Movie

Clue (1985) – Ending A

Clue is the lowest-ranked entry on my list, but I consider all these villainess selections to be at least “superior”, and many didn’t make the final cut. The movie is loosely based on the classic whodunnit board game (known as Cluedo in the UK). Set in 1950s New England, events take place – like all good murder mysteries – in an isolated, spooky mansion. It’s a splendid setting, suitably spacious and creepy, with a multitude of secret passages and dark areas for potential killers to hide.

The story begins with six guests arriving. They use aliases that match the game characters from the classic American version: Mr Green, Colonel Mustard, Mrs Peacock, Professor Plum, Miss Scarlet, and Mrs White. All six have connections to Washington, D.C. and mysterious pasts they want to keep secret. Three staff members are also present: the butler Wadsworth, the maid Yvette, and an unnamed female cook. The hired helpers are as suspicious as the guests, and any of them could have murderous intent.

Shortly after dinner, it’s revealed a seventh guest named Mr Boddy is blackmailing the rest, and that the whole gathering is a setup arranged by Wadsworth to expose him. Things take a sinister turn when Mr Boddy presents the others with six weapons (also based on the board game) and makes a deadly proposal: that someone kill Wadsworth to keep the matter secret. Turns out this wasn’t the best plan, as the blackmailer ends up a victim. And it was a dumb move to switch off the lights, which the killer used to their advantage.

And so begins a rather chaotic and darkly comic murder mystery. Other nameless characters, such as the motorist and the cop, are introduced. For those counting, there are six “extras” that get bumped off, each in a different location with a unique weapon. This is a plot device to keep the six primary suspects on the table as potential killers, and to mix in some action amidst the snooping and bitter accusations.

The humour is hit and miss. Some of the better scenes have guests attempting to conceal the murderous goings-on from the visitors. The section where the suspects split into pairs to search the mansion works especially well. However, repetitive gags, such as Mr Green saying “I didn’t do it” whenever a body is discovered, become tedious after a while. There’s an overlong recap towards the end where Wadsworth enthusiastically recounts events in annoying detail, complete with overacting and high drama.While funny to start with, eventually you want the annoying butler to take his guests’ advice and just get on with it.

However, all this is preamble to the ending. Or rather, three endings. The ambiguous conclusion is what most viewers will remember the movie for. When released in cinemas, only one of the three different endings was shown. These were later edited together and separated by title cards for the home video version, and have since become known as endings A, B, and C based on the order.

Villainesses

Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren), Yvette (Colleen Camp)

For villainess fans, the first ending is arguably the best. The motive and movements fit better than endings B and C, and the killers are exclusively female.

Ending A has Miss Scarlet as the main killer, with Yvette the maid as an accomplice who kills Mr Boddy and the cook. That’s before her scheming employer strangles her. Miss Scarlet also murdered the motorist, policeman, and a singing telegram girl, who were all revealed to be part of a complex blackmail plot. Miss Scarlet’s confessed motive is that she’s a proud capitalist. Yvette was uncovering the other guest’s secrets, which Miss Scarlet planned to sell. Except for the motorist, we get to sell all the murders re-enacted.

Police arrive in force to arrest Scarlet, but not before she takes part in possibly the best joke of the movie. This revolves (literally) around how many shots were fired during the movie, and whether any bullets remained in the gun. Turns out Miss Scarlet can count and Wadsworth can’t, as he discovers to his detriment when he proclaims the gun empty before shooting a chandelier. Oops!

Honourable Mentions: Clue Endings

Unlike other reviews, the honourable mentions are from the same film, covering endings B and C. Villainess fans will be pleased to know all three conclusions have at least one female killer.

Clue (1985) – Ending B – Mrs Peacock (Eileen Brennan)

Ending B is the least satisfying, mainly because there’s only a single killer. Even for a comedy, this is not plausible given the number of murders and the need to avoid detection. And despite six victims, no murders are shown in flashback, unlike endings A and C. This makes ending B feel somewhat tacked on, as if it were filmed last and less effort was put into it.

After a lacklustre reveal, the best part is the villainess’ arrest when the police chief arrives disguised as an evangelist and boldly states “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” That’s the cue for dramatic floodlights to switch on and a small army of cops to descend on Peacock to foil her escape. But overall, it’s a disappointing climax.

Clue (1985) – Ending C – Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren), Mrs Peacock (Eileen Brennan), Mrs White (Madeleine Kahn)

Ending C is the fan favourite, and often regarded as canon based on the “what really happened” title card. From a comedy perspective, it works well because it’s chaotic. In this resolution, all the guests except for one commit a murder, often to remove blackmail evidence. The exception is Mrs White, who strangles Yvette just because she annoyed her. Wadsworth reveals himself to be the real Mr Boddy and the mastermind behind the whole thing. Yes, the butler did it.

Unfortunately, the lack of a single main villainess makes it all feel unsatisfying, and the killings come across as random rather than meticulously planned. Ultimately, Mr Green is unveiled as an undercover FBI agent and takes down the real blackmailer in a brief shootout. Then the six killers are arrested together.