Lord Edgware Dies

I have watched Poirot: Lord Edgeware Dies twice now and I have found it terribly, terribly enjoyable. David Suchet really brings the character of Hercule Poirot to life for me. (Fun also to watch the by-play between the single Belgian detective and his now married English friend, Captain Hastings) A very interesting character study and a good lesson on just how much trust one should give to a client. The movie keeps one guessing till the end.

Unlike "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", as far as I remember it stays EXACTLY the same as the book. As usual, the ending is quite a suprise. David Suchet (who played Japp himself, without a script, and admires Philip Jackson) shines as usual, but I thought Hugh Fraser looked somewhat plumper. A re-make of a stupid TV movie called "Agatha Christie's Thirteen at Dinner", which had an aging Peter Ustinov as Poirot and, as I before mentioned, Suchet as Japp. Enjoyable whodunit.

Lord Edgeware dies: he gets stabbed in the neck, and there are plenty of suspects around. Poirot gets involved in the case, along with his friend Captain Hastings who has just returned from Argentina after a misguided investment.

The reunion of the 4 series regulars (Suchet, Fraser, Jackson and Moran) after a couple of years gives a warm feeling to this episode, but its chief virtue remains Agatha Christie's plot. Her technique here involves a daring double-deception: she takes the obvious truth and camouflages it to the point where you never think of it! But even the little details of the story ("Paris...") are brilliant, and everything gets perfectly explained at the end. Helen Grace gives an astonishing, scene-stealing performance. This is easily in the Top 5 episodes of the series up to this point. (***1/2)

After his short-lived retirement and country living, Hercule Poirot is back in his flat in London. Miss Lemon is back as his assistant. Hastings is back from Argentina, semi-broke after a bad investment decision and sans bride. Chief Inspector Japp is around, so the old gang are reunited, and have a dinner to celebrate. A few days later, Poirot gets drawn into the private lives of curmudgeonly Lord Edgware and his beautiful young actress wife, Jane Wilkinson. Lady Jane wants a divorce and Lord Edgware won't accede to her request. She asks Poirot, as a friend of Lord Edgware, to try to convince him. When Poirot speaks to Lord Edgware it is revealed that he decided to agree a month earlier, and informed Lady Jane of this in writing. Lady Jane says she never received the letter. Later that night, Lord Edgware is murdered, and witnesses say that they saw Lady Jane entering his study around the time of the murder. However, soon hereafter an actress, Carlotta Adams, is found dead in her bed from a drug overdose. Poirot had deduced that she had impersonated Lady Jane that night, but arrived too late to prevent her death. So it looks like Carlotta Adams killed Lord Edgware, but, as Poirot believes it was murder, who killed Carlotta Adams?

Intriguing, as always, with some great twists and turns. One or two implausibilities but a reasonably good plot nonetheless. Great to see Hastings back - his naivety, lack of objectivity with regard to female suspects and accidental crime-solving make him one of my favourite long-term characters in the Hercule Poirot series. After Poirot, of course...

"Lord Edgware Dies" is part of the Poirot starring David Suchet series, but it was also a TV movie with Peter Ustinov and Faye Dunaway called "Thirteen at Dinner." I love both of them; Ustinov created his own character, which was hilarious, while Suchet IS the Christie Poirot. Kind of like Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple and the Marple Christie created. Very different but both good.

This adaptation has a couple of flaws, though the story is enjoyable and well done. I'll be honest and say that after seeing Carlotta Adams' (Fiona Allen) act in the club, I don't know that I'd think she was good at impersonations.

The second flaw is the one that has been mentioned previously; I won't belabor it.

One thing that makes this episode fun is the presence of Miss Lemon, Japp, and Hastings.

Helen Grace is gorgeous as Jane Wilkinson and those clothes -- no expense spared in any of these episodes.