Poirot (TV Series) The Million Dollar Bond Robbery (1991) User Reviews

Stunning

[gridoon2024 · 8/10 · 4 January 2008]

The London & Scottish Bank needs to transfer one million dollars' worth of Liberty Bonds from England to America via ship (on "Queen Mary"'s maiden voyage), but when someone attempts (twice) to murder the man assigned to the job, the assignment goes to another bank employer - a younger man with gambling problems. The bank's manager asks Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings to accompany him on the trip, but despite their presence the bonds do get stolen and only the young employer had a key to the case....

An exceptional episode of the "Poirot" series. The mix of newsreel b&w footage from the 30's and new footage featuring the actors is creative, the pace is breathless, the acting from all the key players is perfect and the moment of revelation is truly stunning - I challenge anyone to say he or she had figured this one out. There are some laugh-out-loud comedic moments as well - it's amazing how a 50-minute episode of a mystery series can make you laugh more than entire 2-hour supposed comedies. A must-see. (***)

The case of the missing five minutes

[keith-moyes-656-481491 · 8/10 · 6 April 2010]

This is a very enjoyable fifty minutes, but I suspect it should have been five minutes longer.

When the bonds are found to be missing, Hastings particularly notes that somebody appears to have tried to force his way into the strong box that contained them, but then, for some reason, simply used a key instead. Poirot acknowledges that this is a very interesting puzzle.

It remained a puzzle.

I imagine there was an explanation but it didn't make it into the final cut of the programme: a slight frustration in an otherwise good episode.

"Hastings, it is twenty years ago that I came to this country in a boat across the channel. And still I am not recovered."

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 31 July 2015]

The London & Scottish Bank is set to transfer $1 million in bonds to their offices in New York (on the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary no less). But after the planned courier, Mr. Shaw, has two brushes with death and is left bed-ridden, young Mr. Ridgeway takes his place. As insurance, the bank hires Poirot to accompany Mr. Ridgeway and the bonds. Mr. Ridgeway has something of a gambling problem, so when the bonds go missing, he quickly becomes suspect number one for everyone - well, everyone except Poirot.

Another excellent episode. The Million Dollar Bond Robbery has several things going for it. The cast is superb. David Suchet and Hugh Fraser are in fine form. They're work together is so natural. The sets, costumes, lighting, and cinematography are as good as you'll find in any of the Poirot mysteries. I really appreciated the mix of newsreel footage in this episode. It gave the whole thing an air of authenticity. The plot here is fantastic. I was stumped right up to the end. The pacing is good. The 50 minutes just flies by. Overall a wonderful episode.

BIG SPOILERS - One thing that really worked in this episode that usually falls flat is an actor playing two different parts. For example, in the episode The Dream, Alan Howard plays both Benedict Farley and Hugo Cornworthy. but it's obvious it's the same actor playing both roles. But in The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, it actually works. Until Poirot pointed it out, I had not noticed that Nurse Long and Miranda Brooks were being played by the same actress, Lizzy McInnerny. It's a fine piece of acting and a fine piece of directing. I only wish IMDb would quit putting both character names in the cast list. Fortunately, I didn't notice it until after I watched the episode. - END BIG SPOILERS

One of my favourites of the Poirot short story adaptations...

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 7 May 2012]

That is alongside the likes of Wasp's Nest, The Chocolate Box, Adventure of the Italian Nobleman, The Third Floor Flat and Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb. I may be biased as I love the series and hate to criticise it, but this was really an exceptional episode. The episode could have been longer perhaps, but the final solution at least did feel satisfying in the way episodes like King of Clubs and The Double Clue underwhelmed on first viewing and improved I think on the (if my memory serves correct) on the somewhat abrupt ending of the short story. When I watch Poirot I look forward to classy production values, great music, funny moments, intelligent, compelling story telling and solid-at-least acting. All of those are here in The Million Dollar Bond Robbery. It looks elegant and is beautifully shot, and right from the iconic theme tune to the haunting undertones of the background music the music is typically great. I always look for clever dialogue and funny moments(mostly with Hastings' naivety or Poirot's sarcasm), and The Million Dollar Bond Robbery has that too, as well as a story that grabs you right in and never lets go. The acting I can't fault, David Suchet continues to be the definitive Poirot, and everybody supports him to the very best of their ability. Nobody is bad, and I also have very little bad to say about the episode, it is one of my favourites of the short story adaptations and also one of the better ones of the entire series. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Mystery aboard the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary

