***SPOILERS*** I liked it, in spite of itself. Maybe I've just seen too many of the "I wanna die --- Oh, wait, I changed my mind" at the last minute plots. The other reviewer was certainly right about the characters. One of them, Herman (played by Vito Scotti) was payed to perfection by a great actor. The one that was left out, however was the ballet student, Jeanie. Played by Shari Robinson, she was studying to be a pole dancer, not a ballerina. Hot as an August night, I say. I especially liked the part where the bad guy got himself shot off the building ledge; it was textbook stuntman dead fall. I give this one an 8.
3 Reviews
Colorful
dougdoepke14 October 2014
The premise is a pregnant one. An unknown contract killer is out to hit Alastair, who instead hires Pete to protect him. So the hit-man could be almost anyone. But this aspect is not played up since Pete gets the killer's identity early on. Instead, what's played up is one of the series' real strengths—colorful characters. Belle is not just a ballet teacher, she's a hard-driving battle-axe; Herman's not just an hotel clerk, he's got telescopes for glasses; the flower lady is not just old, she's a wizened 96 (IMDB). And catch the staging of the fist-fight. Instead of looking like a thousand others, the fight occurs in the background, while the camera focuses on a grotesque tribal masque in the foreground. Then there's the unusual camera angle on the body falling from a back-breaking height. No doubt about it, the series distinguished itself from the pack by sheer imagination. That's one reason why the Peter Gunn is still interesting unlike so many of its contemporaries.
Death Is a Red Rose
Prismark1018 March 2022
John Alastair has had financial issues and hired a contract killer via a shady bookmaker.
Only for Alistair to change his mind. He cannot get hold of the bookmaker, someone killed him.
He turns to Peter Gunn who finds out that the contract killer wears a red rose.
It is another episode where Blake Edwards uses some experimental techniques.
The fight where the viewer sees an african statue in the foreground. After the fight Gunn is seen sweating a lot.
Everytime Gunn talks to Jacoby in the police station. There is an arty camera angle.
There are little character vignettes.
Only for Alistair to change his mind. He cannot get hold of the bookmaker, someone killed him.
He turns to Peter Gunn who finds out that the contract killer wears a red rose.
It is another episode where Blake Edwards uses some experimental techniques.
The fight where the viewer sees an african statue in the foreground. After the fight Gunn is seen sweating a lot.
Everytime Gunn talks to Jacoby in the police station. There is an arty camera angle.
There are little character vignettes.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
