Little Murders (1971)

Review by All Movie Guide
Little Murders is not a movie that you can sit back and just let roll over you. An intensely black portrait of paranoid, unsettling urban life in the late '60s and early '70s, Murders is a cult film the sensibilities of which will definitely not appeal to everyone. It's a satire, but not a comfortable one; it doesn't give you many moments when you can let your breath out and relax, and even those few it does parcel out are tinged with the inevitable feeling of a bubble about to burst. This "deathly" approach will alienate a great number of people, and understandably so. But for those who are brave enough to immerse themselves in its world view, Murders' bleakness, cynicism, and brutality will be rewarding, provoking laughter out of situations that simply shouldn't be funny. Credit director Alan Arkin, who opens the play up beautifully for the screen and who is not afraid to let it breathe its own smog-infested air as it paints its picture of a society gone horribly wrong. Even those who cannot get into the film, however, should appreciate its excellent cast. Star Elliott Gould is dead-on perfect as the man who has embraced apathy, and Marcia Rodd is captivating as the indefatigable Patsy. Donald Sutherland is hilarious as the low-key, duplicitous "minister," and Vincent Gardenia and Elizabeth Wilson simply couldn't be better. Little Murders will leave many cold, but it will knock out those who appreciate its special qualities. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide