Agatha and the Truth of Murder

For a made for Tv drama this was very good. understated, simple, but well executed. I never would have guessed the whole plot, but perhaps I enjoyed it more because I really wasn't expecting much!?

In 1926 the authoress Agatha Christie famously disappeared for eleven days then reappeared claiming no knowledge of what happened; this story imagines what might have happened. Agatha is suffering writer's block and her husband is seeking a divorce; then she is approached to solve a real murder. Initially unenthusiastic she later agrees and starts investigating. Pretending to be a lawyer named Mary Westmacott she assembles the suspects, with the lure of a large inheritance and starts questioning them. She quickly realises that real mysteries and works of fiction are quite different.

I confess I was a little unsure about the premise of putting a real person in an obviously fictional situation... but surprisingly it really works if you can suspend your disbelief somewhat. The story nicely combines known facts about her life at the time with an interesting fiction. The mystery she investigates has the feel of one of her stories, perhaps somewhat helped by the way the time period is captured. There are a good number of suspects, each with their own motives, as well as one or two red herrings. The cast are really good; most notably Ruth Bradley as Agatha Christie, Pippa Haywood, as the woman who brought the mystery to her and Tim McInnerny as one of the suspects. As stated before it is necessary to suspends one's disbelief at times; noticeably towards the end when a local policeman recognises our protagonist but does tell the authorities despite it being made clear that there is a nationwide manhunt for her. Overall though this was a fine murder mystery that could easily have come from the pen of the great women herself.

This was a very enjoyable and engrossing drama that was much better than I had anticipated. The characters were well defined and well acted, the story was engrossing (if a little far-fetched), and the production quality was top-notch. Ruth Bradley was extremely engaging as Agatha Christie and it was lovely to see Pippa Haywood on our screens again. Yeah, it was good!

I saw this movie with my mom, and we both enjoyed it. As a fan of Agatha Christie's work, it was certainly interesting to see this visial take on her strange disappearance. Much more interesting than the book entitled: Agatha, which was about the same thing. I don't think I shall ever feel the need to watch it again, but it accomplished what was expected.

The plot moved slowly, so it probably wouldn't appeal to viewers who appreciate more action. It actually reminded both my mother and I of the 2015 mini-series, And Then There Were None, based on Christie's novel with the same name. Of course, it does not move towards the same ending, but the basic idea was there.

A note on the profanity: one of the characters dropped the f-bomb a few times, and while I am not well-read about the time period, I'm fairly sure it wouldn't have been used the way it is used, today. It wasn't offensive enough to warrant a true rant, but it's there.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fictional (but implausable) take on the reason Agatha Christie went missing in 1926. She dissappeared to go and solve a murder! And we are too happy she did that :) Very good acting throughout and good script and sometimes sharp dialogue and witty observations bring this fictional tale alive and make for an enjoyable 90 minute of viewing. References to Agatha's novels abound in this film