching the destination, however, is a yawn.

It's all about the body of a young woman, one of the secretaries, discovered in a White House bathroom. Detective Harlan Regis (Snipes) of the D. C. Police Department is assigned to investigate. The head of the White House Secret Service detail, Nick Spikings (Daniel Benzali), isn't having any of that. The White House is his turf. Matters get complicated when the murdered woman is identified as the girl friend of the President's son. She might even have been the girlfriend of the President. Regis makes clear he's not going away. Spikings assigns one of his team to work with Regis. She's Agent Nina Chance (Diane Lane), small, highly attractive and, more to the point, smart. She's also a sharp shooter. That's a talent that will come in handy later. But is she assigned to help Regis or to spy on him and report back to Spikings?

Will this be an investigation of a murder or a cover-up for a murderer? Or is the murder part of something worse...something like, say, an incursion into North Korea? What we quickly realize is that Benzali and Alan Alda, as National Security Adviser Alvin Jordan, are going to chew the scenery. By the time this complicated, high-potential mystery movie limps to its conclusion, we will have spent most of the time enjoying Wesley Snipe's charm and resourcefulness as he unthreads a conspiracy. Diane Lane's talent as an intelligent sidekick with great legs is not to be sniffed at, either. Of course, Hollywood also gives us a few nearly unkillable hit men who pop up here and there, a convenient tunnel to the White House, explosions, helicopters, car chases, kicks, grunts, the inaccurate idea that the FBI doesn't have jurisdiction over crimes committed on federal property (no big deal, some producer probably said) and a climax in the White House that involves a lot of people, including the President. But that's Hollywood big-ticket show biz.

After Murder at 1600 Snipes seems to have decided that he wanted to be one of the big, macho, impervious Hollywood hero types, the kind who star in big-budget flicks aimed for the 16- through 26-year-old crowd...the kind of movies that feature awesome explosions and mano-a-mano fights with evil. Snipes was a good actor once. Don't know what happened, but Snipes personally and professionally seems to have taken the long drop.

At any rate, I still enjoy Murder at 1600, and I like Snipes' performance so well I can even get past the last 25 minutes. He was one of several actors who made vivid impressions in the great, odd King of New York. In a sidekick role, he nearly edged Sean Connery off stage center in Rising Sun, and he proved he could handle comedy easily in White Men Can't Jump.

Movie of week stuff...

[bigboybhatia · 5/10 · 28 April 2004]

Murder at 1600 never really rises above the level of an average TV movie of the week. The cast is made up of some good actors: Diane Lane, Ronny Cox, Alan Alda. However they can't seem to save this picture from mediocrity. Pretty much equivalent to Snipes' Passenger 57, so if you liked that you'll like this. Watch if it's on TV and you have nothing better to do, otherwise, don't bother. 5/10

Not the worst thing you'll see

[pavithrang · 6/10 · 16 July 2021]

Razzie worthy performance from snipes and lane. What's snipes doing with his eyes in every frame? It's all over the place. It's as though he's checking both men and women out as they walk away from him. Didn't the director notice? Whoever picked Wesley snipes for this blew it. Diane lane wasted, though the only reason you'd get thru this mud pie. This movie probably wrapped up with first takes. The plot line had great potential and I was expecting an entertaining action movie, instead its a disaster with jarring acting which distracts every minute. And what on earth is Dennis miller doing in this one?

A complex intrigue about murders at the White House with action, suspense, plot twists and red herrings.

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 29 December 2023]

That's 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. A young woman called Carla Town (Moore) is murdered in the White House. Homicide detective Regis (Wesley Snipes) is soon at loggerheads investigating the strange event, while Secret Service works against him. Regis is introduced to secret service chief Nick Spikings (Daniel Benzali), and national security advisor Alvin Jordan (Alan Alda). He's reluctantly assigned by hard-boiled agent Chance (Diane Lane), while head of security Nick Spikings wants the whole matter issue wrapped quickly and quietly -justice not being his main concern. Circumstantial evidence points to a cleaner, but Snipes knows a fall guy when he sees one. Coroner Jimmy Foley (Richard Blackburn) tells Regis and Nina that whoever had sex with Carla on the night of the murder used a condom, and left absolutely no DNA. Regis is told that White House janitor Cory Allen Luchessi (Tony Nappo) was unaccounted for on the night of the murder. Regis sees secret service agent Burton Cash (Nigel Bennett), who is in charge of Kyle Neil (Tate Donovan), the son of president Jack Neil (Ronny Cox) and first lady Kitty Neil (Diane Baker). Chance eventually cooperates after a man's framed. This address changes all the rules !. He's a D. C. cop on the outside. She's a Secret Service agent on the inside. Tracking a White House homicide to the First Family's front door.

