Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) is the only regular sidekick of Hercule Poirot to accompany him in this super mystery among super mysteries. David Suchet as Poirot comes up against an even more flamboyant detective, Giraud, of the French police. Also known as "The Pipe" for the Sherlock Holmes style pipe that he smokes constantly, Giraud does not have the manners and genteel methods of Poirot. Bill Moody plays the pompous French jackass perfectly.
"Murder on the Links" takes place when Hastings lures Poirot to Cherbourg, on the French side of the English Channel. He convinces him it's a bit of a Riviera coastal setting. In truth, the good captain has his eyes set on golfing. Fortunately for him, the accommodations are luxurious and the place has exemplary chefs and cuisine to satisfy our super sleuth.
The movie opens with scenes 10 years before the main story. The headlines and crime story being reported then have clues that Poirot will eventually discover to help him solve the puzzle of this fantastic who-dunnit. While audiences see the earlier story, few of us have it in our grey cells to piece this together with later clues and developments to solve the crime.
Thank goodness Hercule Poirot is here to do it for us. And to entertain with another fantastic rendition of a superb Agatha Christie mystery. "Murder on the Links" must be toward the very top of the heap for intrigue and difficulty in solving. Yet, even with that, it's all quite clear when Poirot explains it at the end. And, Captain Hastings even finds romance in this edition of the great BBC series.
When they first arrive and Poirot uncovers his ploy, Hastings tries to urge him to give golf a try. Poirot says, "To hit a little ball into the little hole in the middle of a large open field - No! It is not the taste of Poirot."