La Maison biscornue

Seeing the negative reviews, I expected something more like the recent Orient Express remake, which was difficult to watch. This was nothing like that. It had an even, slow build to an ending that Glenn Close brings home. It was basically what I wanted from an Agatha Christie story, a bit of mystery, not too gory, and a little twist that I may have guessed, but couldn't be certain about.

Agatha Christie's "Crooked House" is a gripping tale that will keep you at the edge of your seats most of the time. Only most of the time because the film is oddly paced, moving either too fast or too slow. However, this is compensated for by the captivating performances of the talented cast members and the elaborate mystery that Agatha Christie herself considered one of her personal favorites. I was a bit disappointed by the detective Charles Hayward because his character was flat and static although the flashbacks offered potential. He was also nothing more than a device used to let the audience into the dysfunctional family's lives. Unlike Poirot, he was unable to reach conclusions without having them shoved into his face. I still thoroughly enjoyed the film and would recommend it to anyone who has not read the book. Knowing the twist could diminish the charm of the movie.

It is so wonderful to see Agatha Christie's work still in demand, on the small and big screen alike. Brave to see the production team take on Crooked House, a feat never before attempted. The results are pretty good, as a novel I think Crooked House is one of her best, it is outstanding, so the story is not in question, firstly it's quite a faithful adaptation, and they were brave enough to stick with the shock ending. The acting is excellent, Glenn Close is commanding in every single scene, showing the class act she is. Gillian Anderson and young Honor Kneafsey also impress. The settings and fashions are flawless, it looks wonderfully glamorous, and is again in keeping with the text. If I were being critical I would pick on some of the editing and cutting, at times it was a bit clunky, which is a shame because the core elements are strong.

I'm always glad to see a new production from Agatha Christie's catalogue of brilliance. More please, 7/10

I have not read the book, so I'm unable to make comparisons. Seeing as Agatha Christie thought this to be her best book, I'm guessing the novel was 10x better than the movie.

I felt the film itself moved quite slowly, despite being nearly 2 hours long. I felt myself at points losing interest. I'm thinking we needed a Marple or Poirot in this to spice it up a bit! I'm absolutely obsessed with the Poirot series; I find it thrilling, jam packed with twists, and so when I come across any Agatha Christie adaptation, I'm expecting them to live up to these high standards, but this fell short. I don't believe there was enough time with the suspects for the audience to build cases against them. However I must say that the big reveal of the actual killer left me speechless, it made up for the rest of the movie being quite boring, otherwise my score would be a lot lower. I'd say instead of big named productions, stick to the BBC/ITV adaptations of Agatha Christie's work....so much better.

By the way Glenn Close was fab.

I enjoyed the film. That is personal choice, which I imagine is the whole point of a review. I was not aware that as suggested by one reviewer, an opinion was any less valid because " five reviewers have only been members for two weeks " or because another reviewer is such an expert on Agatha Christie, that they think the author is a " HE " and this was " his favourite work ". in itself odd, given that Christie herself frequently said it would be " And then there were none " ? I enjoyed the film, that does not guarantee that everyone will. But at least watch it, then you will know. OK ?