Steineded How sad is this?

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Prismark10 David Suchet's wish to film all the Poirot stories come to fruition in this final tale written by Agatha Christie where Poirot is now old, ill and knocking on death's door.The setting of the television adaptations has always been the 1930s but here we jump forward to the late 1940s and the post world war 2 setting.Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) returns to see his old friend and also his daughter staying in Styles once a grand family house now a hotel. This was also the setting for a murder that Hastings and Poirot once investigated.The look of the film is that of a melancholy gloom, we know that Poirot is reaching the end of the road. In recent television adventures we see Poirot being a pious Catholic and rather absolute that murder is wrong.This has been leading up to something that the producers and even Suchet decided to devise a route map knowing the contents of the final story.Dead bodies turn up, people attempt to kill, even Hastings nearly succumbs to murder given how much he detests his daughter's latest flame. Yet Poirot realises that there is an Iago like person who is pulling the strings and has pulled them before, enough to send someone over the edge while they act all innocent.Poirot uses his little grey cells to lure this person into a trap, a culprit who actually has never killed anyone yet Poirot thinks is dangerous enough that he would contemplate his own eternal soul to be damned.The feature length films lacked the leanness, exquisiteness, humour and stylish look of the hour long adaptations. They only tended hang together in the final reveal of the murderer and how it was all done as in here. Until then the film felt a little disjointed and gloomy.Still it serves as a nice swansong with Suchet leaving a strong mark in his interpretation of Poirot.

Ivan Anastassov I am someone who has enjoyed many of Poirots episodes. The calm tone, good acting and decent dialogue had made it something that I was looking forward to watching. The final episode does not do any justice to the series. The lighting and decor appear to be purposefully bleak and depressing (unlike most other episodes where the color interplay always involves some strong nice colors as well). The plot and ultimate ending are simply unbelievable. Moreover, in my opinion this episode possibly casts a shadow over the morality of both Poirot and Hastings. There is other stuff too going on in this episode that is hardly worth mentioning simply because none of the characters seemed to have any particularly redeeming qualities. They were all kind of bland like the lightning and decor. All in all, very disappointed...

gridoon2018 There are two things I appreciated most about "Curtain": 1) Although its major importance in the Agatha Christie canon is that it's "Poirot's Last Case", it is also a great mystery on its own - one full of shocks, surprises, and the kind of little twists (the revolving table....) that Christie was a master of; 2) Although it deals with Hercule Poirot's death, it is not particularly morbid or melodramatic. It treats this event with dignity, and allows Poirot to play the kind of mind games he always loved so much even from beyond the grave! This episode also functions as a worthy farewell for Captain Hastings, who is in some ways the star of the show; Hugh Fraser's contributions to this series should never be underestimated. The (justified) praise for David Suchet has become almost redundant by this point, so I would like to say that Alice Orr-Ewing has a bright future ahead of her if her Judith Hastings is any indication, and Aidan McArdle is simply brilliant - probably one of the best performances in the history of the series. This episode is smoothly directed by Hettie MacDonald, who also made the very underrated "Mystery Of The Blue Train". *** out of 4.

