Perry in Paris
Captain David Berman (Tim Ryan) of the US Marines has long sought to find a Nazi by the name of Krugman who was responsible for the death of his grandparents during WWII but every time he gets a lead someone ends up dead. When Berman learns that Krugman is now called Felix Altmann (Jeremy Altman) he manages to track him down to a health spa but after confronting him someone else shoots Altmann leading to Berman being arrested and facing a court martial due to him being a marine. As a friend of Berman's mother Helene (Teresa Wright), Perry (Raymond Burr) and Ken (William R. Moses) head to Paris where Berman is being held and agree to represent him in military court. But it is a dangerous case because who ever killed Altmann will kill to keep secrets which have remained hidden since the war.
The set up to "Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception" is classic Perry, a man with motive found standing over the dead body and ending up needing Perry Mason's help to prove him innocent. But whilst "Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception" has the classic formula going on the producers have definitely tried to liven things up with a story set in France and a Nazi guilty of war crimes ending up murdered. As such it is no surprise when I say that whilst there is Berman hunting down the Nazi there are also others who are also hunting him down. But wait there is also a businessman who appears to have motive as well who feels he was swindled out of a promotion and so embezzled money from Altmann's business, whilst there is always the victim's wife. Basically the plot in "Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception" thickens with various possibilities as to what is going on making it a riddle for Perry to solve when it comes to the eventual court case.
As was always the case with these "Perry Mason" movies "Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception" is just as much about the familiar faces who show up in supporting roles. As such British audiences will smile at seeing Ian Bannen, Ian McShane and Kim Thomson in the cast whilst movie fans will get as much of a kick at seeing Teresa Wright and Yvette Mimieux in supporting roles. As for the regulars well Raymond Burr and William R. Moses bring their chemistry to Paris whilst Barbara Hale is left in America but delivers an amusing call to Perry where she worries about him eating all that rich food.
What this all boils down to is that "Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception" is another entertaining entry in the franchise and some how the team behind these movies managed to take that Perry Mason formula and make it entertaining and engaging once again despite the familiarity.
Tags: TV Mystery Movie Crime Solvers, Perry Mason