[SimonJack · 9/10 · 1 February 2018]

Agatha Christie sometimes wove her mystery stories around real events of history. In this episode of the Hercule Poirot Mystery Theater stories Poirot and Captain Hastings are among the passengers onboard the Queen Mary for its maiden voyage from England to New York. She set sail on May 27, 1936.

This mystery is about the theft of a million dollars in bearer bonds. Poirot is hired by the London and Scottish Bank to keep an eye on the bonds as their representative delivers them to a bank in America. Besides being a very good mystery, "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery" has considerably more humor in witty dialog.

Reading about the forthcoming maiden voyage of the Queen Mary, Captain Hastings would love to make the trip. Poirot, on the other hand, gets seasick even thinking about it. Then he gets the commission to protect the bonds, so he and Hastings wind up aboard the Queen Mary. How they do for sea legs is part of the humor.

A major source of the early humor is in exchanges between Poirot and the bank's head of security, Mr. McNeil. He resents Poirot's presence, and tells him so. While he may be a good security man, McNeil is no match for the grey cells of Hercule Poirot. That goes for repartee as well as in detecting and crime solving.

This is a most enjoyable and entertaining mystery served up by Dame Agatha and her super sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Here are some favorite lines from the film.

Captain Hastings, "The Queen Mary? Poirot, you're going too far." Hercule Poirot, "No, Hasting, I'm going nowhere. Even to contemplate such a matter gives me the mal de mare." Captain Hastings, "I can assure you, Poirot, you wouldn't be seasick on the Queen Mary." Hercule Poirot, "Hastings, it is 20 years ago that I came to this country, in a boat, across the channel, and still I am not recovered."

Mr. McNeil, "I'll have you know that in the five years that I have been the head of security here, not so much as a paper clip has gone astray." Hercule Poirot, "Monsieur McNeil, I'm sure if such a thing were to happen, you would be the man ideal for the case."

Mr. McNeil, "With due respect, I can't quite see what's to be gained by employing a Belgian."

Hercule Poirot, "And yet you're traveling alone, Mademoiselle Brooks?" Miranda Brooks, "Oh, you're never alone on a ship, Mr. Poirot. I'll see ya."

Tom Franklin, "But what about the search, Mr. Poirot? You're Mr. McNeil was pretty insistent." Hercule Poirot, "I assure you, officer, Monsieur McNeil does not belong to me."

Hercule Poirot, "I'm sorry." Mr. Shaw, "Don't be. Prison can't be much worse than 25 years of the London & Scottish Bank."

Captain Hastings, "Well, there she was. As you say... glamorous young woman. But with a bit of a wig and a few bits of makeup, she could transfer herself into that dowdy, hag of a nurse." Hercule Poirot, "Yes, it was indeed very well done, Hastings." Captain Hastings, "But... well I mean... if a woman can do that one way, she can do it the other." Hercule Poirot, "Ah, Hastings." Captain Hastings, "Oh, I mean, then where are you?" Hercule Poirot, "At the beginning of wisdom, mon ami. Now, that also is something to celebrate, n'est-ce pas?

Not my favorite

[kaberi-893-642316 · 6/10 · 14 October 2015]

In this episode, as in a few others of the series, Poirot has been on the scene of the crime as it took place, instead of trying to solve it after it happened, as happens in the original story. In this particular case, there is no harm done by this particular change, since the screenwriters decided to set the crime on the Queen Mary (I assume they traveled to California to get those shots, since the ship is no longer seaworthy). The scenes on board ship are the only ones that save this episode from having a lower rating.

