虽然同类型剧集往往追求华丽的枪战与激烈的打斗来争夺眼球,但《神探可伦坡》却极其反套路地选择了“以退为进”的叙事美学。主角的特质在于他“甚至懒得表现自己在推理”的漫不经心,甚至在结尾才显露蛛丝马迹。它不像传统剧集那样急于展示真相,而是通过宏大的庄园宴会或地下密室,在极致的灯光与音乐反差中,将观众拽入一个“等待死神降临”的窒息空间。这种“高尚外表与卑劣罪行”的强烈反差,利用法尔克和利等演员精湛的精湛演技,构建出了极具张力的心理博弈。建议喜欢慢推理、注重心理博弈而非动作场面的观众观看。对于厌倦了高燃特技、渴望欣赏演员细腻演技和开放式推理的观众,这部“反高潮”神作绝对值得一试。
Many criminals made the mistake of underestimating Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide investigator with a crumpled trench-coat and a beat-up car, who certainly acted as an incompetent bumbler. But he was so polite to every suspect, and he talked so much about his wife (who we never got to see on any episode, but who many believe later had her own show, starring Kate Mulgrew, later of Star Trek Voyager fame) that he lulled even the shrewdest murderer into a false sense of security. And although the audience had witnessed the murder in the beginning of each episode, it was still a surprise to see what mistakes the killers had made during the seemingly perfect murder.