If another actor had assumed the role of the great Belgian detective, setting this in the present day may not have been so jarring. But with Peter Ustinov having been seen in two feature films of this already ("Death on the Nile" and "Evil Under the Sun") and one more on the way ("Appointment With Death"), that is really shocking here, especially since the films were very popular, beginning with Albert Finney 12 years before in "Murder on the Orient Express".
Taking away the period costumes and exotic places and putting in young men with mullets, trashilly dressed young women and a dotty mystery writer (Jean Stapleton, taking on a similar role that she had turned down for "Murder She Wrote" much to Angela Lansbury's better luck), the missing qualities are all the more obvious. Still present though are the obvious facts of Poirot being in the right place at the right time (unless you are one of the suspects) to overhear plots being hatched or collect various clues, and the result seems very forced. In this case, it surrounds a murder at a British country estate which includes false identities, disguises and even attempted matricide. Veteran actress Constance Cummings is a delight to find in this film, her character of a broke heiress with many secrets the highlight of the film.
Even more obvious is the break to the commercials, sometimes returning with another character repeating what another character had just said. That gives this an aura of being rushed into production and ultimately the weakest of Ustinov's Poirot entries.
Taking away the period costumes and exotic places and putting in young men with mullets, trashilly dressed young women and a dotty mystery writer (Jean Stapleton, taking on a similar role that she had turned down for "Murder She Wrote" much to Angela Lansbury's better luck), the missing qualities are all the more obvious. Still present though are the obvious facts of Poirot being in the right place at the right time (unless you are one of the suspects) to overhear plots being hatched or collect various clues, and the result seems very forced. In this case, it surrounds a murder at a British country estate which includes false identities, disguises and even attempted matricide. Veteran actress Constance Cummings is a delight to find in this film, her character of a broke heiress with many secrets the highlight of the film.
Even more obvious is the break to the commercials, sometimes returning with another character repeating what another character had just said. That gives this an aura of being rushed into production and ultimately the weakest of Ustinov's Poirot entries.