User Reviews

This ITV version of Death on the Nile is, in my opinion, right up there with Sad Cypress, Taken by the Flood, & Five Little Pigs, each one a masterpiece of televised Agatha Christie fiction, all w David Suchet, the best Poirot on film.

First of all, this is a real film, nothing like a TV movie. As for the Ustinov version w its "star-studded cast", bah, humbug! That version has no heartbeat at all. One couldn't care less about the future of any of its characters, much less their pasts. Here, we have splendid British actors, some of them young & not yet famous, others well-established stars.

In this version of Death on the Nile, the cast couldn't be better: the tragic couple, Emma Malin & JJ Field, as Jacqueline DeBelfort & Simon Doyle, respectively, are fabulous. Emily Blunt is marvelous as the spoiled but not completely hateful American heiress, Linnet Ridgeway.

I will venture an opinion unvoiced thus far, that is, that the lovers' planning of Linnet's murder precedes Simon Doyle's marriage to her. In the very first scene, he bemoans being "broke", but Jackie's reassurance: "I'll think of something, I promise you, my darling, 'll think of something" elicits an immediate smile & revival of his sexual prowess.

This is something, it is true, Poirot could not know, but we do, being witness to this seminal scene. And it turns out to be true. She does indeed think of something! As we see this in the v. next scene when she turns up at Linnet's palatial door w a suggestion that immediately places a v. sexy smiling Simon at Linnet's intimate disposal.

Immediate shift to 3 months later & what has happened? Linnet has become Mrs Simon Doyle! How can we not believe this to be the plan of Jacqueline DeBelfort? As Poirot says: "She has the brains" & Simon Doyle is "the man of action to carry it (her plan) out."

During the genesis of the shift to Egypt, we meet literally all the characters, one after the other, & get a pretty accurate glimpse of who they are... we are vastly amused, but also moved.

It is here that Poirot's entrance is also made... & what an entrance it is! Commented as "... that dwarfish figure mincing down the stairs?" it sets the tone for the ironic or humorous scenes to follow. And a more true to life picture we could not hope for! Every character has a reason for being there... for existing!... from beginning to end.

And all through this film, we get an even fuller picture of who Hercule Poirot is... a fine mind, but an unfulfilled life, lacking love ("Oh, Mademoiselle, how terrible it is, all that I have missed in life" to Jackie for whom love is everything) & one who is constantly buffeted by the willful ways of humanity...

Performances by the rest of the cast are stellar! Nothing less than perfection. Each character is fleshed out, given depth, particularities, tics, overall personality, so that, unlike the prior Ustinov version, we are made to care about every one of them. Even the pathetic, heinous, not always PC characters.

The interactions are so delightful, whether menacing or grotesque at times, that we are caught in Christie's net before we know it.

That Judy Parfitt & Frances De la Tour play absolute but often comic horrors of the female species says something for the Thespian dedication we see at work here. But everyone is rich in character & worth every minute of the time devoted to them.

Of particular note is the fact that the murdered Linnet Doyle elicits little or no sympathy from the other people present, the viewers &, most remarkably, from Poirot himself, from whom the wealthy heiress asked help & was uncharacteristically refused. Simon Doyle's cold-blooded murder is a chilling character study in itself, given what an amiable gent he seems to be... on every other occasion.

The dramatic heart of the film, the murder, is the real climax of it all ~ handled w a suspenseful rhythm rarely surpassed, aided & abetted by the musical score, perfect throughout, though there are others to follow ~ such as the investigation itself, headed by Colonel Race, splendidly portrayed by James Fox.

The brief exchange between him & Poirot: "Well don't be discouraged, Poirot, we'll get to the bottom of this", followed by Poirot's trenchant & hilarious response: "Oh, I know I will" is typical of the film's mood, though dark & ultimately tragic for several of its protagonists.

And, of course, he does. And we are held by every moment of it, by the additional greased-lightning murders, after v. professional interrogations, cabin searches, more private face to face challenges by Poirot ~

The final climax & denouement are superb... w only Jacqueline DeBelfort's absence causing a little scratching of the head. Why on earth, since in all the other Poirots, everyone, including the guilty, is present? Followed by Poirot's also typically crystalline explanation of the crime.

In his private interview w Jacqueline, she denies nothing & even manages to squeeze out a last few drops of compassion, not only from us the viewers, but also from Poirot, which explains his subsequent less than professional action in the ending scene. "Love makes you do many things, Monsieur Poirot" reveals some of the complexity here.

