Appointment With Death

Agatha Christie Collection featuring Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot (Dead Man's Folly / Murder in Three Acts / Thirteen at Dinner) Before the suave David Suchet, there was the imposing, twinkly Peter Ustinov as Agatha Christie's unflappable Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. Ustinov's Poirot, who appeared in several TV films of Christie's works in the mid-'80s, is not as metrosexual as Suchet's. He plays Po...	Death on the Nile Following Albert Finney's quirky and compelling performance as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, in 1974's Murder on the Orient Express, Peter Ustinov capably took over the role in this 1978 adaptation of Christie's river-bound whodunit. While on a pleasure cru...	Evil Under the Sun Mostly for Poirot completists and admirers of then-trendy, all-star ensemble casts from the 1970s and early '80s, Evil Under the Sun finds Peter Ustinov in his second outing as Agatha Christie's famous Belgian detective (three years after 1978's Death on the Nile). As the title p...	Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express Just the name "Orient Express" conjures images of a bygone era. Add an all-star cast (including Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, and Lauren Bacall, to name a few) and Agatha Christie's delicious plot and how can you go wrong? Particularly if you add in Albert Finn...	Agatha Christie Classic Mystery Collection (Murder Is Easy/Caribbean Mystery/Murder with Mirrors/Thirteen for Dinner/Dead Man's Folly/Murder in Three Acts/Sparkling Cyanide/The Man in the Brown Suit) The grande dame of teacake murder mysteries, Agatha Christie, has kept generations of readers--and viewers--in her thrall, and this magnificent boxed set is a must for any Christie fan, rabid or casual. The collection includes eight films made for British TV in the '80s, most sta...
The Mirror Crack'd Angela Lansbury does the honors as Agatha Christie's determined sleuth, Miss Marple, in this adaptation of Christie's novel. A washed-up movie star (Elizabeth Taylor) is attempting to make a comeback but is driven to distraction by a mysterious event from her past. Also problemat...	Agatha Christie Mysteries (Death on the Nile / Evil Under the Sun / The Mirror Crack'd) Death on the Nile Following Albert Finney's quirky and compelling performance as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, in 1974's Murder on the Orient Express, Peter Ustinov capably took over the role in this 1978 adaptation of Christie's river-bound whodunit. While...	And Then There Were None At first glance, René Clair might seem an odd match for Agatha Christie's mystery thriller Ten Little Indians, but his buoyant touch is exactly what is missing from so many overly solemn remakes. Ten strangers gather for a mysterious gathering on a secluded island. It turns out...	Murder by Death Neil Simon wrote this 1976 spoof in which virtually every famous fictional detective of the 1930s and 1940s congregate at the home of a mysterious fellow (Truman Capote) to try and solve the mystery of who's trying to kill them all. Simon's jokes are mostly obvious, and the film'...	Poirot - Classic Crimes Collection (The Mystery of the Blue Train / After the Funeral / Cards on the Table / Taken at the Flood) The incomparable David Suchet reprises his role as Agatha Christie's indefatigable Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot in this collection of four A&E teleplays. Poirot is older now, and mostly solo in solving his crimes, without his previous sidekicks Hastings and Japp. Yet the world-w...

An Appointment with Death, Comparison
This is not quite as polished as Evil Under the Sun and Death on the Nile, also with Peter Ustinov. It still has the same kind of star power because Lauren Bacall and Piper Laurie are both in this. The story is also still good and I did enjoy it. But I didn't like it as well as the other two I mentioned and I probably won't watch it again.

My Favorite Agatha Christie Film
I have never read the book (sheepish grin), but I love this movie. I'm sure it has some weak points but the all star cast and the twist ending (always guaranteed with a Christie story) leave me entertained every time I watch it. I'm only dissappointe din the fact that this movie not available in the U.S. in DVD format. I'd be first in line for a copy of this film on DVD!!

Why isn't this on DVD?
For pity's sake, the other five Ustinov Poirots are on DVD...this is the only one that isn't. Come on already!

"I never forget a name or a face."
Mr. Boynton (whom we never see) passes away. Mrs. Emily Boynton (Piper Laurie) who used to be a matron in a prison is hard as tacks. She blackmails the family lawyer (David Soul) into burning a recent will, and preserving an earlier one that gave everything to Emily. Emily gets even nastier with her children and step children. It does not stop there she snubs just about everyone. So guess who gets killed. This movie has everything that makes an Agatha Christie movie great. Everyone is a suspect. Everybody could have done it. Only Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) can figure this out. Naturally Hercule Poirot is in the right place at the right time to hear everything and extract the truth. You need to add this one to your collection.

Not the best Ustinov Poirot movie by a long shot
Ustinov made six appearances as Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and while the rest are masterpieces which very closely followed Christie's books, this one made some significant variations. While the location is excellent, the cast certainly high powered, and Ustinov's performance certainly outstanding, this movie dragged throughout the first half of the movie, and the second half wasn't much better. It might be the reason why this seems to be the only one of Ustinov's Poirot movies still not available on DVD, or maybe because it was produced by that pioneer of B movies, Cannon Films. If you enjoy Hercule Poirot, then you should get this movie for collection purposes only.