User reviews

Agatha Christie's Appointment With Death is not her best book, but is well crafted and a pleasant read. This adaptation isn't terrible, but it is the weakest of Peter Ustinov's outings as Poirot. Speaking of Ustinov, he is excellent here, I had no problem with him. And Lauren Bacall, Carrie Fisher, Jenny Seagrove and John Gielgud give fine support. The film does have some splendid locations, even if Petra was changed to Jerusalem if I remember rightly, and the music was good too. However, the script isn't that polished, a lot is changed from the book and some of the changes are underdeveloped, the character of Hassan was unnecessary. But my main gripe with the movie was the character of Mrs Boynton. The same applies for the recent David Suchet version(which was more unfaithful but better musically and visually, and the acting was more solid in that one too), the character of Mrs Boynton was never done quite right, despite the wholly hateable portrayal given by Piper Laurie. In the book, she is a bit of a tyrant, in the adaptation, she was portrayed as nasty and cantankerous, but lacked the depth of the character in the book. Overall, not bad, but I did think Death on the Nile and Evil Under The Sun were better. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Poirot investigates the death of Lady Boynton, a former Prison Officer, and heiress who's conned her stepchildren out of their inheritance.

Where to begin.....so it's not a favourite book of mine, it's a bit messy here and there, and I understand why in Suchet's later adaptation, they chose to heavily rewrite it, this is a more faithful adaptation, albeit one with changes.

It's a great looking film, huge credit to the production team for using multiple filming locations, father than settling for some horrendous special effects, that part works very well.

I guess it comes down to whether or not you like the story, as I've said it isn't a favourite of mine, and at times I feel like it wanders a little, but as far as Ustinov's adaptations go, it isn't bad at all, it's very watchable.

The music is horrendous, it hasn't aged very well, you can argue it's of the era, but it's not good.

A terrific cast, Ustinov is great as Poirot, arguably one of his best performances in the role, Bacall and Fisher are great, for me it's the great John Gielgud that steals the show.

7/10.

Peter Ustinov's Hercule Poirot returns to it's big screen roots with lavish travelogue scenery and a roster of legendary stars. Long time film star Piper Laurie steals the film as Emily Boynton, a Cruela deVile style evil stepmother, and former prison wardress. Every moment she is on screen is pure delight as she marches around and belts out orders. She has had a great second career in her elder years("Carrie," "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway"). The film begins when her lawyer, Jefferson Cope (David Soul), tells her that her recently deceased rich husband made up a second will that split her inheritance with her grown children, a rather spoiled and naive group of sniveling brats. She knows the lawyer to have a few skeletons in his closet and forces him to burn the will, then announces she is taking her brood on a vacation to the Holy Land. While on holiday she meets up with Lady Westholme (Lauren Bacall.) Bacall is quite good as the American-turned-British member of Parliment. If anyone could stand toe-to-toe with Piper Laurie's over-the-top performance it would be Lauren Bacall, but we see very little interaction between the two grand ladies of cinema. An opportunity missed and for the most part just two women who happen to be on the same tour. To fill out the cast we have Hayley Mills as Lauren Bacall's assistant, John Gielgud underused as the governing legal agent, Colonel Carbury, and a host of capable actors as the usual assembly of suspects in the usual assembly of sub-plots, mostly red-hearings. Ustinov perhaps does a little less sleuthing here than usual and is really not much more than an excuse for the film to be made. In the first hour, the detective overhears just about everything the audience hears merely by the coincidence of having his chair in the right place at the right time. "A gift" he tells one of the suspects. When such a fault in the script is so obvious that the director feels he must give an explanation (a shoddy one at that) to the audience, I suppose the movie moves more into the realm of spoof than mystery. This film does have a lot more humor and entertainment than the other films in the series. Whereas most of the Ustinov-Poirot films tend to be a bit dry and long, "Appointment with Death" is quite breezy and whisps us along a plot that has by now become way too familiar. Without the humor and eccentric performances there would have been little here to warrant a film. Like the 100th episode of "Murder She Wrote" it is no longer important who did it, or who got killed. It's just a lot of fun watching old pros ham it up.

