Columbo was a clever gimick when it started. It showed the murder at the start, so that you always knew who the murderer was. Columbo always knew it also, by some unexplained psychic gift he had, so the entire movie was watching Columbo try to prove what he and the audience already knew. Except, he never actually proved anything -- he caught the murdered in a "gotcha" mistake, and the murder ended up confessing, even though he would never have been convicted in a court of law.
Personally, I preferred MacMillan and Wife.
*Columbo* was a clever gimick when it started. It showed the murder at the start, so that you always knew who the murderer was. Columbo always knew it also, by some unexplained psychic gift he had, so the entire movie was watching Columbo try to prove what he and the audience already knew. Except, he never actually proved anything -- he caught the murdered in a "gotcha" mistake, and the murder ended up confessing, even though he would never have been convicted in a court of law.
Personally, I preferred *MacMillan and Wife*.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ReverseWhodunnit
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