TheLittleSongbird Ever since seeing Sad Cypress for the first time 10 years ago, I have been a loyal fan of Agatha Christie: Poirot and of Agatha Christie. The series has been a pleasure to watch in so many ways, even when you see an episode countless times you find something more to like further about it and pick up on things you didn't see before. And mostly the quality has been very high, there are a handful of truly outstanding adaptations(After the Funeral, Five Little Pigs, Sad Cypress, Wasps Nest, The Chocolate Box, Adventure of the Italian Nobleman, The ABC Murders, Peril at End House), a few disappointing ones(Taken at the Flood, Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Adventure of Johnny Waverly, Mystery of the Blue Train, Labours of Hercules, none of them are terrible though or below 5/10 on personal ranking) and rest decent to very good(even the much-maligned, but to me underrated, Appointment with Death and Murder on the Orient Express).The 13th season, like most of the seasons in the series(mostly the later ones) hasn't been consistent. Dead Man's Folly and Elephants Can Remember(the latter being much better than the source material)were excellent; The Big Four was mostly enjoyable but let down by the final solution, Simon Lowe and Miss Lemon and Hastings being wasted; and Labours of Hercules was a disappointment, had a number of good things but too dull and jumbled, and like Cards on the Table it tries to cram in too many ideas and didn't develop them enough. Curtain: Poirot's Last Case has been the adaptation that I, and many others most definitely, had been most anticipating, mainly because we wanted to see whether it would a good episode and send-off and that it is based on great source material. The book is very clever and poignant with one of Christie's mot ingenious solutions, an atmosphere that is ominous and poignant, strong characters and a cunning plot.Curtain: Poirot's Last Case does manage to be a good episode and good send-off. No, scratch that, it is wonderful in both areas. Maybe it could have been longer perhaps and the ominous components in the book, while present and well-incorporated, are quite not as powerful. These are nit-picky really, and those aside Curtain: Poirot's Last Case is spot on. Not just the best of the 13th season but possibly also the best adaptation since After the Funeral. "Purists" will be happy that the adaptation is very faithful to the book, in most details, spirit, dialogue, structure and atmosphere. Any changes are very few and very minor.It is a beautifully made adaptation, not as sumptuous as others(Five Little Pigs comes to mind) but it is shot with affection, the period detail is splendid and evocative and the haunting and melancholic look the adaptation adopts, as seen in the colours and how it's lit, fits wonders with the tone of the book and story. Christian Henson's music, which has more of a somewhat cinematic sound to it than Christopher Gunning's, has subtle parts and powerfully orchestrated ones without feeling too intrusive or brash. The use of Chopin's Raindrop Prelude is lovely. The dialogue is very thought-provoking and beautifully written, much of it like it's directly lifted out of Christie's writing. Poirot's treatment of Hastings might be a turn-off point for some in comparison to before, understandably as we are not used to Poirot being like that but it wasn't a problem to me considering the state Poirot is in throughout. And you can still see parts that are reminiscent of Poirot and Hastings in the older adaptations.No disappointment to be seen in the story here. The opening is really haunting and adeptly sets the tone for what was to come, while moving does not describe the ending enough, admittedly I get emotional easily but we're talking about getting-through-at-least-half-a-box-of-tissues quality here. Not only because it's so well done but also the fact that we are saying goodbye to a great series and an iconic detective. Above all, the mystery itself is incredibly compelling, the final solution is still ingenious and you are kept guessing and pleasantly surprised throughout, and the atmosphere/tone of the book is translated faithfully here in the adaptation. The direction wisely doesn't veer between being too theatrical or too low-key, instead the drama is allowed to resonate within the deliberate but never tedious pace while keeping the mystery alive.David Suchet is the definitive Poirot and he hasn't disappointed in any of the episodes of the series. He always is impeccable, but while there is still a little twinkle in the eye and the brilliant mind he is genuinely moving here(Poirot has never been as affecting as here), a tour-De-force, both in how he says his line and physically. It's lovely to see Hugh Fraser again, his role of Hastings being much more substantial than it was to Big Four and it really shows in his performance. There are times where Fraser comes close to out-doing Suchet, there is much more emotion and dimension to what was seen with Hastings before and I'd go as far to say that Fraser gives his best performance of the series, though he and Suchet have always been a joy to watch. The acting is excellent from all, Aiden McArdle(one of the more interesting supporting characters, his mind games have a subtle twisted menace to them), Helen Baxendale, an appropriately sour-faced Anne Reid and beguiling Alice Orr-Ewing standing out.Overall, a powerful swan-song and a wonderful final episode. As much-missed as this truly great series(one of the best of its kind actually) will be, at least there'll be re-runs and the box-sets, so we can revisit it still, it just won't be the same without not having a new episode to look forward to. And it will be criminal if Suchet doesn't get some award recognition for being such a large part of why the series is as good as it is. 9/10 Bethany Cox