Columbo’s third (and final) adventure outside of Los Angeles, A Matter of Honor saw him investigating murder by bull during a supposed holiday south of the border.
Placed in confrontation with national hero Don Luis Montoya – a matador of legendary status – the Lieutenant must battle an opponent who is bigger than God in his homeland, while also overcoming his own lack of understanding of the supposedly noble art of bullfighting.
Although generally considered a lesser effort by the series’ 70s standards, A Matter of Honor still predictably contains a number of cracking moments that ensure ample viewer reward. But what are its bestest bits? Let’s saddle up and see…
5. Columbo’s calf exercises
While taking a gentle stroll around the stunning Montoya estate, Columbo is given an almighty fright by a breakaway bull. Moving like a man possessed, Columbo saves his own skin by hurdling a low wall – only then to fully appreciate how adorably teeny and unthreatening the baby bull is, as he is jeered by walking stereotype Miguel.
Columbo has never moved faster than this under his own steam. Heck, he rarely moves this swiftly when he’s at the wheel of the Peugeot! It all adds to a delightful little moment from an episode in low on genuine highlights.
4. Creative book-peeping
Columbo’s mile-wide devious streak is as clear as day as he dupes his chief suspect into letting him get hold of some crucial intel to strengthen his case.
Having found evidence of bull tranquilliser in murder victim Hector Rangel’s bloodstream, the Lieutenant begs to get a glance at Montoya’s accounts book, which chronicles the purchase of such potentially dangerous products.
Afforded the privilege he seeks by his host, Columbo immediately betrays the trust placed in him and flips further into the book to get a sight of the most recent entries. There he finds what he’s looking for: the last month’s accounts are complete and were signed off by Montoya three days before Hector was fatally gored. Why, then, did the Don claim that Hector had requested extra time to work on the books on the day of his death? Either Montoya turned a blind eye to Hector’s blatant lies, or he is lying himself!
For the first time, Montoya properly loses his cool. He rages against Columbo’s lack of appreciation for the concept of honour, and icily ejects the detective from his premises in classic fashion: “My courtesy has been rewarded with accusation. I must ask you to leave my house and not return.”
A great moment because it marks that the game has changed. Columbo isn’t trying to disguise his intent any more. Montoya is in his sights and not even a legendary matador is going to be able to escape his inexorable pursuit of justice.
3. The low-speed fender-bender
The scurrilous stereotypes come thick and fast during Columbo’s episode introduction, when a gentle collision between his Peugeot and a parked car results in half the town thronging around the bewildered holidaymaker.
The driver of the stationary vehicle lies back and pretends to have broken his neck, while a passenger wrings her hands and demands “dinero” from Columbo to make amends for this outrage. Heavy-handed law enforcement and traffic officials emerge out of nowhere to seize his ID and before the Lieutenant can say “Ay caramba!” his car is being towed away and he believes himself placed under arrest.
Luckily Columbo’s ID is his path to salvation. Hero-worshipped by the local police chief after this stunning work in wrapping up the cruise ship murder in Troubled Waters a year earlier, Commandante Sanchez will speed up the paperwork on Columbo’s car if he’ll agree to help him investigate a tragic death at the Montoya Ranch. Left with little choice, the Lieutenant signs on and heads off to a date with destiny.
2. The honourable choice
I’m not a great fan of this episode’s gotcha (Columbo risking his chief suspect’s life is a little too hard core for my liking), but Montoya’s ultimate decision to choose honour ahead of vengeance gave the legendary matador a suitably noble exit.
Visibly seething after a public humiliation, Montoya give every impression of a man out for blood as he stalks toward the Lieutenant with a face like thunder and a deadly estoque in hand. It’s one of those rare occasions when Columbo himself actually looks like he believes he’s in trouble.
However, rather than run his adversary through, Montoya decides against making a bad situation worse. Instead of wrapping the sword around Columbo’s insides, he wraps it in his muleta and hands both over to the policeman: a clear and public sign of the respect he holds for the man who has brought his world crashing down. We see in this moment that Montoya is not entirely irredeemable and he is, at the last, a man of honour.
1. The police bromance
Not a single scene, more an episode-long love-in during which the bonds of respect and friendship between Columbo and Sanchez naturally and enjoyably grow.
Columbo is the more dominant figure throughout, mentoring Sanchez and providing the inspiration and guidance he needs to first accept Montoya’s guilt and then play an active support role in closing the case.
Instead of a lazy and corrupt stereotype, Sanchez is a good-natured, honest family man, who is keen to do his duty and learn from the best. He’s not unlike Columbo in many ways, and certainly wily enough to keep the Lieutenant around long enough to help him make the arrest that will have the whole of Mexico talking.
