DOUBLE SHOCK is one of the earlier Columbo stories, made late on in the show's second series back in 1973. It's also one of the best. The short running time means that this is a snappy and engaging affair and the use of the twin motif in the storyline means that the storyline is unique; the viewer witnesses the murder at the outset but the identity of the villain remains a mystery until the climax, something I thought that was very cleverly achieved.
I've always been a fan of Martin Landau and he does an excellent job here of playing the hot-headed twins at the centre of the story. Most of the action centres around a big old house with rambling corridors and the like and it's a good location for murder to take place. The opening murder is also shocking, to say the least. Columbo seems to get really involved in this case and becomes very emotional in places, which I thought was great. The humour is some of the funniest in the show without being forced; the run-ins with Jeanette Nolan are darkly amusing, but the cookery show set-piece is the highlight here. The supporting cast is also notably good, including the ever-sultry Julie Newmar who wears very little, a young Dabney Coleman as a cop, and Tim O'Connor as an unscrupulous lawyer; I grew up knowing the guy for his role in BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY.
I've always been a fan of Martin Landau and he does an excellent job here of playing the hot-headed twins at the centre of the story. Most of the action centres around a big old house with rambling corridors and the like and it's a good location for murder to take place. The opening murder is also shocking, to say the least. Columbo seems to get really involved in this case and becomes very emotional in places, which I thought was great. The humour is some of the funniest in the show without being forced; the run-ins with Jeanette Nolan are darkly amusing, but the cookery show set-piece is the highlight here. The supporting cast is also notably good, including the ever-sultry Julie Newmar who wears very little, a young Dabney Coleman as a cop, and Tim O'Connor as an unscrupulous lawyer; I grew up knowing the guy for his role in BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY.