Mason, the Man of the Cloth
Perry (Raymond Burr) is paying a visit to see an old friend in the church who has concerns that when it comes to the church's business dealings things are not quite on the level. But whilst there Father Thomas O'Neil (Timothy Bottoms) is murdered and Sister Margaret (Michele Greene) is charged with the murder despite claiming she is innocence. Unsurprisingly Perry takes the case and calls back Paul (William Katt) from his holiday in the sun to help do the investigating. It quickly becomes apparent that Father O'Neil's murder was due to him looking in to the business dealings of various people who weren't happy with his snooping.
Whilst Watching "Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun" I found myself thinking something was not quite right about it and it wasn't until it was over that I put my finger on it. Quite simply it felt like all those involved, including the director, were doing there own thing which makes it not so much uneven but a TV movie where you get a bit of this and a bit of that. What I mean is that whilst you have Raymond Burr turning in a solid but routine performance as Perry Mason you then have William Katt trying to bring more comedy to the role of Paul. This is topped off by the director who goes over the top when it comes to the courtroom scenes especially one where Sister Margaret takes to the stand and the DA tries to make her lose her temper. It simply makes "Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun" feel all over the place.
Despite this "Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun" is still entertaining, I don't think there is a "Perry Mason" movie which isn't entertaining, and with the routine elements of Perry getting under people's skin with his questions, the revelations in the courtroom and of course Paul doing the leg work it ticks all the usual boxes.
What this all boils down to is that "Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun" is certainly not the best "Perry mason" movie as it does feel a little all over the place. But even a troubled "Perry mason" movie is a good one.
Tags: Perry Mason
