Murder by the Book

1987 · 100 MIN · IMDB 5.3 · 227 VOTES · DIR. Mel Damski

Murder by the Book poster

Overview

Mild-mannered mystery writer D. H. Mercer has become so immersed in his material that his creation, hard-boiled private eye Biff Deegan, constantly appears to him as a hallucination. Intent on getting rid of Biff, and replacing him with a more civilized detective, Mercer soon finds himself in a genuine mystery involving art fraud, murder, and a beautiful lady in peril.

Dialogue Timeline — 1,063 lines

A SAMPLE ACROSS THE RUNTIME — EVERY LINE IS SEARCHABLE

00:00:00 [Typewriter Clacking]
00:04:34 which has been finished for over six months now...
00:08:49 You signed it? You dear man.
00:12:17 How about a drink, Jim? More alcohol? No, thanks.
00:16:07 And l-l-I just... I keep thinking of the clichés and-and...
00:18:32 Is that Mr. Franklin, the other half of the writing team?
00:21:18 That's a terrific talent.
00:23:52 Have you come up with any leads, any clues?
00:26:27 you can't prove a murder was committed in the first place.
00:29:41 Lt. Columbo, please.
00:32:35 Maybe you can help me clear it up.
00:34:59 You, uh...
00:37:59 you can inevitably know that it's going to be some impersonation.
00:40:37 it's a, uh, true-to-life story.
00:43:22 - And I'm a woman of my word! - I know you are, and I respect you for that.
00:46:34 I think they're the most terrific... Boy, I wanna...
00:49:17 And drive carefully. [Engine Starts]
00:52:44 That kind of talk hurts me deeply.
00:57:26 Maybe you can rent a cabin."
01:00:03 Gee, I was just wonderir, because
01:03:52 everything fits together. I just can't believe it.
01:06:59 unless he was on television.
01:10:05 Well, you enlighten me. I must say, I enjoy watching a man raise without any cards in his hand.
15:00:00 [Plate Clattering]

Cast & Characters

Dialogue Record

Lines indexed1,063
Dialogue density10.6 lines / min
First line00:00:00
Final line15:00:00

Production Record

DirectorMel Damski
LanguageEnglish
IMDb votes227