It’s an impressive performance from Pedro Armendáriz Jr, who gives us one of the most likable and believable support stars from the entire series. And for once, Columbo interacts with a police counterpart who’s not a bungling oaf. Winning!
Instead of a lazy and corrupt stereotype, Sanchez is a good-natured, honest family man, who is keen to do his duty and learn from the best.
Well muchachos, that’s it for today. But before I grab my bottle of mescal and head off for a siesta in a field, don’t be afraid to check out my full review of A Matter of Honor right here. You can also find out where Luis Montoya ranks in the sartorial stakes in this list of best-dressed Columbo killers.
Until next time, adios!
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Watched this yesterday on 5 USA and despiste being well presented the gotcha is very weak and makes no sense at all the conclusion of by dawns early light wich also aired yesterday is miles better dedpite the episode being a tad boring overall
I can’t seem to muster 5 positives about this episode or any others from season 5 (with the exception of Now You See Him and maybe Forgotten Lady). The funniest part of A Matter of Honor is seeing the drunk Vaqueros in the back of the truck headed to town, and the dude in the car that Columbo whacked from behind, acting like he has whiplash, or ‘weeplash’. Other than that, a very weak outing.
Yes also agree, well said; interesting to see him in a different environment.
Thank you for the brief review. I happened to see the episode a few weeks ago, so it was good to get some perspective. Not one of the best original series Columbo episodes, in my opinion, but as you mention, the relationship between Columbo and Sanchez is unique in the Columbo opus. It’s satisfying to see the Columbo work with an officer who is as committed (and frankly as conniving) as our lieutenant.
Perhaps not the greatest ever episode of Columbo; for me that’s Murder By The Book – but, any episode of Columbo or indeed any TV show or film, that stars both Peter Falk and Ricardo Montalban, has got to be worth watching.
I agree – I really like this episode, with a few minor changes could have been a top tenner, but as it is still pretty good.
We can analyse and over-analyse Columbo episodes till the cows come home but a good rule of thumb is – do you like re-watching the episode, maybe in your box collection or when repeated on the TV – this one passes that test in spades!
Before we even discuss any other pros and cons, for the life of me I never understood the need to have Columbo in London, on a cruise in international waters or this shakier than comprehensible Mexican foray?!
The greatest portion of the unspoken foundation for his idiosyncracies, particularly his “ relentlessly invasive” nagging and questioning of suspects
was the wide range of powers granted a police lieutenant in his own jurisdiction!
The minute he entered other places, particularly with his coat, he begins to strike one as either slightly psychotic or possessing no other traits ever!
Then too, having a husband who works 100 hours a week is a workaholic in his own territory, but what kind of beloved wife tolerates whole vacations being completely dominated, on personal time, in a trenchcoat, in Mexico or on a ship?
The need? Variety, something special to promote, and the opportunity for Universal to showcase its program to new markets. The source of Columbo’s extra-jurisdictional authority? The imprimatur of someone in high authority locally making it clear that Columbo is entitled to ask what he’s asking. Mrs. C? She’s always had her own interests, and may appreciate the space her husband affords her to pursue them without his interference.
Some of my favorite episodes are when he is out of his element on vacation. WORK is a vacation for him. He simply loves what he does for a living. We should all be so lucky. Plus HE never feels out of place. The Columbo character is very confident and comfortable in his own skin.
Well put, Johnna. I agree with your assessment of Columbo’s character absolutely.
Just a tiny fine detail, but in ‘”Columbo: Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo”; Columbo: Season 9, Episode 4’ I believe that our good detective flies off to San Francisco to consult with the murderess’s psychiatrist. So, if you consider that a mini-adventure, then “A Matter of Honor” would technically not be Columbo’s final outing outside of Los Angeles. Anyway, I thought that was worth pointing out. Thanks.
Muchas gracias por todos tus artículos.
Son absolutamente geniales.
Saludos desde España de una verdadera fan de Colombo.
Muchas gracias por todos tus artículos.
Son totalmente geniales.
Saludos desde España de una verdadera fan de Colombo.
As CP notes, the relationship between Columbo and Comandante Sanchez is a major highlight of “A Matter of Honor”. And that is the very problem with the episode – we care more about the interactions between Columbo and Sanchez than we do about the back-and-forth between Columbo and Montoya.
Ricardo Montalban is a strong actor, and his villainous glee is on full display in his “Star Trek” Khan role. Where is that actor here? While Montalban can’t play it too over-the-top (after all, Montoya’s good friend has presumably just been gored by a bull), in “Honor” he is way too grim, dour, and serious, drained of virtually all the charisma that would come with being a legendary ex-matador.
