Before I got this DVD from the library, I saw a review on Amazon.com that claimed 'best Marlowe ever!' Well, I wasn't expecting that, but I can't imagine where the enthusiasm came from. It's pretty well what you'd expect out of a television series versus a feature length film. The characters are thin, the dialogue a little stagey in places, and the sense of danger superficial. The whole thing has the air of inferior writers and directors attempting to carry off a classic style that's beyond their abilities.
That's not to say this episode is bad - it's just a copy of a copy. The DVD set still may entertain you for several nights, and there's nothing wrong with that. This just isn't in the class of the Suchet Poirot series. It's closer to the Stacy Keach Mike Hammer series in quality. There's something about hard boiled that's just hard to do with a straight face - so many get it a little wrong so often that it seems impossible these days.
That's not to say this episode is bad - it's just a copy of a copy. The DVD set still may entertain you for several nights, and there's nothing wrong with that. This just isn't in the class of the Suchet Poirot series. It's closer to the Stacy Keach Mike Hammer series in quality. There's something about hard boiled that's just hard to do with a straight face - so many get it a little wrong so often that it seems impossible these days.