Once again we have an episode that suffers somewhat for the details that the screenwriter added to the original story. In the original story there was no gambling addiction, no attempted murder, and definitely no accomplice. The gambling addiction and the attempted murder I find to be rather silly but not too unreasonable, but I couldn't get past the addition of the accomplice. Not only was it evident that this extra person was going to play a crucial role from this person's first appearance on screen, and every subsequent appearance as well, but the explanation given at the end just did not work for me. Why did there even need to be an accomplice in the first place? Wasn't it enough that the criminal would have gained a million dollars by being successful? It just left me with a sour taste in my mouth, that no amount of creme de menthe would remove. Ugh.

A truly wonderful mystery

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 28 January 2019]

Poirot has to solve a seemingly impossible case, an impossible theft.

It is a visually stunning episode, the style and direction are fabulous, it looks so incredibly well made, sets and costumes all on point.

There is a great mix of humour and drama, some wonderful laughs throughout, it's a great episode for Hastings, but what makes this so special is the mystery itself, and the breathtaking transformation scene at the end, I certainly never saw that one coming.

Suchet and team are incredibly good as ever, but praise to the guest cast, a special mention to Lizzy McInnerny, who is wonderful.

It's well paced, imaginative, and boasts a terrific conclusion. An episode of quality. 9/10

The Million Dollar Bond Robbery

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 10 December 2017]

Series 3 of Poirot seems to involve any story that had strychnine poisoning featured in it. This also adds a 'double' to it as well although it is done rather well here.

Miss Lemon mentions that Poirot had problems with his previous bank, in fact he got the bank executive arrested.

Now Poirot is hired by the London & Scottish Bank to beef up the security of a large bond transfer across the Atlantic and this involves a trip on the new liner Queen Mary something which Hastings is looking forward to.

The person accompanying the bonds is poisoned so his unsuitable deputy Philip Ridgeway takes his place and he spends more time on the ship gambling.

When the bonds are stolen suspicion lands on Mr Ridgeway who was deemed unfit to lead by the bank's own head of security.

A nice nifty mystery but not too deep with a lull in the middle. It was sad to see Hastings get sea sick as he was so looking forward to the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary and his genuine disappointment that someone so glamorous could also be so dowdy as well.

excellent Poirot, on board ship

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 28 July 2014]

Poirot is called in by a bank to help transfer $1 million in Liberty Bonds to America. The gentleman who is to take the bonds and travel on the Queen Mary with them has had an unfortunate series of events. He is almost run over by a car, and then he's poisoned.

Unfortunately the young man next in line has gambling problems, but he's what the bank has, so they ask Poirot to accompany him. Hastings goes along as well and he's thrilled as this is the Queen Mary's maiden voyage. Sadly the bonds are stolen.

Great episode, with newsreel footage accompanying the episode. All of the acting is top-notch. Exciting and entertaining - you can't ask for much more.

Poirot at sea

[grantss · 8/10 · 12 August 2016]

Poirot is hired by the London & Scottish Bank to investigate the security of a large bond transfer. The bonds are to be taken across the Atlantic on the liner Queen Mary (on her maiden voyage) and the courier, Mr Shaw, has been the target of two murder attempts. The second attempt leaves him unable to make the voyage so he is replaced by Philip Ridgeway. Poirot and Hastings are sent with him. This is wonderful news to Hastings, as he is a big admirer of the Queen Mary. (As it transpires, he doesn't get to enjoy the voyage nearly as much as he would have liked). A day or so from New York, the bonds are stolen. Not only does Poirot have to find the thief but he has to deal with the obstructiveness and disdain of Mr McNeil, the head of security for the bank. He has no respect for private detectives.

Quite interesting, with some great historic footage of the Queen Mary. It always helps a Poirot episode when an historic event is woven into the plot and the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary is such an event.