What a relief! Appointment with Death is not the best nor the most perfect movie starring Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot, but still way better than the new modernized movies made by Kenneth Branagh. After watching that mediocre new Death on the Nile I had to put on some good old stuff, alone the cast: Ustinov, Lauren Bacall, Piper Laurie, and last but not least Carrie Fisher! Appointment with Death, directed by Michael Winner, who gave us such pleasures as Death Wish and Chato's Land (both starring Charles Bronson), got a solid production and fine exotic scenaries and settings that make this one still worth your time - if you still like from time to time to read or watch that classic crime genre of who-dunnit. Not the best one but still good.

the story isnt as good as evil under the sun or death on the nile however it is interesting enough to watch.the sorely underused carrie fisher is good in this a small role for david soul who i met once in Hull about 1980.not a typical Michael Winner film though in fairness he has had that Death wish tag for too long.needless to say it isnt overlong thanks to tight editing from Arnold crust Winner himself.

Suspense and intrigue with Poirot on holidays in Jerusalen . This whodunit deals with Hercules Poirot (Peter Ustinov) as the Belgian sleuth man in he case of killing a rich , unpopular heiress in an archaeological dig during a luxurious vacations . He investigates the travelers and as numerous suspects , all support cast ( Carrie Fisher, Nicholas Guest , David Soul , Hayley Mills , John Terlesky , Lauren Bacall and Jenny Seagrove married to Michael Winner). Who is the killer? , can he find the guilty? . Hercules Poirot is helped by a British Colonel (John Gielgud). After the clues have been shown we will get a chance to give the answer with Poirot finding out about the culprit at a twisted finale with outstanding surprises but are taken the murders from different viewpoints of everyone which it makes a little bit boring, pedestrian , endless and overlong.

The film is a detective story in which you are the detective . In the picture there are mystery , emotion, love story , suspense and wonderful outdoors from Jerusalen , Italy and the rout on the cruise ship . The movie gets a lush costume design ( John Bloomfield ) and magnificent production design . Colorful and sunny cinematography by excellent cameraman David Gurfinkel . Sensitive and atmospheric musical score by Pino Donaggio . Actors 's interpretation are first-rate , Peter Ustinov acting is similar to Albert Finney ( Murder on the Orient Express). Ustinov starred various Hercules Poirot films as : ¨Evil under the sun¨(Guy Hamilton), ¨Death on the Nile¨(John Guillermin) and for TV with low budget as : ¨Murder in three acts¨,¨Dead man's folly¨ and ¨Thirteen at dinner ¨; but the best considered is Death on the Nile .

This film is professionally directed by Michael Winner though contains some flaws and poor edition . After directing the successful ¨Death wish¨ he made worst sequels in which Bronson-Paul Kersey goes on to torture robbers , all of them inferior and the violence could be deemed excessive , are the following : ¨Death wish II¨ with Jill Ireland and Vincent Gardenia , ¨Death wish III¨ with Ed Lauter and Deborah Raffin. Subsequently Michael Winner career was failed , alternating some hit as ¨The sentinel¨ and various flops as ¨ Firepower, The big sleep, The wicked lady, Appointed with death, A chorus of disapproval, and Bullseye ¨. The flick will appeal to suspense lovers and Agatha Christie-Poirot novels buffs .

This is the sixth and final time Peter Ustinov played Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. It's also the third theatrical release Ustinov made after three horrible TV movies. While "Appointment with death" is better than those TV movies it is still unfortunately a rather bad movie.

This is a Golan-Globus production and surprisingly this movie actually has decent production values and cast. They did put some money in it – the movie was shot on location in England , Italy and Israel , we have period costumes , vehicles etc. The movie maybe didn't have huge budget , but at least it feels like a theatrical release. Pino Donaggio score is adequate to what is happening on the screen . It's nothing brilliant , but it doesn't have an 80's feel to it like some have complained.

