What a sorrowful, haunting tale. It's rarely that an adaptation is better than the original piece of work, and this is one such example. The movie is far more poignant and moving than the book, and possibly the best of all the Poirot adaptations.
Painter Amyas Crale is murdered, and his wife hangs for the crime. A decade and a half later, their daughter enlists Hercule Poirot to uncover the truth and clear her mother's name. Thus begins the journey of Poirot, who proceeds to interview the 'five little pigs' - the five other people who were present when the crime took place, thus donning the role of both suspects and witnesses, each with a different motive and a different version of the events that transpired.
The casting here is spot on and everyone does a fabulous job. The most riveting performance is undoubtedly Rachael Stirling's, who is pitch-perfect as the ill-fated Caroline Crale. Julie Cox as Elsa Greer is also very good, coming across exactly as the part was written by Christie herself.
Overall, this is one of the most beautiful episodes of Poirot and a must-watch. The 9/10 is only because Sophie Winkleman's 'bad eye' (her character, Angela Warren, has a disfigured, blind eye throughout the movie) isn't done up correctly in the denouement. In one particular shot, the makeup is off and both her eyes look fine. A rather noticeable flaw in a production that has otherwise been done with such painstaking attention to detail.
Painter Amyas Crale is murdered, and his wife hangs for the crime. A decade and a half later, their daughter enlists Hercule Poirot to uncover the truth and clear her mother's name. Thus begins the journey of Poirot, who proceeds to interview the 'five little pigs' - the five other people who were present when the crime took place, thus donning the role of both suspects and witnesses, each with a different motive and a different version of the events that transpired.
The casting here is spot on and everyone does a fabulous job. The most riveting performance is undoubtedly Rachael Stirling's, who is pitch-perfect as the ill-fated Caroline Crale. Julie Cox as Elsa Greer is also very good, coming across exactly as the part was written by Christie herself.
Overall, this is one of the most beautiful episodes of Poirot and a must-watch. The 9/10 is only because Sophie Winkleman's 'bad eye' (her character, Angela Warren, has a disfigured, blind eye throughout the movie) isn't done up correctly in the denouement. In one particular shot, the makeup is off and both her eyes look fine. A rather noticeable flaw in a production that has otherwise been done with such painstaking attention to detail.