Perry Mason: The Case of the Reckless Romeo (1992)

Pretty Good

The acting in this movie is really good.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Yes, this really is the greatest episode of Perry Mason ever made! That's because shortly after it begins, Geraldo Rivera gets killed. I liked that and I bet you'll like it too. Heck, DVR it like I did, so you can watch it over and over again. Very enjoyable and satisfying, although I do wish the producers had spent more time developing this. For example, viewers might like it better if they'd killed off Geraldo Rivera with the assistance of Wile E. Coyote. They could have blown him to bits with dynamite, hit him on the head with a sledge hammer, dropped a 15-ton boulder on him, or finally run him flat with a steamroller. I'd pay a dollar to see that. I forget what happens at the end, but I'm certain Perry Mason proved his client was innocent, he found out who really killed Geraldo Rivera, and they gave him a parade.

Nice to see Tracy Nelson and William R. Moses in this film. Apparently, they were married when this Perry Mason thriller was made and their marriage was probably on the rocks. Notice the pushing scenes and animosity at the beginning between the two. Of course, by the end, they're kissing, but don't be fooled by this.Unfortunately, this is not one of Perry Maon's best; although, he shows love for Della by giving her a bracelet.Geraldo Rivera is really the enemy here as a sleazy talk show host whose tell all book about the women he has bedded down as enraged all and led to his untimely demise.Naturally, the actress on screen, who said that she would kill the Rivera character, Ted Mayne, is arrested when the knife is plunged into Mayne's stomach rupturing a major vessel.In his amazing way, Mason discovers the true identity of the killer by finding out more about that red dress.

Following a similar tell-all book authored by television personality Geraldo Rivera, this entry in the Perry Mason movie series blurs fact and fiction by casting Rivera as Ted Mayne, who is murdered after publishing his own scandalous tone. The suspect is a TV actress, who makes the mistake of blowing off steam over the book by threatening Mayne's life on camera.Enter Perry Mason, who uses his usual methods to uncover the true killer in open court.This is an average Mason film, with, a final clue, though plausible, seems too over the top to be believed, requiring the guilty party to go "mad" on the stand to pull it off.The supporting cast is good, with Geraldo giving a surprisingly effective performance as Ted Mayne.

Ted Mayne is a daytime TV host whose show is well known for exposés and gossip mongering. He takes a step too far when he announces the publication of his kiss and tell autobiography, which features photographs and detail about his lovers - many of whom are famous women in a variety of roles. When he is murdered, all evidence appears to point to Roxanne Shields, who turns to Perry Mason for defence. While he investigates the other suspects Ken Malansky tries to find one of Mayne's lovers who is missing, with the help of TV reporter Charley Adams.I have seen the vast majority of the Perry Mason films and have found them to be based around one formula that is repeated in each film with slight twists occasionally. Here the film investigates any number of scorned lovers and it is enjoyable the way that Mason does his stuff. As usual Ken is lumbered with a female sidekick that is irritating, but his thread has a nice little twist to it even if it is just another red herring of sorts to keep the film moving along. The twist at the end is revealed with a surprising lack of fireworks or spectacle but it is still reasonably enjoyable.Burr does his usual good work as Mason and the film permits him some nice scenes with Hale's Della Street, a subplot that the series occasionally dips into but not often enough. Moses has his usual action orientated investigation and does OK but his lack of chemistry with the dippy and quite weak Nelson is a problem. Of the support cast only Geraldo Rivera stands out, twisting his own talk show host personae.Overall this is pretty much what any of the film series does, it is not the best but it is about average for the series. The one major complaint I would have was that this must have been the weakest prosecution ever and in reality Perry Mason would have easily p*ssed this case without having to find the real killer to clear his client. All the evidence is very debatable and weak and `reasonable doubt' could easily have been found here.