CONUNDRUM
US, 1996, 97 minutes, Colour.
Michael Biehn, Marg Helgenberger, Ron White.
Directed by Douglas Barr.
Conundrum is a routine police thriller – set in a Vietnamese community with the police investigating a gambling racket. The action turns violent during police investigations.
However, there is a twist in the plot and, in some sense, the Vietnamese investigation is a red herring.
Michael Biehn and Marg Helgenberger are partners – interested in the Vietnamese situation, but the action takes a different turn when Biehn’s wife is murdered.
Michael Biehn is good in the central role – but the film is Marg Helgenberger’s, interesting in her portrayal of the detective years before she rose to stardom with CSI. The direction is by Douglas Barr, actor, writer and director of many telemovies from the late 90s onwards.
1.Entertaining telemovie? Police thriller? Murder mystery? Investigation?
2.The urban settings, the Vietnamese culture, migrants to the United States, gambling dens? Vietnamese crime? The police precincts? Homes? The streets? The musical score?
3.The police investigation, Stash and Rose as partners, the clashes with Mulvaney, the support of Kirkland? Investigations, surveillance? The attacks, the deaths? Going back to the office? The criticisms of Rose?
4.Rose, her background, her relationship, the separation, her daughter in another city, the contact? Watching the video? Stash and his wife, her pregnancy? His love for her? The bond between Stash and Rose? Working together? The impact of his wife’s death on Stash? The discovery, his collapse? Going to Rose? Her sympathy? Putting him up? The sexual encounter? The suspicions of Mulvaney? The clues going towards Stash? The clues going towards Rose?
5.Rose, as a character, her police work, clashes with authorities? The stakeout, her seeing the girl being attacked, her decision to go in on the raid? The consequent deaths? The girl thanking her? Her reaction to Stash, comforting him? The evidence beginning to point towards him, the discovery of the address, the parking ticket? Her continuing investigations, discovering the truth about Stash? His impotency? The weapon in her locker? The information about the fingerprints? The timing? The warning by Jimmy? Her confronting Mulvaney, handcuffing him to the bed? Her further investigations? The confrontation with Stash? The attack on the Vietnamese, his shooting her? His death?
6.Stash, the good cop, the Vietnam experience? With the Vietnamese? Partnership with Rose? The decent cop? The snitch and the photos? The attack, the shootings? His alibi, drunk, coming to Rose? Rationalising the situation? The funeral? The aftermath, asking for a new partner, the plausibility of his comments? The discovery of the truth, the confrontation with Rose, his murdering his wife, the photos and the scratches on the face of his wife? The final confrontation?
7.Mulvaney, tough, the clashes with Rose, audiences’ suspicions? His criticisms, being handcuffed, the finale and the finding of the negatives? His support of Rose? Kirkland and his running of the office? The other members of the staff, Americans, Vietnamese?
8.The Vietnamese community, the initial attack, the brutality, the rackets? The stakeout, the photographing of the trucks? The attack and the shoot-out? The snitches? The finale and the shootings?
9.Saturday night entertainment – police investigations, police characters? The tradition of American films and television with the presentation of police? The variations on the theme? The Vietnamese setting?
