I love Peter Ustinov as Poirot. Maybe he is not as close to his fastidious book counterpart as David Suchet or Albert Finney, but his version of the Belgian detective has a playful humanity, wise and sweetly ironic at the same time, which I find utterly engaging. This is one of those rare cases where the character as adapted and performed has replaced the book one in my mind.

In this murder mystery set on a Mediterranean island (a departure from the novel, which took place in Devon), Ustinov is surrounded by a first-rate cast, featuring, among others, Maggie Smith, James Mason and Diana Rigg. Dialogues are witty, characters effectively drawn: Christie had a gift for recreating upper-class banter, and the great Anthony Shaffer (Sleuth) adapted the book for the screen.

The solution doesn't really hold up to close scrutiny - without going into spoiler territory, the murderous plan required a series of lucky, unpredictable occurrences to succeed - but Ustinov is a delight to watch.

7,5/10

It's one of those films I'd almost forgotten about after David Suchet's outing, but Ustinov's has a huge charm which can be overlooked no further.

The plot for some part is a little far fetched, but such is the quality of the writing and the mystery itself it doesn't matter in the slightest, for it to have worked the timings would have had to have been literally to the minute.

The characterisations are the strong point of the film. Ustinov made a brilliant debut in Death on the Nile, and he shows once again just how good he was in the role. Diana Rigg and Maggie Smith are wonderful in their respective roles in particular, both actually make their characters more interesting then they appear in the book, the interplay between the two is wonderful, so much fun. Nicholas Clay and Jane Birkin are fantastic also, her transformation is sensational, what a beauty!

It is a lavish looking film, the locations are sensational, and the costumes are superb, they really add a glamorous note to it, Rigg looks sensational in many scenes.

Overall 9/10. It's a great story, it's brilliantly acted, and the characters are just magical, it's hugely entertaining!

EVIL UNDER THE SUN marks the second of Peter Ustinov's appearances as the famous Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot and it's very similar to look and feel as his first, DEATH ON THE NILE. Once again a bunch of glamorous but ageing Hollywood stars are stranded in a remote exotic setting, where one of their number (an incredibly bitchy Diana Rigg) is murdered and Poirot has to work out who did it. I enjoyed this film slightly more than the two previous Poirot movies of the 1970s, because it has a lighter touch and more comedy, that makes it very amusing at times. The cast is very strong and has nice roles for Roddy McDowall, James Mason, and an on-form Maggie Smith, and I did get a hoot out of Colin Blakely's Yorkshireman. As ever, the only thing that took the edge of this - and it was the same with the other Poirot movies - is that it feels very drawn out, particularly in the first half. The murder takes forever to happen and too much time is spent merely wallowing in the star power instead of getting on with the plot. Still, it's a fun watch.