The last glimpse of the lovers dancing in Jacqueline's poor but romantically candle-lit bedroom, before the drama, confirms the love & "life is unfair" themes reiterated throughout the film.

So, speaking for myself, this is a top-notch Poirot episode, a thriller & romance, rarely if ever paralleled in a televised work of fiction & only by the 3 other Poirots, featuring David Suchet, mentioned at the beginning. Especially a whodunit. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Ah, "Death on the Nile". One of my favourite Agatha Christie novels. I did not like the Peter Ustinov version. It took too many liberties with the plot, and Ustinov, despite his great acting abilities, did not look or act like the Poirot from the novel. This version was acted out better, and took fewer liberties with the plot. Of course, it took some liberties, mainly: - making Timothy Allerton gay; his relationship with Rosalie Otterbourne fails at the end - Colonel Race comes onto the ship because he wants to be with his old friend Poirot, not to track down a spy - Richetti is absent, no one filling in his role, and Miss Bowers is absent, Cornelia filling in her role This version is amazing. It makes up for some of the dreary episodes we've had in the past.

This is one of the few Suchet Poirot's to have some competition as an all star, big budget movie was made of 'Death On The Nile' some years ago with Peter Ustinov. This earlier film was one of the first screen adaptations of a Christie novel I ever saw and I retain a real affection for it. Perhaps its not surprising then that the first time I watched this new version I was really disappointed. I re watched it again very recently and enjoyed it much more.

POSSIBLE SMALL SPOILERS BELOW The style is very different from the earlier movie of course and once you tune into that you can enjoy it in its own right. Suchet is wonderful as always and plays the knowing humour in this version of Poirot very well. There is a generally excellent supporting cast (applause especially for Frances de la Tour, Alistair McKenzie and Daisy Donovan) but (and its a big but) the crucial central trio of Linnet, Jackie and Simon were a big let down for me. We all see things differently of course but I found the performances here quite wooden and unmoving. It was only in the very final flashback scene to happier times in Jackie's flat that I felt anything at all for the lovers.

There were one or two other strange things no doubt due to time constraints - for example, where did the relationship between Tim Allerton and Rosalie Otterbourne come from? Did we ever actually so much as see them together before that deck scene just at the end? It made Rosalie's decision to lie for him quite incomprehensible.

On the whole though, this was pretty good but not as good (in my opinion) as the earlier film which is a much grander affair all round and nails that important central trio right on the head.

One of the best Christie books, "Death on the Nile" has again been made into a TV movie, this time with David Suchet as part of the Poirot series. Previously there was a 1978 version with Peter Ustinov. I'll admit that one was a lot more fun. Ustinov's Poirot was his own creation and fabulous, and that particular film had a fantastic cast including Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Mia Farrow, Olivia Hussey, Simon McCorkindale, Jack Warden, David Niven, and George Kennedy. Hello. Talk about star-studded.

A couple of people on this site said the way this particular episode was set up, you knew who the culprit was immediately. Actually I found both versions easy to figure out.

The story concerns a happy couple, Jacqueline de Belfort and Simon Doyle, whose relationship falls apart when Simon meets the wealthy, gorgeous Linnet Ridgeway, Jacqueline's soon-to-be-former friend. In the next scene, Linnet and Simon are married, and they're basically being stalked by Jacqueline, whose life's work is to drive both of them crazy and ruin everything they do.

So it's no surprise when Jacqueline shows up on the couple's honeymoon cruise. Hercule Poirot and his friend, Colonel Race (Edward Fox) are also on the cruise. One night, Jacqueline has a fight with Simon and shoots him. Then Linnet is found dead, though Simon was only shot in the knee and survives. Jacqueline has made no secret of wanting Linnet dead, but she was busy shooting Simon. It's up to Poirot to sort out where everyone was and what everyone heard.

Who killed Linnet? When another passenger is murdered, the situation becomes even more desperate. No dearth of suspects, including Andrew Pennington (David Soul) who has been using his position to mess with Linnet's money. We also have a thief on board, and Linnet's pearls are missing, as well as a blackmailer.

It was mentioned on the reviews here that the actress playing Jacqueline seemed to be playing her as someone who was spiteful, rather than a woman in love. I think the spite/revenge is a good choice, having known a few scorned women in my life and having been one of them myself. One does harden, one does feel betrayed especially if your fiancé takes off with your best friend.

Terrific story, still intriguing, with Suchet in top form, surrounded by a good cast. This is a dark episode. I know some people don't like the Ustinov TV adaptations, but I do. It's worth seeing just how the plot is handled, as well as being delightful.

This review contains spoilers!

