Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

jamesraeburn2003 Hercule Poirot agrees to investigate a series of petty thefts from a London students hostel on behalf of his secretary's sister, Mrs Hubbard, who is employed as the housekeeper there. The culprit is quickly identified as the shy chemistry student Celia Austin who pretended to be a kleptomaniac in order to attract the attentions of psychology student Colin McNabb whom she fancies. Yet, while Miss Lemon and her sister are relieved that it is all over, Poirot fears that something far more sinister is about to unravel. And his fears are proven when Celia is murdered by someone who switched her sleeping draught for a lethal dose of morphine. Chief Inspector Japp arrests McNabb after a phial containing morphine is found in his room, but after two more murders occur, Poirot links the case to a diamond smuggling operation in which the hostel acts as a legitimate front and a well respected Labour politician, Sir Arthur Stanley, who recently died from ill health and, several years before, Japp suspected him of poisoning his wife. Are one of the students behind the smuggling ring and is he or she connected to Sir Arthur in some way that they felt the need to kill in order to keep that connection a secret?The film makers' decision to switch the setting of Agatha Christie's classic novel from the 1950's to the 30's is something of a disappointment, but apart from that this is yet another winner from ITV's celebrated series. It was by far the best ever adaptations of Christie's works to be put on the screen (it was a pity it never made it on to the big screen - it wasn't as if they were short of suitable material) and David Suchet made the part of the eccentric, but highly intelligent Belgian detective with the egg-shaped head Hercule Poirot his own. His performances were the highlights of each episode, but there were many others including first rate dramatization, rich period detail, excellent supporting casts and intriguing and absorbing storylines. Director Andrew Grieve succeeds in creating a spooky atmosphere in the murder scenes. For instance, there is a clever play on the old Hickory Dickory Dock nursery rhyme in which a mouse literally runs up the grandfather clock in the hall of the hostel as it strikes the midnight hour accompanied by a deathly sounding orchestra and choir chanting "Hickory Dickory". The said mouse also appears as a "dumb witness" in every murder scene too and it startles Poirot's audience of suspects as he presents the solution to the case enabling the killer to attempt a getaway. There is some amusing chemisty and light comedy here between Suchet's Poirot and Philip Jackson's Chief Inspector Japp in which the latter is home alone as a result of his wife being away on holiday. Poirot invites him to stay with him at his flat and, while the two men are very close friends, Japp cannot adapt to Poirot's lifestyle which is rather eccentric to say the least. Anthony Horowitz's dramatization is first class and his attention to period detail is brilliant. He relocates the story to the time of the Jarrow march (an important time in the labour movement's calendar), which adds both interest and a hint of realism to the story. Although I would liked to have seen Poirot in the fifties (check out the original novel for that), what the film makers do to justify their change of setting to the thirties makes that decision forgivable. All in all, and I repeatedly say this about most of the Poirot episodes - so, please forgive me if I sound a little repetitive - Hickory Dickory Dock is another top notch entry in the series and fans of high quality TV drama and rattlingly good whodunits should by no accounts miss it.

Prismark10 Hickory Dickory Dock suffers from some random ingredients thrown together and a plot was cooked up. Ironically as a subplot involves Inspector Japp staying with Poirot as his wife is away and he has to eat fancy food when he just prefers a fry up.Miss Lemon introduces her sister who is all at sea. The student boarding house she runs has been stricken with some minor thefts of some inconsequential items. A diamond ring, a shoe, a stethoscope, a rucksack that has been ripped up are some of the missing items. Poirot suspects there is something more sinister afoot and then one of the student is found dead.Although one of the guest in the house admits to being a kleptomaniac, she does state that a few of the items missing were nothing to do with her. Poirot finds that the boarding house is mixed with a diamond smuggling ring and in the background of the Jarrow march, a dying socialist MP is of interest to Inspector Japp.The director has gone for some arty shots of a mouse running about and the repeating riff of a nursery rhyme but it rather detracts from a plot that does not flow too well.

blanche-2 In this episode of Poirot, "Hickory Dickory Dock," from season 6, Poirot offers to help Miss Lemon's sister, who runs a hostel. Objects are missing from the rooms, and some of them are strange: a shoe, a belt, a bracelet, a stethoscope - almost sounds like a scavenger hunt.One of the women living at the hostel, Celia, announces that she is a kleptomaniac. Poirot is told by a fellow student that it isn't true -- she was trying to attract a psychiatry major, so she stole things to be more interesting to him. Celia also says that she didn't steal everything but knows who the other culprit is. She then dies when someone puts morphine in place of a sleeping powder. That's the first murder. More to follow.It's an intriguing case which underlies a much bigger one that includes smuggling, hidden identities (several), and the murder of a statesman's wife ten years ago that has similarities to the current murders. Japp always held the statesman responsible for his wife's death; now he is dying in the hospital.the thief to the grave.Meanwhile, Japp's wife is out of town and he's a mess, so Poirot invites him to move in until his wife returns. Japp is then subjected to Poirot's idea of food and is mystified by the bidet. Very funny.Some of this mystery isn't hard to figure out if you've seen hundreds of this type of thing as I have, but it's still a good mystery with several layers. This isn't really an early episode, as it's from season 6, but it retains some of the first Poirots in its humor and the personality of Poirot. And that makes it fun to watch.

clotblaster This was a strong Poirot/Suchet, television mystery selection. The characters were vivid and well-acted. The plot and the main setting--a student hostel-- were excellent. Japp was nothing special but for me did not distract from story. One significant point, many Poirot watchers don't recognize good acting or good characterization. I also think they are rather harsh in their judgments of some of the Poirot mysteries. Finally, I have read few Christie novels--none in recent years-- and find it annoying that so many viewers are upset about changes from the novel. Please, viewers, consider what is presented to you on film, not what you think should be there. That said, the Poirot mysteries vary in quality, but not as much as reviewers and raters would have you believe. With the singular exception of The Five Little Pigs which was fabulous in plot, character and theme, the longer Poirot films are neither that good or that bad. For the record, I have seen all the longer Poirot/Suchet films. Finally, films without Lemon, Hastings, and/or Japp are neither good nor bad because of their absence. There presence, however, is either obtrusive (almost always with Japp) or irrelevant with Hastings. Lemon is in the middle.