Director: Douglas Barr Starring: Michael Biehn, Marg Helgenberger, Ron White, Peter MacNeill, Dan Lett Certificate: - (UK), PG-13 (USA)
"Sometimes passion is a crime"
Plot
Two detectives attempt to bring down a gambling racket whilst contending with increasing feelings for one another. The case takes a personal turn when the wife of one of the detectives is murdered.
SPOILERS AHEAD...
As you can probably tell, I've had to scale back the regularity of these reviews. Real-life is starting to get a little busier again and the boring things have to take priority once more. Fear not, though; my mission shall continue, albeit at a slightly more leisurely pace!
Back to the reviews, I still seem to be inadvertently focussing a lot on the mid-nineties period of Michael's career. Today it's the turn of the 1996 made for TV crime thriller Conundrum, featuring two stunningly beautiful leads and a whole heap of sexual tension set amongst a maze of murder, suspense and an unexpected twist, all of which I'm going to completely spoil within this review.
Admittedly, I've probably made this movie sound a little more intriguing than it actually is from that paragraph above. It's certainly not terrible, but it's never going to be anyone's favourite. For those of you in the UK, it reminds me of those very formulaic thrillers that Channel 5 used to show on weekday afternoons, except this one has a steamy sex scene smack bang in the middle of it. Back in the day, the Biehn was never afraid of stripping off when a script required it!
On the surface, Conundrum is a straightforward thriller about two detectives trying to break down a Vietnamese gambling racket, but this movie goes deeper as our detectives Stash Horvak (Michael Biehn) and Rose Ekberg (Marg Helgenberger) clearly want to jump into bed together. We quickly learn that she buys him breakfast burritos, they like to slow dance in the pub, they even do nauseatingly cute fist bumps; just get a room and fuck already, would you?! Despite that palpable sexual tension, Stash appears to be in a perfect marriage with his heavily pregnant wife Julie (Karen Waddell). Rose seems resigned to the fact it ain't ever gonna happen. That is until Stash's wife is tragically murdered and it's left to Rose to look after the traumatised Stash. Before you know it... awkward grief sex!
Whilst it's initially assumed that the killing of Stash's wife is a revenge act committed by the aforementioned gambling ring, the finger inexplicably and a little too quickly for my liking starts to be pointed in Rose's direction. You know how it is when you've got a crush. A quick cold-blooded murder in the morning, followed by lunch with the girls and victory sex with the conquest in the evening.
Thankfully, the plot doesn't quite go in that direction as it turns out that both Rose and the audience have been the victims of some sneaky misdirection and the murderer is none other than Stash himself. Stash knows he's shooting blanks and that baby couldn't possibly be his. Rather than get on the phone pronto to a marriage counsellor, he opts for the murder option instead. That's right, big bad Biehn is back (try saying that quickly).
Michael is channelling some serious David Caruso vibes in Conundrum. We're talking hands in the pockets, intensively staring at not much in particular; he's even got a slightly ginger tinge going on with the hair. This is a great role for him as he gets to play victim and villain and showcase that versatility that we all know. I always enjoy antagonist Biehn best, but his good guy character here is rather loveable until.. you know... the murder happens.
Alongside Michael, we have Marg Helgenberger, now perhaps best known for CSI. I'm so pleased she gets to play a character who is actually developed enough to be more than just the hot woman with her boobs out. Early in the movie, we experience Rose's loneliness and yearning for her estranged family and later, we really do feel her pain at the betrayal she's experienced at the hands of Stash.
However, the real MVP in this movie is definitely Michael's red sweater, which is working harder than the rest of the cast put together. How can one man look so damn good in a red sweater?? That's a rhetorical question; please don't answer that.
Conundrum is enjoyable if a little confusing at times. The initial storyline about the gambling ring is quickly dismissed in favour of some personal strife but thankfully with two likeable leads. I think it tries a little too hard to throw its audience off the scent and I couldn't help feeling a little bit betrayed by its twist. Overall though, it's well-acted and directed and it'll keep you guessing unless you've read this review, in which case I've spoiled most of it for you now. You're welcome?
PS: In case you care, they do bring the gambling ring down too...
Conclusion
Conundrum is a capable thriller that stands above a lot of the made for TV thriller movies of that era. Maybe pause the TV before you pop to the toilet though, or you'll probably end up confused about what the heck is going on.
Conundrum can be found on Tubi though you'll need a VPN if you are outside the US. There aren't too many alternatives as far as I can tell. It only received a DVD release in Germany and copies on eBay are scarce.
IMDB: 5.8/10 Rotten Tomatoes: Critics = Not enough ratings, Audience = 0% (As of October 2021)
Dies? / Villain?
DEAD! Stash points and shoots Rose's gun at his own head in an attempt to frame Rose for his murder. / He is most definitely the bad guy here despite playing good guy for much of the movie.
What Did This Movie Teach Me?
A sexy man should never be separated from his red sweater.
Mulder and Scully were not the sexiest crime fighting double act of the nineties.
Anything Else?
The score is by Mark Snow of X-Files fame and it's good!
Another Michael Biehn movie with multiple identities. Conundrum is also known as 'Frame-By-Frame' in some countries and I believe it was released on VHS under this title. Seems like a better title to me; I'm not quite sure why this movie is called Conundrum.
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