Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Peter Ustinov basically plays himself with an outrageous accent in his Poirot films. For those of us who like Ustinov that may be enough. But you can't help comparing him with David Suchet, which isn't really fair, since Suchet is the quintessential Poirot. Hastings, whom Christie herself didn't care for, is played as a real idiot in these films, and it is grating to see Ustinov put him down so dreadfully. How is Hastings supposed to have worked in intelligence with half a brain? Suchet manages to keep some kindness in dealing with Hastings in his series. And Hastings is better played there.
So why do I think these films are entertaining? First, the scenery. There was a real effort put forth by the art and location departments. Very seldom do you feel like you are looking at a stage set. There is also the nostalgia of seeing stars of yesteryear - Jean Stapleton, Tony Curtis, Faye Dunaway, etc., ham it up in their parts. But for me, the real treat is to see David Suchet play Inspector Japp in "Thirteen at Dinner". That's why this set is a keeper for me. Suchet is a great actor and he does a good job with Japp (though not as good as the rumpled, loveable Japp in his own series), with only a mannerism here and there foreshadowing his later portrayals of Poirot. The mysteries are no mystery for those of us who have read Christie and watched all the renditions of Christie, but they're fun to watch portrayed differently. As another reviewer said, Ustinov's 'Evil Under the Sun' and 'Death on the Nile' are probably better done. But these are entertaining as well. You might want to rent them first to see if you really want to own them.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Agatha Christie Collection featuring Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot (Dead Man's Folly / Murder in Three Acts / Thirteen at Dinner) (1986)
You're in good company with Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov), Agatha Christie's impeccable Belgian sleuth who's always at his best at chic soirees where the hospitality is warm...and the corpses are cold. Match wits with the master in this full-course banquet of mystery involving a country-house game of murder turned real (Dead Man's Folly), a move star turned amateur detective (Murder in Three Acts), and a dinner part turned deadly (Thirteen at Dinner). Bon appetit!
