Fidelity to text: 2 weapons (for the novel); 2 1/2 weapons (for the stage play) Changes galore and all of them either bad, or badly handled. Quality of movie on its own: 2 weapons. This should have been good. Look at that international “A” cast and that gorgeous setting. But it dragged, it was blah, […]

Fidelity to text: 3 jewel thieves The movie star changes nationality and a suspicious diamond buyer shows up, as do Japp and Miss Lemon. There are other changes and enhancements, not all of which work. Quality of movie on its own: 2 1/2 jewel thieves They can’t all be gems. Murky, overly convoluted, and motivations […]

Fidelity to text: 4 1/2 weapons This version is truer to the novel than the stage play. However, our hero and heroine still escape, but with a backstory much closer to the novel. Quality of movie on its own: 4 weapons The quality of the film is terrible. Blurry, out of focus, poor sound so […]

Fidelity to text: 3 ransom notes. Plenty of changes, including updating motivation to match the changed date. All the changes worked, enhancing a slight story. Quality of movie on its own: 4 1/2 ransom notes. I really wanted this to be longer; it needed more detail about motivation. If you’re not up on British history, […]

Fidelity to text: 4 1/2 knives. It’s just about perfect except for Poirot. This version lets him get persuaded a little too easily. He’s normally dedicated to justice, and the film didn’t show his crisis of conscience well. Quality of movie on its own: 4 1/2 knives. So many stars! So much talent! They each […]

Fidelity to text: 4 spies The main addition is Miss Lemon, undercover agent. Every other story element is from the text; rearranged, expanded upon, or a sly reference, but it’s there. Quality of movie on its own: 4 1/2 spies Loved it. Just loved it. My only quibble is that slower, dumber viewers like me […]

Fidelity to text: 4 poison bottles Claudia and her murder disappear, names and occupations shift, annoying relatives show up more often. What was a veiled reference to sex gets fleshed out as does the last murder. Otherwise, it’s spot-on. Quality of movie on its own: 4 poison bottles Haunting, elegiac, wistful, creepy, underrated; watch it […]

Fidelity to text: 3 thieves Loads of enhancements, all of which turned a miniature mystery into something far more interesting. Wait till you see Miss Lemon’s nightmare, completely made up from whole cloth and completely in character. Quality of movie on its own: 4 1/2 thieves Excellent throughout, but I wanted more explanation from Poirot. […]

Fidelity to text: 1/2 poisoned dart The underlying plot of The A.B.C. Murders exists, but nothing else remains. Even Hastings got a major rewrite, turning him into a bungling Robert Morley. Quality of movie on its own: 1 poisoned dart Dreadful but not as bad as Innocent Lies (1995), which was deliberately offensive, obscure, and […]

Fidelity to text: 4 thieves. Every change enhanced existing story elements, including the parrot. After all, the text references a sparrow in passing. A visiting parrot is funnier. Quality of movie on its own: 4 1/2 thieves. Funny, fast-paced, action-filled, and a decent mystery considering the tiny pool of suspects. A difficulty that all mystery […]