Requiem for Murder (1999) User Reviews

For Molly fans.

[Hermit C-2 · 6/10 · 14 July 1999]

As thrillers go this one is rather run-of-the-mill, no worse than some, not as good as many. How you feel about a film like this depends in part on your disposition to its stars. I like Molly Ringwald, so I ended up liking this movie a little more than I probably would have otherwise.

Molly plays a DJ at a big-city classical music station. She has an admirer who sends her flowers there anonymously. That wouldn't be so bad, but he also has the nasty habit of poisoning people while his favorite DJ is playing music on the radio in the background. Since it looks like the killer might be coming after her, a police detective is watching out for her safety and wouldn't you know it, begins to fall for her.

Ringwald has that modulated, dulcet delivery of a classical music DJ down pretty good. This film is not nearly as enjoyable as some of those she made as John Hughes' leading young lady back in the 1980's, but it is more likeable than some of the other "adult" roles she had after that. Still, it's not particularly special or original, and only those who watch a lot of thrillers or are big fans of Ms. Ringwald will particularly want to see it.

Molly Ringwald Helped This Film

[whpratt1 · 4/10 · 2 January 2007]

Always enjoyed the acting of Molly Ringwald, so I decided to watch this film on TV and found it very mysterious with Molly Ringwald, (Anne Winslow), "In The Weeds" playing the role of a Classical Music DJ. The film reminded me of the Clint Eastwood Film, "Play Misty", however, this story had a different twist that involved young women who were being murdered by drinking a glass of wine. Christopher Heyerdahl,(Detective Lou Heinz) comes to the aid of Anne Winslow and begins to start falling in love with her and introduces her to his favorite music and night clubs. There are many creepy characters who work with Anne at her Radio Station and the station begins to get full of roses which the killer keeps sending to Anne. If it were not for Molly Ringwald playing in this film, I would never have watch it. Try to Enjoy

Like a dusty bottle of wine on the shelf

[martbrad · 4/10 · 9 July 1999]

This movie had me baffled, but it wasn't necessarily the plot. Fine that they lead you to suspect various characters as the murderer. Fine that yet again a cop falls in love with his investigative subject. That's all been done before, and this time it's to a classical movie soundtrack. What threw me was the setting. The cars seemed too old & frumpy (even for cops) for it to be a recent movie and the clothes didn't provide any major clues. I figured it was 5 to 8 years old - and was shocked to find it a recent release! Worse yet, it's always dark and usually rainy regardless of the time of day. This is supposed to be Philadelphia, not Seattle, but even the city looks wrong. For one thing, the skyline is missing the major skyscrapers built over a decade ago - did they recycle old footage and film this thing on a lot somewhere? Entryways and security systems, the radio station, and even the restaurant all seem dated, giving this movie a rather clunky feel. Worse yet, the pacing is slow & plodding, the plot never really that surprising, and the characters painfully stereotyped. Furthermore, all the suspects look and dress alike. Was there a sale on brown haired guys with floppy haircuts? And could the detective please shave once in a while? What were they thinking with this movie? The whole project feels like it sat on a shelf for a decade like a bottle of dusty wine. Molly Ringwald looks good and the classical music sounds good, but that's about all the niceties I have to offer about this film.

Mediocre and Unsatisfying

[Kitty-47 · 12 May 2003]

This movie had its moments, but they were few. I liked the classical music aspect--a refreshing change from most films featuring DJs. But the acting is dull and the setting is very Canadian for a movie set in the U.S. But the worst part of the movie is the identity of the stalker/killer.

MAJOR SPOILER------MAJOR SPOILER------MAJOR SPOILER As I watched, I was pretty sure the killer had to be Ed, the sound engineer. Silly me. I was looking for the killer among the characters in the heroine's world. But the killer was elsewhere. In fact, we never even meet the killer until the very end, about five minutes after his/her name is revealed to no great effect. END OF SPOILER------END OF SPOILER-----END OF SPOILER



The ending was a cheat and unforgivable even in a mediocre film such as this. The only plus was the music.

I'd skip it.

[AnnPanders · 2/10 · 8 January 2023]

I have always been a Molly Ringwald fan, and was sad when her career tanked in the late 80s/90s. She was supposedly a top choice for Pretty Woman (!!!!!), my god that would have been a totally different movie.

So we find Molly in the role of a classical music DJ with the top ratings in Philly. I love classical music, so at least that kept me interested. I also love murder mysteries, and trying to figure out who the killer is.

Okay, now the bad... Molly is attractive, but it's like she's playing a character where she is so desired by all men. Not seeing it. And her personality which has always been endearingly off-putting to me, is just not suited for characters outside the Brat Pack.

And finally, the WORST and why I would not recommend this. The viewer has just spent the last hour and a half trying to figure out who the murderer is. That's the fun of a murder mystery, and intensely watching for clues. There are tons of red herrings, and I really couldn't figure it out. I even thought the cop who ends up bedding her was a viable suspect. So in the last few minutes, we discover who the actual murderer is. And guess what? He was never shown or mentioned throughout the flick. It's like WTF????? What a deflator. So I just wasted all this time, sorta invested in the outcome, and then they randomly introduce some stranger at the end. Horrible. Awful.