I was so excited when I learned that A&E were airing a new version of Death on the Nile with David Suchet; it is the best of the Poirot novels in my opinion. This movie, while not at all a bad movie, disappoints, especially to fans of the older film. This movie starts out with a passionate love scene between Simon Doyle and Jackie de Bellfort... We learn right away of their financial problems and it seems all too neat when Simon dumps Jackie for the rich beauty, Linnet Doyle. I was rather disappointed in the characterization of Linnet... I simply didn't imagine her as a platinum blonde... Anyways, Jakcie hounds the newly weds during their honeymoon... then, while on the nile, Linnet is shot while sleeping.

I have to admit that this was a good made-for-TV-production, however there are too many give aways to who the murderer was... in the old movie, Jackie and Simon were the last ones we suspected, as they had a cast iron alibi... In this one, one knows right away that they were in it together. Prolonged camera shots on facial expressions, reactions to certain incidents, and the fact that Poirot all but said that the fake shooting scene that gave the murderers their alibi had to have been planned! The one thing that I liked about this production, more than the older one, is the ending, which has a Romeo and Juliet quality to it... After being found out, Jackie and Simon (on a stretcher because of a gun shot on his leg) exit the boat, Jackie kneals down to kiss Simon muttering "I Love yous" and so-forth, when she pulled out a gun and shot him and herself. Poirot admits having known the gun was in Jackie's possession and was almost as if he was finally letting them escape to find peace together... We see their bodies laying on the pavement, and then a flashback to them dancing, happily and lovingly, in Jackie's thread bare flat.

*** This review contains spoilers ***

Death on the Nile is my favorite Poirot so far. 10/10.

A desperate love affair, timeless Egypt, and Hercule Poirot.

We see Jacqueline's fateful love for Simon drive her to manifest their perfect life together - they are beyond the world.

It felt so intimate to see Poirot's vulnerability when he admits to Jacqueline that he's missed out on ever knowing true love. It was even better when this was paid off during his interaction with Colonel Race at the end of the story. Great non-verbal acting.

It's easy to end up feeling sorry for Jacqueline and Simon while also blaming them for throwing their lives away. You feel both haunted and grateful to see them happily dancing in the final flashback scene (or maybe they're together forever in the hereafter).

Dialog, acting, costumes, locale, and music - it all comes together in Death on the Nile.

I'm probably biased here, because the 1978 "Death On The Nile" is not only my favorite Agatha Christie adaptation to TV or film ever, but also one of the key films that I saw as a kid and turned me into a movie fan: I couldn't believe the brilliance of the story when I first came across it (and actually, telling a story, putting on a show, is one of its most important themes). Although I also love about 90% of the David Suchet series, its stab (no pun intended) at the same novel cannot stand up in comparison to it in any way. There is not an actor, a line, a plot detail that is better here than in the Ustinov film ("Do not let evil into your heart, it will make a home there" becomes "Do not open your heart to evil, mademoiselle. If you do there will be no turning back"); even the climactic unraveling of the case is peculiarly anticlimactic (also, Poirot focuses WAY too much on the pearls and too little on the murder; I don't care if the jewel thief was in the book, he is a superfluous character, one jewel thief on the ship is enough). This episode has an air of indifference about it - as if the people involved knew that they couldn't top its predecessor and just made it out of contractual obligation. With all that said, the production values are typically lavish, and Emma Malin gives a fantastic performance - but she is also miscast: we are supposed to believe that Simon gets swept off his feet by the glamour of Linnet as opposed to the more "regular" Jacqueline - but Malin is arguably more beautiful and sophisticated than Emily Blunt! (whose blonde hair here does her no favors). As a footnote, why Kenneth Branagh chose the two most famous Poirot stories to bring back the character to the screen instead of something that fewer people would already know by heart before even seeing his films is a mystery worthy of Poirot himself. **1/2 out of 4.

"Death on the Nile" may be the darkest of the many Hercule Poirot mysteries by Agatha Christie. Although it was one of her early stories about Poirot (published in 1937), it was made into a film late in the series. The significance of that for film fans is that there are some changes in what one had come to expect in the Poirot mystery movies.

The first big change is the absence of Poirot's usual associates. Captain Hastings, Miss Lemon and Chief Inspector Japp are now absent. And, they won't reappear until near the end of the series. Yet, Poirot is never all alone because there's almost always one or more other characters whom he has known and befriended in the past. One such acquaintance appears in a number of the remaining stories - Ariadne Oliver. Zoe Wanamaker plays the woman who is a mystery writer and usually helps Poirot in some way in half a dozen films. In this film, Poirot's acquaintance is Colonel Race, played by James Fox.