"Appointment with death" is not really strongest of Agatha Christie books. The book is notable mainly for the character of Mrs. Boyton and the strange psychological bound she has over her family. The plot is otherwise boring. I think that the writer Anthony Shaffer ("Sleuth") knew that and added few things from himself to the story which was a good idea.

The problem with translating Christie's books is that they aren't very cinematic – they involve a lot of talking , psychology , they don't have action (fights , chases ) . It would take a REALLY talented director and actors to make a this kind of story to work. A perfect example is Sidney Lumet's "Murder on the orient express" . Great cast , sharp screenplay and solid direction make it work. In other hands it could be boring and cheesy B-movie.

"Appointment with death" suffers from many things. Mrs. Boynton isn't scary or fascinating like in the novel , she is just nasty. Piper Laurie ("Children of lesser God") is not bad , but her character is rather annoying and terribly one dimensional. Because of that we don't feel the psychological tension between the Boyton family members. In that way the movie misses completely the point of the book.

The other problem are the bland characters. Only Poirot , Mrs. Boyton and Lady Welstholm are interesting . Others are boring and also rather badly acted. John Gielgud ("Arthur") is wasted as his role is small and rather pointless. Lauren Bacall ("To have or have not") is good and Ustinov offers a typical for him performance as Poirot. Carrie Fisher ("Star wars") plays one of the Boytons and can't do much with such badly written role. The Boytons are so empty and completely interchangeable , it's hard to tell one from another.

The direction from Michael Winner ("Death wish") is shapeless . There are many pointless gigantic close ups or completely weird camera angles. The movie has no suspense and is delivered in too slow fashion. The screenplay doesn't rely seem to hold on the viewer's interest. The idea of dividing Poirot's final summation into two separate sequences serves no other purpose than to bide some time. The mystery is just not strong enough. It is difficult to care much about who it is committed the murder. There also seem to be too many plot contrivances here.

In the end it's a rather dull movie , that probably won't satisfy even the die-hard Christie fans. Better watch "Murder on the Orient Express" , "Death on the Nile" or "Evil under the sun". This movie is a step up from those horrible TV movies , but nothing more than that. It's a sad farewell for Ustinov. I give it 3/10.

If you're an Agatha Christie fan then you'll enjoy this whodunit, a Christie tale with all her classic ingredients. The locations are superb, as are the period costumes and surroundings. The plot certainly rolls along at a good enough pace and there's enough change of location to keep the whole thing interesting. The cast list is spectacular and........you're probably waiting for the'but!'. Well, the 'But' is that the acting in all honesty, with the exception of Bacall, Mills & Seagrove, is decidedly average. Ustinov was undoubtedly talented, but does not put across the little mannerisms that make Poirot such a classic character. David Soul is very disappointing, as are several other of the leads. Michael Winner seems to have concentrated so much on location and period that he forgot about the performances. This is an enjoyable enough romp but if you're looking for classic acting, this is not the movie for you.

This is the fifth in the recent series of Agatha Christie mysteries to have shown up on film, and it is the least of them. It has the usual all-star cast, though perhaps not as starry as the earlier ones, but it is, ultimately, kind of boring. The best of the series are the two earliest -- "Murder on the Orient Express" and "Death on the Nile." They were positively marinated in local color. None of the later versions has anything resembling the shot in the introduction to "Murder" in which a uniformed authority figure slurps down a newly opened oyster to test its freshness before allowing the crate to be put aboard the train; or the shot of the two lovers in "Death" racing across the desert on handsome Arabian horses to a swelling, romantic score.

The first two also had plots that were made crystal clear. Those sorts of things are lacking in "Appointment With Death," despite the quality of the cast and the colorful location shooting. The director seems to have simply not bothered with those touches that add such flavor and exhilaration to what's on screen. And the writers seem to have been unable to come up with a script that holds one's interest. Pio Donnagio's score isn't of the period. It's bouncy and current and adds no flavor to the goings on.