I was engaged but the ending completely ruined the experience. If you are a mystery enthusiast, you will come away angry and feeling used. Just skip this stinker.

Mayhem & madness + Mozart = murder

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 30 October 2001]

Plain Jane whodunnit dealing with a lady D.J. who causes a stir on air that leads a nutcase to begin obsessing over her, making him go on a killing spree for some goofy reason or other. Lots of suspicious suspects pop up along the way as is usual with this type of film. Interesting, but don't go in expecting a real groundbreaker: the ending was lame and trite. I'll be glad when the producers start breathing a little life into these hardass female boss cops; they are all so buttoned up they have to screw their power suits off to go the the bathroom.

Superb music by Milan Kymlicka

[Marlene-8 · 26 December 1999]

I loved this film, the music from Milan Kymlicka is remarkable, so sweet and delectable. At my great surprise the sound-track that is excellent is not available. The subject of the film is interesting, actual and very romantic. The moral of the film is to show that love is essential in everyone life.

"You Are Everything That Makes My Life Worth Living!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 21 July 2021]

Okay, for the sake of full disclosure: I've been a Molly Ringwald fan ever since SIXTEEN CANDLES and THE BREAKFAST CLUB. There. I said it, and I'm unashamed!

REQUIEM FOR MURDER has Ms. Ringwald as Anne Winslow, a DJ for a classical music station in Philadelphia. Unbeknownst to her, someone is killing people while listening to her show. Police feel that Anne could be in grave danger herself.

Filled to bursting with possible suspects and boatloads of red herrings, REQUIEM holds its own as a murder mystery / thriller.

Obviously, Ms. Ringwald is stellar!

The finale, complete with 1812 Overture accompaniment, is magnificent!...

Get your act together Molly!!!!!!

[Pete-87 · 4 September 1999]

What can I say,I am a huge Molly fan but this movie was just terrible and so boring,it played more like a t.v movie, Come on Molly get your act together and start appearing in some decent movies that actually make money at the box office unlike this awful mess!

My god, what a stinker!!

[lew-11 · 28 April 1999]

These actors have been sadly miscast and misused. It seems like there are only 2 cops in Philadelphia, and they do everything without the benefit of cell-phones or beepers or warrants. The director is trying for a film noir-ish look but it ends up sort of silly. There are too many contrivances to be listed but the worst is when Molly Ringwald's squawky adolescent tones are worshipped as smooth and thrilling. The acting is high school flat. Ugh! For an equivalent story that is much better done, ditch this piece of crap and rent a video of "someone to watch over me."

Fan of classical radio DJ Molly starts serially killing her detractors and competition

[Mac45 · 13 April 1999]

Strictly for lovely Molly's fans who like classical music clips. Terribly or splendidly contrived, depending on your view, as you're lead to believe it's this guy or that guy, only to be totally "Agatha Christied" at the end with the introduction of a totally new character. I don't want to ruin the ending, but guess who the killer is?

This movie deserves a negative rating

[jertob-1 · 25 July 2004]

One of the cardinal rules for a murder mystery is that you don't introduce the murderer near the end of the movie or novel without having introduced him previously. That's what this movie does and it leaves the viewer entirely frustrated. Shame on the director who makes this movie deserve a minus 5 rating. In any case the heroine, played by Molly Ringwald, evinces no sympathy and the viewer winds up not caring what happens to her. Any emotion in this movie is displayed by the killer who is introduced as a new character in the last five minutes of the movie. His acting ability is displayed like the actors of the silent movie era where the back of the hand is thrown up to the forehead in despair. This movie deserves to be locked away in the annals of movie-making dreck.

Peeyuuu

[crzcndn · 16 October 2002]

I must admit that I was a HUGE Molly Ringwald fan in the era of John Hughes and Pretty in Pink and 16 Candles, but I grew up and changed. And I wish Molly Ringwald had, too.

In this film, she plays Ann Winslow, a DJ on a Philadelphia-based Classical radio station (WZIN -- egads, say it out loud). Anyway, she is supposed to be the sultry, much-sought-after-by-all-the-men, nouveau-riche connoisseur of classical music. She is the *star* of the radio station and adored by many (mostly men -- especially those with whom she works). And, for me, it just didn't fly. She still had the dead-panned expression that she passes off for acting and, besides her fancy clothing and beautiful apartment, she wasn't convincing as a "hoity-toity" classical dj.

Ann is pursued by a fanatical fan (not the first in her life to be fanatical) who murders people in order to please her. Her situation is discovered by a male detective (yes, you guessed it -- he's interested in her, too) who was once a piano prodigy.

And the ending -- ugh. I won't spoil it for you, but if you have the same reaction, don't say I didn't warn you.

The only redeeming quality of the film were the two detectives, Heinz and Parks, who really played off of each other well and who are rather amusing in their small details (Heinz dunks his banana in a cup of coffee while waiting to confront a potential suspect). I felt as if these two deserved their own weekly series -- that's how much I liked them.

So, watch at your own risk. Molly isn't that great (and I didn't find her character sympathetic at all). The murderer is *who*? But the detectives are fantastic.