$leeps, I agree about those scenes in "Murder by the Book". I especially like that driving scene you mentioned, not only for the eerie atmosphere, but also because of the subtle foreshadowing of the final clue with Jim's reference to feeling a sense of deja vu. Another scene from "Murder by the Book" that stands out for me is the part where Ken is tearing up Jim's office; aside from the great camera work, I love the devilish glee Jack Cassidy exhibits making that mess, with all subsequent similar scenes in the series looking mundane by comparison.
I do like older, arty films, Grant, so it definitely sounds like one I could get into, though I'm not so into the WW2 setting. I should try it out, though; at the very least it will give me a broader perspective of Peter Falk's career (admittedly, I haven't seen him in too much other than "Columbo").