The direction is erratic too, sometimes with pointless, gigantic close ups, sometimes with shots from floor level of two people walking through a gate. The director uses a hoary cliché that must make everyone wince: a woman looks in the mirror but instead of looking at herself, she's looking at an angle directly at the camera lens. Two people are seated across from one another at an outdoor table, and in the foreground a violently purple stalk of flowers looms up and separates them. The extras glance at the camera and grin. What was going through the guy's mind?

Part of the problem too is with the cast. Lauren Bacall and Piper Laurie stand out as memorable characters, and that's about it. John Gielgud as Poirot's sidekick is fine, naturally, but his role is small and his friendship with Poirot lacks the historical depth of earlier sidekicks. As Poirot, Peter Ustinov seems tired and older, although his performance is less restrained than usual. And the poor man isn't given much of a mystery to work with. Too many of the remaining cast members seem almost interchangeable, and one of them, Seagrove's boyfriend, looks like a preppy athlete and can't act. It's hard to tell one from another. Except for Jenny Seagrove. She is not a powerful actress, perhaps not even an especially talented one, but she exudes elegance -- slender, uniquely attractive, and she runs like the wind.

But nothing can keep this film from being the dullest of the series. It carries a perfunctory quality, as if everyone involved had been blanched and desiccated by the need to grind out yet another version of a Christie mystery under the overpowering desert sun.

Peter Ustinov is an absolute joy to behold in the role of Hercule Poirot! He played Poirot in three theatrical films: Death On the Nile, Evil Under the Sun, and Appointment With Death. He also played Poirot in three TV movies: Thirteen At Dinner, Murder in Three Acts, and Dead Man's Folly. It's always a delight to spend time with Ustinov's Poirot. He's so much fun! The three Poirot TV movies starring Ustinov are now available in a three DVD set. I've had a great time watching these with friends and family and all of Ustinov's Poirot movies are worth watching and re-watching. My deep affection for Ustinov's Poirot grows with each viewing. He's brilliant and each of his Poirot movies are fantastic fun!

This is adapted from agatha christie novel..soo its very decent investigation thriller with simple plot and many characters.. A lady was killed at foreign tour and her family is a suspected list and few friends too..a detective interogative all people and finally find that culprit... Must watch for murder investigation fans..!!

A splendid cast, a brilliant original author and stunning scenery. What could go wrong? Well just about everything. Too many characters - some of them merged into each other for me, as not enough distinction in personality - and too long. Peter Ustinov, a lovely man, seemed to have his accents askew: at times sounding more German than Belgian. The whole thing seemed very amateurish which is astonishing given the credits. It simply didn't work. Perhaps it's a time thing, although I normally enjoy older movies, but having seen the polished and efficient David Suchet as Poirot, Ustinov looks like a cuddly old uncle in comparison, and that was not Poirot. Total waste of John Geilgud, and Hayley Mills just seemed colourless. None of them were realistic. At the end of the day, it was just boring.

I have seen all of the old Hercule Poirot with Peter Ustinov and I liked most of them, and I had to watch this one too as it's considered the weakest of those movies. It wasn't terrible tho.

This film is set in Jerusalem. When it begins the Boynton family (with Piper Laurie as the martiarch Emily and Carrie Fisher as one of her daughters) is preparing for destroying the patriarch's will as he died recently. They go in Jerusalem and Poirot casually happens to be there. Along them also Lady Westholme (Lauren Bacall), her secretary Miss Quinton (Hayley Mills) and her lawyer Cope (STARSKY & HUTCH's David Soul). At a dig, Emily is found dead with pin marks on her wrist, suggesting that she had an injection with a syringe. With the help of Colonel Cadbury (John Gielgud) Poirot investigates. I won't spoil the ending.

