At the risk of spoiling the ending, there’s not much of a mystery here. And, like that other adaptation of a spy novel, this one is convoluted, overly plotted and frequently difficult to follow.Ī woman is found holding a gun and standing over her husband’s dead body. Like The Big Four (see below), this is a rare Christie foray into the world of international espionage and intrigue. Whether you like that sort of thing will largely determine your feelings towards the rest of the episode, which teeters precariously on the line between inspired and absurd. The highlight of this episode is Tim Curry wandering around Mesopotamia searching for the head of John the Baptist. Still, a great performance by the lead actor, Elliot Cowan.

Whereas in the original novel, the villain’s only crime is murder, this episode makes him a kidnapper and church-bomber who performs forced abortions and kills 13 people. The changes made in adapting “Taken at the Flood” for the screen exemplify the problems with latter-day Poirot adaptations. The result is an ungainly and at times incomprehensible mess. This episode retains elements of all those stories, plus one other story that was never adapted (“The Lemesurier Inheritance”).

The original book was cobbled together from a series of short stories Christie wrote. Perpetually underrated, it was one of the best shows on television throughout its run. Christie’s mysteries are famously clever, but even when specific plot points elude you, you can easily turn off your brain and revel in the rich atmosphere. Which is not to say the series isn’t fun! Even the weakest episodes are a treat to watch because of the fine clothing, period detail, and evocative music by Christopher Gunning. It’s similar to the feeling we get watching the Harry Potter films (both series darkened considerably as their protagonists aged), but with the added specters of old age and mortality. Hugh Fraser’s bumbling friend Hastings and Philip Jackson’s no-nonsense police inspector Japp became equally iconic, and after viewing each of the 70 episodes filmed over 25 years the viewer is left with a deep sense of pathos. After an inauspicious beginning it grew to become one of the most consistent shows on TV, anchored by David Suchet’s definitive portrayal of the Belgian detective. “Agatha Christie’s Poirot” ran on ITV in the UK from 1988 to 2013.

Hercule poirot movies