Some nice and amusing sub-plots too. Hastings, as always, features in the amusing aspects. His naivety, chivalry, malleability and wide- eyed wonder around beautiful women always makes for interesting watching.

sad writing and confusing ending

[clasof56-1 · 5/10 · 5 June 2019]

Now I love Poirot but this episode is nuts. They want to transfer bonds, but they turn out to be forgeries. They dont know this but dont protect the bonds hardly at all. then when all is said and done, they dont tell you what happened to the real bonds or if there ever were any. So what crime was done? stealing something worthless...some pieces of paper? i just dont get writers sometimes. And all the reviewers say that this is just a wonderful episode????? maybe they just didnt watch or understand it.

The wrong way...

[7asper · 10/10 · 4 August 2008]

A fair part of this sublime episode takes place on the maiden voyage of the RMS Queen Mary sailing from Southampton to New York, leaving on May 27th 1936.

At the end of day two of the voyage, before seeing some of the men playing cards, we see the wake of the ship and further away the sun setting. The ship is evidently sailing away from the sunset, so the direction must be due east - not the straight route to New York...!

• No wonder the speed record wasn't broken at this occasion ;^)

(Actually IRL the ship made a "pit stop" in Cherbourg-Octeville, France just south of Southampton but that will not explain going due east).

Imensely Enjoyable.

[rmax304823 · 8/10 · 24 May 2014]

This story gets Poirot out of his streamlined London flat and puts him and Hastings aboard the Queen Mary for its maiden voyage. The coherent plot is simple enough to follow, devoid of the usual red herrings, well acted, difficult for a viewer to solve, and takes us on the ship where the theft of one million dollars in American Liberty Bonds evidently takes place.

It's rather like a Sherlock Holmes story -- the bonds are in a practically impregnable steel case to which only three high-echelon bank personnel have keys. So which of them done it? Or were more complicated shenanigans involved? I pegged the bank's Chief Security Officer because he has a Scots accent and outlandish ears, proving that while I am as good a detective as Poirot I am not as sneaky a writer at Dame Agatha.

But I loved the Queen Mary. The ship itself is shown only in newsreels of the period but nobody exaggerates its sensational debut. No one is building passenger liners like the Queen Mary anymore. It's now docked as a tourist display in Long Beach, California, not far from Howard Hughes' equally obsolete "Spruce Goose." Liners now hardly look like ships but rather like apartment houses build on barely discernible hulls. Where the Queen Mary was stately and spacious, the new ships resemble overpacked Disneylands with laser shows and other glitzy diversions. The kids will love it.

Also a pleasant sight is the toothsome young fiancée of one of the suspects. This the blond, blue-eyed, magnificently innocent Natalie Ogle, whose only flaw is her last name. "Ogle" doesn't sound Aryan enough to do her appearance justice. She gorgeous and her character glows with appeal, not all of it of a savory sort.

Enjoyable, But Confusing Ending

[monticellomeadow-95356 · 8/10 · 12 June 2023]

I enjoy these adaptations of the Agatha Christie Poirot series immensely. David Suchet is remarkable. But The Million Dollar Bond Robbery confused me at the end. So at this point the questions that follow could be spoilers:

1. Were there ever any real bonds? If forgeries were put in the strong box, someone at the bank had to know this. Although apparently not Mr. Vavascour (SP?), who could not see the bonds clearly he put into the box because of poor vision.

2. If the bank's Mr. Shaw was the one going to steal the bonds, would he not have known that forgeries were replacing the real bonds?

3. What was the purpose of sending the forged bonds to New York? If not for the presence of Poirot on the Queen Mary it seems that the thieves would have "gotten away" with the bonds (though forged).

4. What was it that Miranda threw overboard that Captain Hasting heard hit the water? The fake bonds?

5. Did anyone else feel that this episode was full of plot holes? None of it made any sense to me. But the acting was certainly enjoyable to watch.

A joy to watch.

