The Mystery of the Blue Train

In the brief making-of feature included with the DVD of this episode, the screenwriter points out that Agatha Christie considered this one of her weakest novels, and that they had taken quite a few liberties in its adaptation. Purists will probably be angry at this, but it's my guess (never having read the book, mind you) that most of the changes must have been improvements. Because the final story presented on the screen is far from Christie's worst - in fact, it is closer to her best.

Although I liked "Sad Cypress" and "The Hollow" very much, it was mostly due to the direction and performances - the mysteries, though undeniably very clever (especially in their killing methods), felt somewhat thin. The "Mystery of the Blue Train" is the exact opposite of thin: it presents a complex web of interconnected plots and subplots, and a wide variety of characters / suspects, all of them colorfully brought to life by a first-rate cast (truly, there is not one weak performance in this film). You're not even sure who is going to get bumped off until he / she does! David Suchet gets the chance to do one of his showiest "Poirot gathering all the suspects, accusing everyone and taking his sweet time before revealing the truth" sequences at the end, and he's clearly enjoying himself after the low-key performance he has given up to that point in the film. There are also some "modern" elements introduced - more cursing than before, and even some (practically unnoticeable) CGI - but somehow everything works like a charm.

Poirot - 10th season and still going strong! (***)

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, it was very gripping, very compelling and fun. Story wise, this adaptation of The Mystery of the Blue Train is disappointing, the plot changes are a great many and some parts were rather hard to follow. Plus I found some of the final solution on the contrived side, and the direction flawed. Flaws aside, the locations, scenery, photography, costumes and sets are gorgeous and picturesque and the train itself is imposing. The music has real flair to it as well, the script has its amusing and thoughtful moments and I thought the acting in general was fine. David Suchet of course is exceptional, and Elliot Gould is good as Rufus. James D'Arcy is very handsome and acts well, the character of Derek Kettering is rather unlikeable at first, but later you believe that he is innocent. Georgina Rylance is sweet and alluring as Katherine, Lindsay Duncan is delightful and Jaime Murray is attractive enough as Ruth. I was not a fan though of Nicholas Farrell's Knighton, the character I felt wasn't developed that well and Farrell couldn't seem to do anything with it. Overall, an uneven adaptation but in terms of production values and some good performances it is worth seeing. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox

I am not a terribly big fan of Agatha Christie, but "Mystery of the Blue Train" is one of her novels that I did in fact like and was therefore thrilled to hear that they've made this TV adaptation as part of the "Poirot" series with David Suchet.

Unfortunately, it was not to be... it started on the wrong foot immediately with the way it was directed--was there no one around to rein the director in? Everything seems shot in darkness, through smoke, half-obscured, half-reflected in mirrors, etc. It's often difficult to even see the faces of actors because of this.

Of course, that would probably be bearable if the screenplay adaptation wasn't so bad. It takes amazing liberties with the novel (some of which have been already mentioned in other comments) that I couldn't believe. The storyline doesn't seem to make any sense any more, and the dynamic between some of the characters has been completely changed.

In conclusion, do not go anywhere near this movie if you've liked the novel at all.

POIROT has been cherished by Agatha Christie fans for keeping close to the original novel 9 times out of 10. For some reason, 3 of the 4 episodes this season have changed the plot until it's unrecognizable. Will the faithful Poirot ever return? Not very likely-- unfortunately, the faithful Poirot seems to have ended when Agatha Christie's daughter died. Matthew Pritchard says his grandmother wouldn't have minded the changes-- he is 99% of the time wrong, but he may have been right this time. Agatha Christie said several times that THE MYSTERY OF THE BLUE TRAIN was her worst novel ever, and she hated it. I do not share her opinion. I liked the book how it was. No changes are required if it's an Agatha Christie-- her name on the book is a guarantee that it's perfect.

The changes made in the movie are innumerable. This is a complete rewrite of the book-- it's the NEMESIS of the Poirot season. Did the screenwriter read the book? However, if you put the changes behind you and try to sit back and enjoy the movie, you may end up liking it.

I must acknowledge that when you watch this, having read the book, you will definitely be struck by the amount of changes that were made, but in all fairness it wasn't one of The Great Dame's finest works, it paled into comparison against the other train set mystery.

The story adaptation is good I thought, the story is well paced, and it features some nice characters. The story is quite dark, with some tragic themes.

My main gripe is with some of the characters, I don't think I've ever said that before about a Poirot, Lindsay Duncan plays Lady Tamplin like Eddie's long lost sister from Absolutely Fabulous, Jaime Murray's Ruth Kettering is rather poor, and even Elliot Gould I found a little off. Thank goodness for Josette Simon, who I thought was fantastic, so Charismatic, she stood out.

The direction was fine, the location work terrific. It's good, just doesn't shine like the others in this series do. 7/10