The Conspirators
- Episode aired May 13, 1978
- TV-PG
- 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
An IRA terrorist executes an arms dealer he considers traitorous; Lt. Columbo is on the case.An IRA terrorist executes an arms dealer he considers traitorous; Lt. Columbo is on the case.An IRA terrorist executes an arms dealer he considers traitorous; Lt. Columbo is on the case.
Sean McClory
- Captain
- (as Seán McClory)
Carole Hemingway
- Carole Hemingway
- (as Carole Hemmingway)
John Blower
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the last episode from the original series produced by NBC. It wasn't until 1989 that the series would be picked up again and continue on its eighth season onward produced by ABC.
- GoofsDevlin declares that he is "a boy from the backstreets of Belfast", but his accent is a Southern Irish one, quite unlike that of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Also, when playing darts, he refers to a pub in "Londonderry". A genuine Irish Republican would never refer to the city by that name, and would call it "Derry".
- Quotes
Lt. Columbo: A rare old bird is the pelican. His bill holds more than his belly can. He can take in his beak enough food for a week. I'm damned if I know how the hell he can!
- ConnectionsReferenced in Svengoolie: Valley of the Dragons (2019)
- SoundtracksWhiskey in the Jar
(uncredited)
Traditional Irish folk song
Instrumental version heard in pub
Featured review
An excellent and rather daring entry in the series
Joe Devlin is an Irish poet living in the US. To help the orphans and widows back in Belfast he does shows for wealthy American Irish to raise cash to send home. However, little do his audiences know that every penny is going to buy guns for the IRA to help produce more of those orphans and widows. With a big deal coming up with one Mr Pauly, Devlin is looking to buy 300 machine guns to be loaded onto a ship on the 15th of the month. However when Mr Pauly appears to be cheating Devlin both men draw guns with Pauly coming off the loser. A signed copy of Devlin's book leads Columbo to him, who then enlists his help in solving a puzzling murder.
As with many TV film series (such as Perry Mason), if you like one or two of them then you'll pretty much like them all. This entry in the Columbo series pretty much follows the usual formula we know the killer and the "perfect" plan but then watch Columbo follow his hunch and gradually starts to pick holes in the story he is told before eventually finding enough to prove his suspicions. Saying this is not a spoiler it is simply what happens in all the films. With this strict adherence to formula it is usually down to several factors whether or not the Columbo film stands out or if it is just average. With this film I was surprised to find the series touching on Northern Ireland politics. I was even more surprised by how well it managed to do it and how brave it was in its approach. With many IRA American films judgement on the IRA is deflected but here it is clear not only that the "orphans'" money is going to buy guns but also that Sinn Fein are involved in it. This made it stand out in my mind from the rest of the series and has managed to make it seem fresh and edgy even 30 years later.
The investigation is good and the clues and paths followed are convincing and engaging. However, as always, what makes the film work even better is the performances. Falk is excellent as Columbo even better than normal. From his entry in this film he plays the game really well and has excellent presence, mixing downplaying his intelligence while also firing warning shots. Revill occasionally is a bit hammy (his one-man shows for example) and his accent isn't great but mostly he is spot on and he has good chemistry with Falk, making the cat'n'mouse games work well throughout. Support is mixed (although LQ Jones was a nice find) but really it doesn't matter because the lead two are where it is at.
Overall this is an excellent Columbo film that defied my fears that the NI conflict would be badly used and ruin the film. The issue of American funds being used for terrorism is a brave one to put out there (even today many films have avoided it for fear of upsetting Irish Americans who don't like to see the IRA as murderers), the plot itself is strong and, despite occasionally being a bit hammy, Revill works well with Falk to produce the goods individually and also in a well-written cat n' mouse affair. Well worth seeing for many reasons.
As with many TV film series (such as Perry Mason), if you like one or two of them then you'll pretty much like them all. This entry in the Columbo series pretty much follows the usual formula we know the killer and the "perfect" plan but then watch Columbo follow his hunch and gradually starts to pick holes in the story he is told before eventually finding enough to prove his suspicions. Saying this is not a spoiler it is simply what happens in all the films. With this strict adherence to formula it is usually down to several factors whether or not the Columbo film stands out or if it is just average. With this film I was surprised to find the series touching on Northern Ireland politics. I was even more surprised by how well it managed to do it and how brave it was in its approach. With many IRA American films judgement on the IRA is deflected but here it is clear not only that the "orphans'" money is going to buy guns but also that Sinn Fein are involved in it. This made it stand out in my mind from the rest of the series and has managed to make it seem fresh and edgy even 30 years later.
The investigation is good and the clues and paths followed are convincing and engaging. However, as always, what makes the film work even better is the performances. Falk is excellent as Columbo even better than normal. From his entry in this film he plays the game really well and has excellent presence, mixing downplaying his intelligence while also firing warning shots. Revill occasionally is a bit hammy (his one-man shows for example) and his accent isn't great but mostly he is spot on and he has good chemistry with Falk, making the cat'n'mouse games work well throughout. Support is mixed (although LQ Jones was a nice find) but really it doesn't matter because the lead two are where it is at.
Overall this is an excellent Columbo film that defied my fears that the NI conflict would be badly used and ruin the film. The issue of American funds being used for terrorism is a brave one to put out there (even today many films have avoided it for fear of upsetting Irish Americans who don't like to see the IRA as murderers), the plot itself is strong and, despite occasionally being a bit hammy, Revill works well with Falk to produce the goods individually and also in a well-written cat n' mouse affair. Well worth seeing for many reasons.
- bob the moo
- Sep 24, 2005
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Waffen des Bösen
- Filming locations
- Radio station KGIL, San Fernando, California, USA(Late in the episode, Clive Revill is seen being interviewed on the radio by Carole Hemingway, and then in the station parking lot, makes a gun deal. Both scenes were shot at KGIL)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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