Poirot "Murder on the Links" #6.3 (1996) (TV)

Other than a poorly timed flashback, not much to complain about, 21 April 2008

While on holiday with his friend, Captain Hastings, renowned detective Hercule Poirot is pressed into service to help solve a murder. A very wealthy man's body has been discovered in a sand bunker at a golf course with a knife in his back. His wife is found bound and gagged with a story of two Chilean kidnappers that took her husband in the middle of the night. With no other witnesses, the police quite naturally believe the woman's story. But to Poirot, these events seem oddly familiar and quite suspicious. Poirot must look back into the past to stop a killer from murdering again in the future.

As with Hickory Dickory Dock (which I wrote about yesterday), Murder on the Links is a good episode, just not a great one. There are a number of changes from Agatha Christie's original work – most I didn't really care for. I suppose, however, one has to expect that certain creative licenses will be taken to adapt Christie's books to the screen. And other than one significant issue I have with an early flashback (which I will get to in a moment), most of the mystery elements from the book are here and most work satisfactorily. The acting is nice. I've run out of positives to say about David Suchet. He, quite simply, IS Poirot. Hugh Fraser gives another wonderfully understated performance as Poirot's Dr. Watson, Captain Hastings. The supporting cast is strong, but none of the actors really stand out above the others. Another big plus for Murder on the Links is the attention to detail taken in the sets and the setting. I'm no expert, but the movie looks like it's straight out of the 1930s. Sure, there are one or two discrepancies here and there, but overall, the movie looks incredible. The train station and the hotel are both amazing.

My biggest complaint with Murder on the Links comes from a flashback at the very beginning of the movie. Certain key elements of the mystery are revealed way to early in the script. You find out things within the first 5 minutes that would have been best left until near the end. Otherwise, I don't have any other significant issues with this installment of the Poirot series. A 7/10 seems about right to me.

7/10