The scenery is great and the soundtrack was decent. The cast is full of famous stars apart Ustinov: Lauren Bacall, Carrie Fisher, Piper Laurie, David Soul and legendary stage actor John Gielgud are quite an ensemble cast of A-listers. The problems with this movie were that at times it was sloppy and slow paced, and Mrs Boyinton looked a bit too cantankerous than a tyrant. And the plot twist at the end was hard to believe.

Not a complete disaster but with some faults (and the fact that it was produced by Cannon films probably says a lot).

In all my reviews written for Agatha Christie adaptations, I almost feel obliged to start with a disclaimer. A sort of warning to potential readers that my writings probably aren't going to be very objective. So sorry, I'm deeply biased because I absolutely love this woman and everything she ever penned down. Simultaneously, I'm also a massive admirer of the big-budgeted, flamboyant films adaptations with all-star casts.

And yet, I'm also honest enough to admit that the formula is becoming somewhat derivative after four successful long-feature films ("Murder on the Orient Express" in 1974, "Death on the Nile" in 1978, "The Mirror Cracked" in 1980, and "Evil under the Sun" in 1982). The set-up also more belonged to the 70s and early 80s, according to me, and by the time "Appointment with Death" got released in 1988, grotesque period-piece murder mysteries didn't appeal to contemporary audiences anymore. It's still a very enjoyable whodunit, though, and all the delightful Agatha Christie trademarks are well represented. "Appointment with Death" again features a sizeable cast of characters, of which each and every single one is eccentric, and all have the motives to be a murderer. Hercule Poirot, always "coincidentally" at the exact right place at the exact right moment to eavesdrop, volunteers to resolve the murder of a dominant matriarch (and former prison warden!) who cheated her entire stepfamily out of the testament of her husband.

The script, adapted by director Michael Winner and none other than Anthony Shaffer ("The Wicker Man"), greatly benefices from the authentic Israeli filming locations and late 30s set-pieces and costumes. The cast features some phenomenal names, and particularly the ladies (Lauren Bacall, Piper Laurie, Carrie Fisher, Hayley Mills, ...) leave the biggest impression. What's missing here, sadly, is some necessary suspense and the impression that we, as viewers, are invited to guess along for the identity of the culprit. Poirot makes it pretty clear that he immediately knows who the killer is, so it's largely just awaiting his famous wisdom-speech in front of the ensemble cast.

Fun mystery. There is a good cast and the sets, costumes, and locations are wonderful.

The mystery keeps you guessing even if the overall tone is lighter and brighter than the 1970s Poirot films 'Death of the Nile' and 'Murder on the Orient Express'.

Lauren Bacall and Piper Laurie are fabulous fun to watch.

Appointment with death is my favourite Agatha Christie book as it's the most ingenious of her whodunnits. But you wouldn't know it with this and even the Poirot series adaptation as they've all completely changed the outcome and therefore the amazing originality and surprise twist of the book. Shame in them if you've only seen the films I beg of you to read the original brilliant book.

I have appreciated numerous cinematic adaptations of Agatha Christie's novels, including Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun that have been released throughout the seventies and eighties. The movies have convinced me and fans all around the world with charismatic star actresses and actors, characters with charisma, charm and depth as well as unpredictable twists and turns in the addicting plots. None of these things can be found in this dull film.

Let's start with the few positive elements. The photography looks gorgeous and was filmed on location in Italy and Israel. The movie makes you want to visit these exotic locations. The only convincing actress is Piper Laurie who plays the cold matriarch brilliantly. Sadly, her character gets killed halfway through the movie. The few investigative flashbacks in the film's second half at least make you guess who might have committed the murder for a few moments but the outcome is surprisingly simple.

