Criminal Lou Spinelli (deftly voiced by Bogie impersonator Robert Sacchi) has shifty plastic surgeon Dr. Oscar Charles (an excellent performance by John Lithgow) transform him into a dead ringer for Humphrey Bogart. Lou still winds up getting killed, but isn't exactly dead. Director Robert Zemeckis, working from a witty script by A L Katz and Gilbert Adler, makes ingenious use of vintage Bogart footage from several of his movies that's seamlessly edited into the rest of the show, pays affectionate homage to 40's film noir, and, in an especially inspired touch, relates the whole story from Lou's point of view. Moreover, it's acted with zest by a tip-top cast: Lithgow is in peak slimy form, Isabella Rossellini makes for a terrific femme fatale as the sly and sultry Betty, and Sherilyn Fenn contributes an appealing portrayal as the sweet and chipper Erika. Better still, this episode also boasts cool hard-boiled narration and a wickedly funny sense of sharp sardonic humor that becomes more increasingly twisted as the plot unfolds. The wrap-around segments with the Crypt Keeper offers a spot-on macabre send-up of "Forrest Gump" complete with a surprise cameo from none other than Alfred Hitchcock (!). Both Alan Silvestri's jaunty'n'jazzy score and Rick Bota's gorgeous vibrant cinematography are up to speed. A worthy closer for the sixth season.
Review of You, Murderer
