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Regrettably these plans turned out to be somewhat premature because by the next evening Lillian's dead, from a heart attack. This appears to be a bit strange because she was quite fit, although the doctor assures everyone that it was all due to natural causes. However, when the Lipton's see Paul the following day he is remarkably chipper for someone whose wife has just passed away. The seed of suspicion in Carol's mind remains mostly dormant though, until she discusses her uneasiness with Ted (Alan Alda), on old friend who's come through a messy divorce. He leaps onto the idea of murder with gusto, spouting forth on all manner of theories and ringing Carol and Larry at indecent hours of the night. Together Ted and Carol convince themselves that Paul is a killer.
The problem (standard for these types of story) is the total lack of evidence, with no body and no clues. Carol is sure of her hunch though and transforms into an amateur detective, to the despair of Larry. While he seeks solace at work with authoress Marcia Fox (Anjelica Huston), Carol spies on Paul and plots to sneak into his apartment. A breakthrough of sorts occurs when she finds an urn, complete with ashes, stashed away in Paul's cupboard (Larry can imagine a number of innocent explanations). Ted keeps the action rolling though, mostly in pursuit of ulterior motives. He has a strong crush on Carol and fancies seducing her, which sets everyone up nicely for the climax.
Full of Woody Allen's middle-aged preoccupation's, Manhattan Murder Mystery has a reasonable quota of one-liners and artfully constructed scenes. Taking the standard crime movie formulae, as seen in multitudes of B-pictures, and following at different angle, Allen is really only using the plot as a stepping stone. Underneath he seems far more concerned with the ways in which life becomes too easy, with the rough edges of youthful excitement stripped off. This inevitability can be recognised in the easy understanding present between Allen and Keaton, a product of their long professional alliance. Almost without effort they play off of each other's neuroses.
Unfortunately this is the most interesting relationship in Manhattan Murder Mystery, somewhat unusually for Allen. His normal consistency and accuracy in depicting the dynamics of personal interactions is curiously lacking, reducing the attractiveness of the characters. The additional burden of an overly complex plot, which is artificially explained in the closing stages, reveals how much of a transition Manhattan Murder Mystery is for Allen. His influence is everywhere, from individuals seemingly consumed by cinema to the overall inconsistency which paralleled his private life at that time. That said, Manhattan Murder Mystery has a number of bright spots but it's best not to build up too much anticipation before viewing.
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