Appointment with Death (1988)

Very best movie i ever watch

The Age of Commercialism

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Simply because the personality of the actors and actresses are world-renown and well-regarded, it does not automatically spell out a good film. Instead, I find this film awkward, unrealistic, with embarrassing results in both acting and directing. While "Murder On The Orient Express" being first-rate, "Death On The Nile" being grossly entertaining, "Evil Under The Sun" and "The Mirror Crack'd" highly skillfully-told and adapted, this film becomes much too embarrassing to be included in that prestigious list. This is, I believe, a Michael Winner's work in his declining years. His eyesight must have been poorer, and his patience of getting one right take must have been paler. So many scenes are way too superficial, half-cooked, and simply unsatisfactory. The emotions portrayed are unsteady, wavering, and miss-matched. Piper Laurie as Emily Boynton is superior than others, but still much in the mud. Peter Ustinov, with his usual skilled self, is not in any way damaged, but even his performance has failed to rescue the film. The great John Gielgud is too old to even walk properly. Lauren Bacall's star aura is completely wasted. Same as David Soul and Carrie Fisher, who are not bad actors at all in other films. This Agatha Christie's adaptation is neither exciting nor grabbing. The solution at the end fails to give any impression. Even the music score is misplaced and damaging to the mood of the film. In short, it is a complete failure as an adaptation of a world-famous novel, and a major blemish to the otherwise splendid career of Mr. Winner.

After the two big all-star masterpieces "Death on the Nile" and "Evil Under the Sun", Peter Ustinov had really established himself in the role of Agatha Christie's master sleuth Hercule Poirot (although his outward appearance didn't quite match that of the Poirot Christie had created; but Ustinov simply gave a WONDERFUL note of his own to 'his' Poirot, which the audience took to very much); but during the 80s, unfortunately, the Poirot (TV) movies starring Ustinov were unable to keep up this former grandeur - mainly because the TV producers seemed unable or unwilling (or both) to recreate a genuine 30s' atmosphere for the adaptations of Agatha Christie's novels.With "Appointment with Death", however, the 'old' tradition was resumed (it was a feature movie, not made for TV): once again, the costumes and hairstyles were carefully kept in late 30s' style, old cars and an old-fashioned luxury liner enhanced the period feeling - and, just like in "Death on the Nile", here, too, the audience also got to see famous landmarks in Italy and Jerusalem, and the ancient site of Qumran in Israel (not Petra in Jordan, as in the novel, because the production company was Israeli). And, once again, there also were quite some BIG names among the cast - Lauren Bacall, Piper Laurie, John Gielgud, Carrie Fisher, Hayley Mills, David Soul - ; not as many perhaps as in the two previous all-star movies, but the other, lesser-known cast members were VERY competent as well.Except for some minor changes, the plot line is very true to Agatha Christie's original: Emily Boynton is tyrannizing her family, blackmailing her lawyer, even bullying strangers who 'threaten' to interfere with the family - in short: she is one of those people of whom you could say that they 'deserve to be murdered'; and since this is an Agatha Christie murder mystery, she IS murdered, of course... And due to her 'popularity', simply all the people who were near the scene of the crime at the time are suspicious - good that Hercule Poirot once again 'happens' to be there, too, and will no doubt throw light on the case. So now it's a kind of 'contest': which clever, experienced murder mystery fans will be able to find out the identity of the murderer before Poirot reveals it?? An enormously entertaining 'murder hunt', very stylish, with great performances and magnificent settings - one of the great neglected modern classics of the mystery genre!

You thought Piper Laurie was nasty as Carrie's mother? Wait until you meet her character of Emily Boynton, the nastiest of all wicked stepmothers. A former prison warden, she runs her home as the wealthy widow as if it were Riker's Island, keeping tabs on each of her stepchildren to the point that they wish her dead, unaware that it was her manipulations that left them to wait for her death rather than share in the estate of her late father. Determined to keep tabs on them, she "suggests" a European vacation followed by a trip to the Holy Land, and there, some very unholy activities lead to murder, and a most predictable conclusion.Peter Ustinov is back as Hercule Poirot, and if his trips to the Nile and the Adriatic Sea weren't enough to warn people to watch what they say when he's a mile within vicinity, nothing is. Lauren Bacall plays an American widow of a British nobleman who somehow became a member of the British Parliament, with Hayley Mills as an aspiring archaeologist and Jenny Seagrove as a doctor who has several run-ins with the obnoxious Laurie. Her character is a bit hard to take, seemingly directed to overact in every scene she's in. Carrie Fisher, John Gielgud and David Soul are other familiar faces among some relatively unknown actors as the unfortunate step-children. The highlight of the film is Ustinov's revelation of the killer as the culprit watches from afar, their feeling of doom and self-destruction erupting into making you actually feel sorry for them.

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.