It’s no help that Montoya’s contacts with Columbo are limited to 3 before the final scene. That’s hardly enough to establish the necessary build-up of confrontational palaver between Columbo and Killer that makes a great episode. We revel in the joy of the hunt (some would say stalking) as Columbo hounds his target from place-to-place. This is not for mere aggravation’s sake. There is a psychological purpose to Columbo’s actions related to the science of proxemics – the invasion of personal space. Compounding the problem is that the limited contacts only happen at Montoya’s ranch, contributing to the show’s dreary claustrophobic feel for the Columbo-Montoya exchanges.
Compare this to Columbo’s interactions with Sanchez. Not only are there are at least 6 total meetings with him, they are spread out over a variety of sites, including lively local outdoor settings. When the personal chemistry with the cop is heightened over that with the killer, you have a major problem. Would “Candidate for Crime” be improved by seeing Columbo chit-chat more with Sergeant Vernon than Nelson Hayward? (I mean, beyond the fact that it might make Vernon a much better detective).
As Levinson and Link knew, the last thing Columbo needed was a crimefighting cohort.
As Glenn says, Columbo was designed to work, and works best, as a lone wolf. The occasional appearances by a sidekick — the Sgt. Wilson twins, Mac Albinsky, Sgt. Brady (RIP, Mrs. C) — prompt the question: why? Sidekicks serve several possible functions. The Watson role — to be dumber than Columbo, i.e., to suspect the wrong person, so Columbo looks doubly brilliant. Wilson was great at this. He fell for every red herring laid by the killer. Often that’s the audience’s job, but it’s not a role the audience can fill when it’s already watched the murderer commit the crime.
Then there’s the supplies-the-missing-piece function. Wilson did this, too. Columbo was the Luddite; he didn’t know what metal detectors did or how a typewriter could work without the carriage moving. Wilson was more tech-savvy. Although how hard would it have been to give Columbo a little more technical know-how? He learned to work a tape recorder in “Mind Over Mayhem.” He was always a quick study on wines, subliminal cuts, etc. Did Wilson really need to teach him everything?
There’s also the explainer function. Something needs to be explained to the audience. Either the plot is getting too difficult to follow or something key to the solution is slightly esoteric. So Columbo needs someone to tell him — or someone he can tell. Usually, it’s the murderer, or a store clerk or someone of that ilk. But it could be Ned Diamond or a ship’s doctor, for example.
Finally, there’s the enabler function. That’s where Commandante Sanchez comes in. And Chief Superintendent Durk and Captain Gibbon. Without them, Columbo has no authority to do anything. Other sidekicks could be written out of the episode with a little creative jiggering. Not these guys.
Then the question is: how much of a role do these enablers need to have? That’s Glenn’s issue. I do think that stripping their parts down completely would make them feeble characters. But Glenn’s point is well taken. Maybe “A Matter of Honor” didn’t need less of Sanchez but more of Montoya. Maybe, for once, the extra 30 minutes would have been worthwhile.
David Koenig’s “Shooting Columbo” spends 3 pages on the many, many issues that plagued production of this episode. To your point, Rich, they thought about stretching it to 2 hours, but knew they were lucky to get a decent 90 minutes. With more time to hone the script and better prep, they could have probably been able to have more Montoya and the production ability to move at least one encounter to an off-ranch location (we know that Montoya does, in fact, leave the ranch for public appearances, which would have been nice to see, if only to confirm Montoya’s larger-than-life reputation with his fans).
For the record, I can think of several episodes much less watchable than this one. But sometimes you have to play the hand you’re dealt, and I suspect that was the case for everything about this episode.
I’m not a big critic of this episode. I look at the ethic stereotyping through the lens of when it was made. I love negative clues (like the absence of water spots on the muleta); Columbo has far too few of them. And I have a great fondness for motives and gotchas that go to the core of what makes the murderer tick. Plus, AMOH offers us a unique Columbo murder weapon. Could all of these elements have been executed better? Perhaps. But simply their presence is notable.
Would you also include, in a very weird way as a sidekick, Detective Lucerne as well in Fade in to Murder?
Ah — no. No more than if the murderer were a ventriloquist, and Columbo interviewed the dummy. Lucerne is Ward Fowler: the murderer, not Columbo’s sidekick.
Ha Glenn, with all due respect, I couldn’t disagree more about the interaction between Columbo and Montoya. I may be one of the few fans here who rate this episode very highly, it’s a top ten one for me, and I like Ricardo Montalban’s Montoya very much. As Columbophile notes in his best moment #2, Montoya’s surrender, I think the way he treats his Honor is amazing and his motive for murder is utterly unique. It has Columbo stumped for a good while – but getting to know his target and finding the discrepancies in his story make him gradually understand. For me, that gradual understanding, his getting to grips with another place, another culture and a suspect like he’s never encountered before, is a real treat to watch. Also, the Montoya character contrasting with Sanchez works very well, in my opinion.