Murder At 1600

Something evil is afoot in the White House again. It would appear that there are more revelations in the late 90's about what is askance in this building than ever before. Murders, intrigues, girlfriends, Martians and all sorts of madness seem to be plaguing Washington Avenue at such a rate that one can only conclude that there mustn't be much time left over to run the affairs of state. Rumor has it that miles of intricate tunnels run under the White House connecting it to other locations and these could easily lend themselves to infiltration. Still, remember what we're taught in school: every young boy (and perhaps young girl one day, too) can grow up to become President of the United States (they usually leave out the bit about having money, connections, and power in order to get there). In short, these movies could be about you or your experience. And that makes it easier for an audience to relate to them. Get real!

Harlan Regis (Wesley Snipes) is the homicide detective who is forced to leave behind his toy soldiers when called in to investigate the murder of a woman found in a White House toilet. (How embarrassing!) The infrequency with which corpses are found in this building make it a confusing matter as to which policing agency, among which are included the Capitol Hill Police, the Park Police, the CIA, the FBI and others, should have the ultimate task and responsibility of such an investigation. National Security advisor and close friend of the president Alvin Jordan (Alan Alda) puts Regis on the job, and the boss of the secret service, Nick Spikings (Daniel Benzali), puts his agent Nina Chance (Diane Lane) in proper place to keep an eye on Regis. She ultimately keeps both eyes on him, discovers they share a mutual love for justice, and they wind up eventually seeing eye to eye.

And as for the White House itself? Director Dwight Little made several trips to the building while researching this project and says, "On the VIP tour, I realized how ordinary the White House really is. It needs constant attention and upkeep; the paint is a problem; there are rat traps around the Rose Garden; they have problems like everyone else. When you get into the hallways of the White House, you realize that this is a working space. There were painters, contractors, laborers of different kinds, office workers, delivery people. I'm sure it's quite secure, but a lot of people come and go from that building."

I wonder, do you think Clint Eastwood might have been hiding somewhere behind a one-way mirror watching the whole thing?