On the negative side, we have not only surprisingly shallow characters but also unconvincing actresses and actors. Peter Ustinow who once again impersonates Belgian detective Hercule Poirot looks slow, old and dull and he speaks way too much without saying anything significant. His wit, sharpness and good manners of yore seem to be gone. The moment when he finally solves the crime feels artificially stretched. The story isn't particularly exciting either. This isn't only due to the fact that none of the characters evokes any kind of sympathy but also to a surprising lack of twists and turns leading to an unusually predictable outcome. The directing of the movie is also lacking sharpness as it takes almost half of the running time to introduce the numerous characters before anything significant happens. The second half of the movie feels somewhat rushed on the other side and a few questions are left unanswered. The film's conclusion is also rather underwhelming and seems misplaced. The source material is only partially to blame here since the resolution has been shortened considerably for this adaptation.

In the end, Appointment with Death is the weakest cinematic adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel and there have been quite a few. The movie hasn't aged well at all. The acting performances are mostly underwhelming, the characters are uninteresting, the movie has strange pace, the plot is a routine job at best and the conclusion is disappointing. I can recommend the other adaptations mentioned in the introduction but would recommend anyone to stay away from Appointment with Death.

The stage curtains open ...

In the third of three, and final Peter Ustinov big screen portrayal of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, we find another all-star studded cast in a classic who-dun-it mystery. This time, we are exported to the holy land on vacation with Emily Boynton (Piper Laurie) and her family after the death of her husband.

To say that Emily Boynton was disagreeable and overbearing would be an understatement. Once a prison warden, Mrs. Boynton continues in her domineering ways in an effort to control her children by blackmailing her attorney (David Soul) into burning the most current last will & testament left by her late husband, which would have given them each $200,000. Instead, the money is left entirely with her to be split evenly among them upon her death. The children already knew of the latest will - suspecting their mother of foul play, making her even more hated than ever. When she is found dead while on their European vacation, it is once more up to the genius intellect of Hercule Poirot to solve the murder.

Although this was an enjoyable film with a good cast, it really didn't measure up to what we have come to expect out of an Agatha Christie adaptation over the years. Ustinov was back into full character, but really had very little to work with this time around. The final reveal wasn't nearly as dramatic as in films past, and the ending a bit shallow. Actually, to be fair, this had more of a made-for-tv feel to it.

Regardless, it isn't a bad way to spend a couple of hours. I did enjoy it and may watch it again. It is recommend for die hard Christie fans, but to the general movie viewer, worth a watch.

Disappointing third theatrical released adaptation from Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, featuring Peter Ustinov as the Belgian detective, this time produced by Cannon Group, the well-known second class company headed by the Israelite cousins, Menahen Golan & Yoram Globus, which raised to fame during the 80's producing action B-movies such as the "Death Wish" sequels starring Charles Bronson or the "Missing in Action" franchise starring Chuck Norris.

"Appointment with Death" was one of the several high profiled productions when Cannon was trying to establish itself as a rather serious company to directly compete with Hollywood, but even if more money was invested on it, it still looks cheap, trite and unpolished.

English film director, Michael Winner was one of the "directors-for- hire" that Cannon used a lot during its peak, responsible for the relative successes of "Death Wish II & III", so he was hired to helm this kind of all-star production (succeeding to the likes of Sidney Lumet, John Guillermin & Guy Hamilton, who directed the early Poirot's adaptations to the big screen, before Cannon bought the rights), but unfortunately, this task was way ahead of him. His direction is shapeless and lacklustre, suiting more a "made-for-TV" film than a theatrical released feature, visually it looks bland: the camera-work and the staging of most of its scenes were poorly executed (an awfully out of place opening montage, which suited more the beginning of a comedy flick, such as Chevy Chase's "Vacation" films; pointless close-ups at all the wrong moments; a laughable staged running chase and so on...) and it's a shame because the movie benefited of being filmed on really beautiful and exotic locations.

The editing is atrociously bad, it looks like the movie was in a hurry to tell its story in just a hour and a half, and it's filled of amateurish cuts and quick edits that not only gave it an odd pace, but also some plot resolutions doesn't make sense at all (probably, some key scenes were left in the cutting room floor).

