You can’t get better than this when you are paying tribute to Agatha Christie!
The film has all the trappings of a Hercule Poirot novel – the rich, older patriarch of the family getting bumped off, a large gathering before the terrible incident, the family feud rearing its ugly head when push comes to shove, an extremely efficient detective whose understanding of human nature is superhuman. As with all Christie mysteries, this one explores the motivation for murder at length. But as audience, you don’t get very far in the prediction department.
The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously – cue applause for the intelligent screenplay. Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Plummer steal all the scenes they are in. And when you throw in actors like Daniel Craig and Chris Evans in the mix, it’s a different experience! Rian Johnson has made sure that you aren’t watching James Bond and Captain American on screen for the running time of the movie!
Though the movie is set in America, there’s an Englishness to the proceedings. It is like turning the pages of an Agatha Christie mystery with quaint villages and oddball characters. Half-way through the novel, the detective begins to scratch the gloss and veneer off the family members, which is the point at which the pace quickens.
Most Christie novels aren’t just murder mysteries. There’s interesting character study and deeper understanding of what drives people to do what they do. More often than not, our closest relatives are the fiercest of our foes, which is also pretty much the gist of the story.
There’s a heartwarming message woven into the story. The best part about this movie is that this message isn’t pushed down our throat. It has a fun, quirky way of getting to you. And it stays with you.
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