[jamesraeburn2003 · 9/10 · 29 August 2023]

Hercule Poirot is hired by the London and Scottish Bank after one of their senior staff, Mr Shaw (played by David Quilter), was nearly killed in an attempted hit and run incident, which was clearly a murder attempt upon the banker. Shaw is due to transport $1,000,000 worth of Liberty bonds to New York on the Queen Mary ocean liner on its maiden voyage. Poirot is told that three people are to be entrusted with a key to the security case: Mr Vavasour (played by Ewan Hooper), the General Manager, Mr McNeil (played by Paul Young), the bank's head of security and Shaw. However, another attempt is made upon Shaw's life after someone laced his morning coffee with strychnine. Thankfully, he survives but is confined to his bed at home under the care of Nurse Long (played by Lizzy McInnery). Therefore, the Assistant Manager, Philip Ridgeway (played by Oliver Parker), is chosen to transport the bonds. Poirot and Captain Hastings accompany him on the voyage and his fiancée, who also happens to be Vavasour's secretary, Esmee Dalgleish (played by Natalie Ogle), implores them to make sure that he comes to no harm. Ridgeway happens to be the prime suspect for the murder attempts since it transpires that he had owned a car matching the description of that involved in the attempted hit and run on Mr Shaw. He is also revealed to be a gambler with substantial debts and has loan sharks pursuing him for money. On board the Queen Mary, Poirot meets a glamorous American lady called Miranda Brooks with whom Hastings has become fond of. However, due to his suffering from seasickness, he cannot keep a date with her. Later Ridgeway returns to his cabin following a card playing session to find the security case empty and the bonds gone. Hastings had seen Miranda on the deck and thought he had heard a splash as if something were being dumped overboard, which she denied. The Queen Mary docks in New York and the crew are surprised when Poirot tells them that a search of the ship will be useless. Back in England, all of the keys to the security case have been accounted for apart from Vavasour's and he is duly arrested. But, Poirot is unconvinced of his guilt and presents the solution to this puzzling mystery.

The Million Dollar Bond Robbery is a joy to watch. There is a strong feeling for place and the 1930's period thanks to the superb sets and the lifelike photography of Chris O' Dell. Black and white newsreel footage documenting the Queen Mary's maiden voyage is used to enhance an air of authenticity. Acting is first rate throughout with Ewan Hooper, Oliver Parker, Paul Young, David Quilter and Lizzy McInnery all being of note. The latter is particularly good in a double role. The chemistry between Suchet and Fraser is splendid adding light touches to the plot. Andrew Grieve's direction is excellent, employing the use of clever visual touches including a close up of a poisoned coffee cup being propelled on a tea trolley to highlight its significance.

Terrible Adaptation of the novel

[trdonja · 2/10 · 7 September 2021]

I am not one of those complaining all the time if a sentence from a book is missing in a film. In fact I was not even aware what the story of the written novel was. But the story of the film adaptation is so bad that I simply couldn't believe that Agatha Christie wrote it. So I checked synopsis of the novel and I suggest everyone to do the same.

They are completely different. The actual written story sounds interesting and would make a much better film. Instead we get this completely unbelievable story with some of the worst last 5 minutes of the series.

What bank would entrust so much money to a gambling addict? His fiancée stole the key and what happens to her? Nothing. He gambles whole nights on the most important journey of his career and as a punishment he... gets promoted?! Somehow his promotion also solves the gambling addiction. Look at that happy couple, how cute...

This episode is insulting my grey cells.

One of the sillier episodes.

[FreddyShoop · 3/10 · 9 February 2019]

The whole set-up is silly. Let's see, 1,000,000 dollars in bonds have to be transported, and if they're lost the bank goes under. So the bank entrusts them to one employee, Poirot and Hastings? Even then , they leave the box in the employee's stateroom, while he gambles and drinks; and Poirot et al. enjoy walks and fine dining? Anyone BUT MORONS, would have had 2-4 armed men in the stateroom 24 hrs a day. Even giving them to the Queen Marry staff to put in the "house safe" would have been immensely smarter.

Of course that end up being a bit of a red herring. Oh, and whenever they try to ugly up a character, you know they are going to pull the disguise trope at the end. A lot better out there.

Needlessly over-complicated

[donlessnau-591-637730 · 4/10 · 1 July 2021]

Loosely based on the real story but unnecessarily complicated with excess plot devices. If they had stayed with the real story, it would have been very good. But this was silly. Not that good.