Cliché-fest storyline gives stereotypical roles a little more development than you may be used to seeing, but it doesn't have them anything new or interesting to say or do. The film sometimes seems to have a television style, along with a dark and not very shiny cinematography by Steven Bernstein, adding a thrilling musical score by Christopher Young. Stars Wesley Snipes who's nice as a jaded D. C. detective called to investigate a secretary found dead in a White House bathroom. The script has President Ronny Cox trying to tough out a hostage crisis in North Korea without recourse to the military, while Snipes is understandably more concerned with the local bureaucracy about to flatten his house. The film is nothing special, but Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane make a good team, however, Dennis Miller fulfills his ordinary wise-cracking sidekick character effortessly. They're well accompanied by a good cast with plenty of familar faces, such as: Daniel Benzali, Alan Alda, Ronny Cox, Diane Baker, Tate Donovan, Harris Yulin, Tom Wright, Nicholas Pryor, Charles Rocket, Nigel Bennett, among others.

The motion picture was professionally directed by Dwight H. Little, though it has some flaws. Dwight has directed studio movies for Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, and Columbia Pictures, and has also made multiple independent movies with wide theatrical release. Mr. Little has also made three prime time television movies and 90 hours of Network series television. Director Dwight H. Little gave credibility to Wesley Snipes in ¨Murder at 1600¨ and teamed up with Aikido expert Steven Seagal for ¨Marked for Death¨and ¨Rapid Fire¨ with Brandon Lee . The result is fun to watch, being a strong outing for action-packed cop thriller enthusiasts and Wesley Snipes fans. Rating: 5.5/10, acceptable and passable, but punches are pulled and all suspense jettisoned some 20 minutes from home.

'Thriller' at 1600

[derekauthor · 9/10 · 21 November 2005]

At first, it appears as though it will be your typical, by-the-numbers political thriller. Then, as the movie progresses, it gets better and better, thanks to a fast pace and lots of exciting action scenes.

'Murder at 1600' focuses on the discover of a brutally-murdered intern in the White House. Two detectives (Wesley Snipes and Dennis Miller) are assigned to the case, with White House security personnel limiting the detectives with classified information which may be useful to the case. Lucky for them, a dedicated Secret Service Agent (Diane Lane) reluctantly helps.

Although it gets predictable at times (especially at the end), it's still a fun little thriller. It really gives you a deep feeling of paranoia as well!

Scandal for the first family? Nah. Never.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 3 February 2024]

I don't think that Ronny Cox would be a president I'd vote for, but he's obviously cast because of a slight resemblance to George H. W. Bush, cast with a more believable Diane Baker as the first lady and Tate Donovan as the always in trouble son. When a young woman is found brutally murdered in the White House, Donovan is suspect #1, and the security team (led by the cold Alan Alda and assisted by an even frontier, and downright creepy Daniel Benzali), detective Wesley Snipes gets assistance from secret service agent Diane Lane which leads to all sorts of blocked paths from her supervisors and suspicions from something larger.

Great performances by Snipes and Lane are aided by interesting details concerning each of their characters with Snipes a history buff and sharing evidence of his research with Lane. She's tough as she stands up to Benzali who touches her eerily and would make a snake shiver in fear of his sliminess. This asks all sorts of pertinent questions about the rights of protection for world leaders and their families when something immoral has been done, and there's never certainly throughout as to Donovan's guilt or innocence.

There's also the ethical questions regarding the abuse of power especially when amoral activities by public serving agencies try to not only hide the truth but twist it. A subplot involving American hostages in Korea is something to pay close attention to. It's a better thriller than I remembered it to be although the connect the dots structure is pretty derivative of mysteries like this. Probably more timely 25 years later than it was at the time and that's obviously what made it seem fresher for me.

another president saving film i am sick of this concept

[FilmMan47 · 1/10 · 20 November 2012]

i mean it i have seen many films like these where only American president is at risk someone will assassinate him common.why not just choose other countries president there are so many countries.

i have no problem with patriotism shown in films but this is too much.

the most boring Wesley snipes movie this was.

i told you the plot already some people must save presidents ass.but American films always have Russians as enemies this one got one of them own inside the white house.

no action no real sex no nothing.it bored me

my rating is 1/10 just forget murder at 1600 its another stupid film