The second noticeable change is in Poirot himself, especially his mustache. Instead of the short, turned up mustache that fits neatly above his mouth, he now sports a straight mustache that tapers to points beyond his mouth. This more closely resembles the description that Christie gives of him early on - with a larger mustache. A third change that Christie and Poirot film buffs will notice with this mystery, is its lack of any humor - even light-hearted moments. One suspects that is due partly to the lack of Poirot's usual company, with whom he is more comfortable and at ease, and partly due to the unusually dark nature of this story.

One doesn't know to expect such a darkness at the start of this film. But it's just part of this story and the characters and crimes. With two killers, three murders and a suicide, it is very grim to the very end. I wrote this review with spoilers to include some of this and to point out some very clear clues that one can spot early on. Some critics have complained that Christie withholds clues or evidence from readers, but in this film version of her story, we have two early clues that should lead one to suspect Jacqueline De Bellefort

. In the opening bedroom scene with her lover, Simon Doyle, she says she will think of something so that they will be able to marry and have a good life. Then, when she is with Poirot in the garden veranda outside the hotel dining room, she drops her purse and a small pistol falls out. She tells Poirot that she knows how to use it - that her father taught her to shoot. And, she said she's a very good shot.

So, when she later supposedly shoots Simon at close range aboard the cruise boat, he appears to be shot in the leg. Tipsy or not, someone who was a good shot and angry enough to shoot someone, should be able to hit them in a more critical spot on their body. What's particularly interesting is that Poirot never seems to suspect her at all - or remember how handy she said she was with a gun. But Poirot also seemed to be taken in by Jacqueline, feeling empathy for her, and counseling her to bear up and get over her anger at the loss of her fiancé to her former best friend.

This seemed too much out of character for Poirot. But it is testimony to the convincing portrayal by Emma Malin in the role, and to Christie for the ingenious plot.

Here are two poignant lines that reflect the dark nature of this film.

Joanna Southwood, "Isn't it awful when one's friends fall on hard times? One simply has to drop them."

Jacqueline De Bellefort, "It's so dreadfully easy killing people, Monsieur Poirot. You begin to feel that it doesn't matter."

Jacqueline De Bellefort introduces her fiance Simon Doyle to her friend, a wealthy heiress Linnet Ridgeway.

A few months later Simon and Linnet are married and honeymooning in Egypt. Jacqueline stalks them, threatens them and Linnet ends up dead just after Jacqueline is seen shooting Simon on his leg.

Poirot also happens to be on vacation. Although Jacqueline is the main suspect there are others in the trip that might have had a motive to kill Linnet, especially people who lost a fortune after the stock market crash.

I have said in the past that the later Poirot's had decline in quality of the art production, it is very good here but the humour is still lacking. The biggest issue was that too many clues were laid which got my little grey cells ticking so I managed to work out parts of the plot before Poirot.

It is an enjoyable enough mystery, it moves along at a fast pace but the characters did appear to be rather one dimensional.

This adaptation left me completely cold. The production values are marvelous, but the characterization and performance of nearly every single character is off.

Rosalie Otterbourne, for example, daughter of the alcoholic, failing novelist. The book describes a young woman devoted to her mother no matter what, fighting to thwart her mother's drinking while struggling to hide her pain and humiliation at her mother's highly public demise. But this adaptation gives us a daughter who's more annoyed than anything else. We get no sense she loves her mother at all, so we don't sympathize with her plight.

Likewise, Tim Allerton, in the book a charming, overall decent bloke with a terrific mother he both loves and likes. Here he's sleazy, affected and generally weird with a mother who acts more like we'd expect Mrs. Otterbourne to behave. We see no attraction between Rosalie and Tim at all; it's bizarre when she kisses him out of the blue near the end.

Mrs. Van Schuyler isn't snooty enough, Mrs. Otterbourne not nearly boozy enough.

Yet even these problems pale next to Linnet and Jackie. Emily Blunt has given fantastic performances in other projects, but she doesn't capture Linnet's elitism and inborn arrogance, her deep-rooted assumption that she will always, always get what she wants. Nor is she glamorous enough, "big" enough like Lois Chiles in the 1970s version. Her presence is strangely weak, so much so that her murder makes little to no impact on the audience.

And Jackie, well, she's bland too. This character must be like a tightly coiled panther, sleek, intense and fiery. She's far too meh here, too vanilla. You really can't imagine her chasing a former lover and his new wife all over the globe.