Le couteau sur la nuque

"Thirteen at Dinner" is good, solid entertainment. I recently watched it on video, and apart from the obvious, dramatic commercial pauses, it was hard to tell I was watching a made-for-TV movie. Ustinov is my favorite Poirot, and he is his usual, boisterous self in this adaptation. I love David Suchet as well, and I was delighted to see him in the role of Inspector Japp. Is there a better voice actor than Suchet? If one were to listen to this movie with closed eyes, it would be very hard to tell that Japp was being played by Suchet, so convincing is his accent and manner of speech.

This production has a very British feel to it, but apparently it was an American venture. Surprising! Also, I had a bad feeling when I saw the opening scene- Poirot appearing on the David Frost talk show! But the filmakers and screenwriters did an excellent job of taking a novel written in the '30s and adapting it to the mid-'80s. They followed Christie's original plot faithfully, keeping all the essential elements which make it such a good whodunnit. It would have been nice to see a different actress play the part of Carlotta Adams (Faye Dunaway plays both her and Jane Wilkinson.) She did a commendable job though, as did the other supporting actors. I thought the interplay between Ustinov and Johnathan Cecil (who played Hastings) was hilarious. And I really wish that Ustinov had made more Poirot movies! Oh well. Check out "Death on the Nile" for another of Ustinov's best Poirot efforts. Hard core fans will want to see "Appointment With Death" as well, but that film ranks at the bottom of my Poirot list.

As usual, when an Agatha Christie book is transferred to the screen, it loses something. And here, the story moved too fast to be caught up in it. In the novel, Poirot was confounded and almost couldn't solve the case; here he solves it as fast as snapping his fingers... You can't fault the actors, who give it a gung ho try. Faye Dunaway is great and Ustinov makes a very hilarious Hercule, but again, the character development Christie wrote so well is missing. The producers seem to think only plot will suffice. However, the film does look nice so it's not a total bust. (Murder on the Orient Express still hasn't been topped for all time best Christie adaption. And no one has come close to besting Albert Finney as H.P.) Side note: David Suchet as Inspector Japp is a nice bit of pre-Hercule trivia.

I'll take my Ustinov as Poirot however I can get him.

I happen to like Thirteen at Dinner. It's one of the smaller films as it was made for TV. You certainly can't compare it to the lavish "Murder on the Orient Express." And I frankly like it better than "Murder in Three Acts." I always love Ustinov as Poirot. One of the other comments said these characters are never how you picture them after reading the books. Interesting and true. The very popular Miss Marple of Margaret Rutherford had nothing to do with Miss Marple as she was written, and Ustinov has nothing to do with Poirot as written. I think David Suchet was perfect as Poirot as Christie wrote him, and I loved seeing him as Inspector Japp in this, but for a fun time, call 1-800-Ustinov! Because this is based on a Christie mystery, however poor the production values or the cast, the basic story is always interesting, as this was. Faye Dunaway is absolutely gorgeous in this movie in both her roles. And it did have a British flavor (which "Murder in Three Acts" absolutely did not.) I really don't understand giving this 1 star. Surely we've all seen worse.

Who already watched the fantastic detective Hercule Poirot on those majestic productions to big screen stay a little bit disappointed when see it, made for TV Poirot lost a lot, but still have the great Peter Ustinov's charming presence, in this small picture, we have an intriguing story of murder of course, the formula is the same, spreading all clues all around to confuse and mislead the audience, taking them a wrong early conclusion, in this picture the cast apart Ustinov are pretty good, Fay Dunaway still beauty and skinny too, as expect she fells a great divine actress, David Suchet who will be in the future the next Poirot shines as Inspector Japp who always was in wrong direction of the investigation, and Jonathan Cecil as Hasting, a partner of the our hero, he is a typical English gentlemen, affable, sometimes smirking, enough good for Agatha Christie's story!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

I prefer my Poirot to be portrayed by Ustinov, and although this is more obscure than most, it IS better than some. No, it isn't lavish, and they did not spend a fortune on the production, but it is not the worst of the crop.

Faye Dunaway co-stars, along with Lee Horseley, and a (very) young Bill Nighy, directed by Lou Antonio (long-time television director) and dominated by the lovely Ustinov. Made for TV, not rated, but highly enjoyable who dunnit, which posed an interesting conundrum as the principle quandary.

All in all, I found it highly entertaining, and perfect as a Sunday afternoon diversion, though I'd watch Ustinov as Poirot anytime.

It rates a 7.4/10 from...

the Fiend :.