Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot is now in his later years of sleuthing. British actor David Suchet shows aging in his face, and his Poirot now sports the longer and straight mustache. None of the early TV and film members of Poirot's inner circle are here. But a later frequent acquaintance now appears in crime and mystery writer Ariadne Oliver, played by Zoe Wanamaker. The apple-eating Oliver is one of three characters who is a past acquaintance of the Poirot, from some previous affair. The other two are Colonel Hughes (played by Robert Pugh) and Superintendent Jim Wheeler (played by David Westhead).
"Cards on the Table" is a hodgepodge of mystery and intrigue with its huge cast. I don't think it's accurate to say there are red herrings here, but the intrigue involves several previous crimes, including some unsolved or wrongly closed. And the final twists are fantastic. One can only surmise that Poirot's breaking through all of this came from the details of a couple interviews he had, of which the audience sees only part. Although, the clues are there, however fleeting.
This is one fantastic mystery by the incomparable Agatha Christie. Here are some favorite lines from the film.
Hercule Poirot, "And what do you consider to be the finest objects, artistically speaking, in crime?" Shaitana, "Why, the human beings who commit them, monsieur."
Ariadne Oliver, "What if they're all leading you up the garden path?" Hercule Poirot, "No, it is not possible to take Hercule Poirot along the path. Whether they try to hinder me or to help me, they necessarily reveal their type of mind."
Mrs. Lorrimer, "No one can always be right." Hercule Poirot, "But I am. Always I am right. It is so invariable it startles me. And now it looks very much as thought I may be wrong, and that upsets me and I shall not be upset because I am Right. I must be right because I am never wrong."
"Cards on the Table" is a hodgepodge of mystery and intrigue with its huge cast. I don't think it's accurate to say there are red herrings here, but the intrigue involves several previous crimes, including some unsolved or wrongly closed. And the final twists are fantastic. One can only surmise that Poirot's breaking through all of this came from the details of a couple interviews he had, of which the audience sees only part. Although, the clues are there, however fleeting.
This is one fantastic mystery by the incomparable Agatha Christie. Here are some favorite lines from the film.
Hercule Poirot, "And what do you consider to be the finest objects, artistically speaking, in crime?" Shaitana, "Why, the human beings who commit them, monsieur."
Ariadne Oliver, "What if they're all leading you up the garden path?" Hercule Poirot, "No, it is not possible to take Hercule Poirot along the path. Whether they try to hinder me or to help me, they necessarily reveal their type of mind."
Mrs. Lorrimer, "No one can always be right." Hercule Poirot, "But I am. Always I am right. It is so invariable it startles me. And now it looks very much as thought I may be wrong, and that upsets me and I shall not be upset because I am Right. I must be right because I am never wrong."