American paleontologist Dr. Arthur Calgary (Donald Sutherland) has come to foggy seaside England to return an address book to Jacko Argyle. Jacko had hitched a ride with Calgary two years ago and left the book in his car. Dr. Calgary had been on a research mission in the Antarctic since that time. He's surprised that everybody is cold and standoffish. Jacko's father (Christopher Plummer) reveals that Jacko had been convicted and hung for the murder of his mother (Faye Dunaway). The murder took place at the exact time when Calgary picked him up. Despite being the perfect alibi, both the family and the police are reluctant to reopen the case. Someone in the family would be obviously the prime suspect. As Calgary investigates, he uncovers many dark family secrets.
This is an Agatha Christie mystery produced by Cannon Films. It does leave me a little cold. The foggy, shivering setting doesn't help. It's the production. The story is mostly Calgary sitting down with various people recalling the past in black and white. It's hard to keep track of everybody and what they were doing. Eventually, the secret reveal is rather simple. I don't blame the production since the story is meant to be about the cold, distancing effects of the Brits of that era. Despite the random attempts to run down Calgary with a car, the story lacks the thrills to drive it. The actors are great but they need to inject the movie with more energy. Other than the first class actors, this movie fits more on the small screen.
This is an Agatha Christie mystery produced by Cannon Films. It does leave me a little cold. The foggy, shivering setting doesn't help. It's the production. The story is mostly Calgary sitting down with various people recalling the past in black and white. It's hard to keep track of everybody and what they were doing. Eventually, the secret reveal is rather simple. I don't blame the production since the story is meant to be about the cold, distancing effects of the Brits of that era. Despite the random attempts to run down Calgary with a car, the story lacks the thrills to drive it. The actors are great but they need to inject the movie with more energy. Other than the first class actors, this movie fits more on the small screen.