The screenplay, the last one penned by the English playwright & screenwriter, Anthony Shaffer, which came from co-writing the three previous Poirot ventures on-screen: "Murder on the Orient Express" ('74); "Death on the Nile" ('78) & "Evil Under the Sun" ('82), had potential, but needed a better production and director to match the quality of the earlier films.

The cast, even if it wasn't on the same all-star caliber, it's still pretty impressive for a Cannon film: Peter Ustinov, which returned to playing the character for the sixth time (if you count the three TV movies made between "Evil Under the Sun" and this one) looks a bit jaded, but despite that, Sir Peter never delivered a bad performance; Lauren Bacall almost reprises her role in "Murder on the Orient Express" as the loudmouthed & inconvenient, Lady Westholme; Piper Laurie acted here in a 'over-the-top' creepy mode, which looked like she was still acting in "Carrie"; Sir John Gielgud was completely underused in a thankless / boring role; Carrie Fisher looks and acts as if the movie was set in the 80's and David Soul is charming, but sleazy as his character required.

The rest of the cast list is as bland as the overall production, except maybe for Hayley Mills, but her character was as necessary to the plot as an umbrella in a sunny day and that was one of the major flaws, either from the writing or the Winner's decisions when directing it, the characters were seriously underdeveloped and the actors' misdirected.

In short, "Appointment with Death" lacks in so many levels that was an unfortunate finale for Sir Peter Ustinov and Anthony Shaffer's working on this films. Agatha Christie herself would have hated.

The only redeeming factor, if re-watched nowadays, it's in the nostalgic valour of seeing this group of truly great actors, chewing the scenery, when they were alive...

This is the most under-appreciated Agatha Christie film in my opinion. The movie has a top grade cast (for the most part) including Peter Ustinov, Lauren Bacall, Piper Laurie & Hayley Mills. Mills and Bacall give the best supporting performances as an Archeologist and Member of Parliment respectively. The solution to the murder of evil mother Laurie isn't an easy one, but it all makes sense in the end. The plot moves along at a good pace, and features beautiful locations. If you want a good mystery, go and rent Appointment with Death!

Emily Boynton (Piper Laurie) pushes family lawyer Jefferson Cope to burn her late husband's second will which would have given her stepchildren Lennox, Raymond, and Carol large sums from the family fortune. She and her extended family are off to an old-world vacation. Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) is also on the trip. When a suspicious death occurs, he jumps into the investigation.

It's the Agatha Christie mystery. It has recognizable faces and it goes to some of those places. Otherwise, it doesn't have anything special. The style is taking a summer holiday. It's all rather perfunctory. Non of this is bowling me over but Christie fans will probably want this as a completist. It's fine.

The best thing about the early all-star Agatha Christie murder-mysteries ("Murder on the Orient Express" and "Death on the Nile") was their eerie glamor, a shimmering kind of evil which translated tantalizingly into murder. "Appointment With Death" has a disappointing cast, including a rather fatigued Peter Ustinov as detective Hercule Poirot, and a travelogue-styled production which doesn't lend itself well to the intimate setting of a whodunit. It's all too airy and blasé, with a set-up that rarely engages the attention. Former prison wardress Piper Laurie (camping it up) has cheated her step-children out of their late father's money and now has them all greedily at her beck and call; after a cruise from Europe to Palestine however, Big Mama Laurie ends up dead under the sun at an excavation site. Poirot's suspects include each of the disgruntled children (actually grown adults), a boasting Member of Parliament (Lauren Bacall), an archaeologist (Hayley Mills), a conniving lawyer (David Soul), the dowager's cheating daughter-in-law (Carrie Fisher), and a novice female doctor (Jenny Seagrove, who has been instructed to maintain a guilt-ridden look throughout). John Gielgud is utterly wasted as a Colonel, while Ustinov wheezes and grimaces his way along. Michael Winner is responsible for the shapeless direction, which includes halving Poirot's final summation into two separate sequences for no other purpose than to bide some time. * from ****