The ABC Murders

The contrast with this feature length episode and the much later ones cannot be more stark.

Despite the longer running time, The ABC Murders does not feel padded. The art direction is exquisite even for small street scenes. More importantly it has dashes of humour even though the storyline is dark. I actually laughed several times.

Captain Hastings returns to London from South America with a smelly stuffed crocodile as a gift for Poirot. Almost immediately Poirot's little grey cells are being tasked.

Poirot receives a series of anonymous letters from a killer who calls himself ABC who taunts him by telling Poirot where he will strike next. The killer leaves an ABC railroad schedule at the scene of the murders, the victims appear to be random but the killer seems to have an obsession with an adherence to alphabetical order both in the names of the victims and the town or city the deaths occur.

Poirot gets the friends and families of the various victims together to look for any common clues in order to find the serial killer. Suspicion falls on a shell shocked war veteran who is a door to door stocking salesman. The press are going hysterical with alliterative headlines.

Poirot suspects that not all of the victims were random.

The ABC murders is an intriguing episode which was simply well made, the characters are comfortable with each other, Japp joking about receding hairline to Hastings, it tries to divert you to a cul de sac but Poirot is too wily for that.

This TV film of "The ABC Murders" is one of the best movies of the entire Agatha Christie series on Hercule Poirot. It also ranks among the very best mystery thrillers of all time. The film is packed with intrigue from start to finish. The simple modus operandi of the murders in this story belie the complexities of this fantastic mystery.

Super sleuth Hercule Poirot is stumped for a long time, but his little grey cells help him eventually unravel this great mystery. His sidekick, Captain Hastings, is there to lend a hand. And Chief Inspector Japp has more than the usual work cut out for him in the effort to apprehend the murderer.

The reguklar cast for this film give it their all, and some guest actors turn in tremendous performances as well. Poirot (David Suchet), Hastings (Hugh Fraser), and Japp (Philip Jackson) needed to be in top form to solve this most intriguing of cases. And, Donald Sumpter as Cust gives a performance worthy of an award. This is too great a mystery to say much more about. It would deprive those who haven't yet seen the film of the full enjoyment of a superb mystery.

Kudos to Grenada Media and associates. This is an outstanding production of an enthralling thriller from the pen of the greatest mystery writer of all time.

The book is a good one and it has been well dramatized here. Donald Sumpter is excellent as the travelling salesman, Cust.

It's unlike other Christies in that most of the victims are not wealthy or aristocratic. The scenes in the Andover shop and at Bexhill are (perhaps unintentionally) touching. The deaths are really sad -- which is almost never the case in a Christie book, where murder is only a chance for an interesting puzzle and the victim is quite often a nasty tyrant whom almost everyone wants dead. When Hastings is moved by the scene in Andover, Poirot brushes his comments aside, saying they must not succumb to sentimentality.

Entertaining. Recommended.

Serial killer ABC plots their murders using an apparent infatuation of the alphabet to choose their victims. ABC opts to taunt Poirot by writing to him, goading him, bragging of their successes and the failings of the Police and authorities. With the assistance of The Police and the nearest and dearest of the victims Poirot sets about catching the clever and dangerous ABC.

I think in all honesty it's this one that got me hooked in Poirot. It has all the elements necessary for an outstanding murder mystery. It looks wonderful, the 1930's are wonderfully recreated, lots of Art deco to admire. Some of the settings are lovely too, the scenes in Bexhill and by the promenade look beautiful. The story is really intriguing and intelligent.

I love the music throughout, it works so well at building up the tension.

Suchet made the role of Poirot his own, nobody else even comes close, he is fabulous in this one, particularly in the conclusion. The trio of Poirot, Japp and Hastings (and Miss Lemon when she's there) work brilliantly well together, but the plaudits in this one have to go to Donald Sumpter, he portrays Cust brilliantly, he's hugely troubled, guilt ridden, scared and his world is falling apart around him. A quick mention for Vivienne Burgess too, only a small role as Lady Clark, but she was excellent.

It's wonderful from start to finish. It shows just how clever Poirot is, Christie's genius shines through, one of the best adaptations. 10/10

I love episodes like Sad Cypress, Five Little Pigs and Peril At End House, but The ABC Murders deserves to be up there with the best of them. It was a near-perfect, top notch and thrilling episode. There are one or two slow moments, and before I realised that there was half an hour left I had the impression as I haven't read the book that I had been told too much, but these are the only problems I had with it. The plot is complicated with plenty of surprises, but is well constructed and well explained. The adaptation looks splendid, not in a sumptuous visual style like say Sad Cypress but in a dark haunting visual style like something like Hickory Dickory Dock. The music is enough to make the hairs stand up on your neck, it certainly did that to mine. The acting from all involved is exceptional, whilst David Suchet gives an impeccable performance as always as Poirot, it is Donald Sumpter who walks away with the acting honours in one of the best supporting performances in the history of the Poirot run. It is considered as one of Suchet's favourite Poirots, and you know what, it is easy to see why. It is superb. 9/10 Bethany Cox