Poirot is approached by Lieutenant Colin Race for help with a case. Race has found himself mixed-up in an unusual murder mystery. The story goes like this: Walking down a street, Race is nearly knocked over by a hysterical young woman named Shelia Webb as she runs from the front door of a house. Inside the house are a dead body and the owner of the house, a blind woman who knows nothing of the girl or the dead man. The police cannot identify the body and no one can explain how Webb, a typist for hire, came to be in the house with the dead man. Added to the mystery are four clocks in the room where the dead man was found, all set to 4:13. The blind woman knows nothing of the clocks and no one can explain what they mean. Oh, there's also some missing military documents that Race has been investigating thrown into the mix. Poirot has is hands full with this one.
I've ranted recently about several of the newer Poirot episodes. Some are twisted and changed from Christie's original work to the point they are unrecognizable. Some are filmed in a modern style more suited for something like CSI than a classic detective story set in the 1930s. I'm happy to report that neither is true with The Clocks. The story, while it varies on some aspects of Christie's The Clocks, holds true on most of the main plot points. It's easily recognizable to anyone familiar with the book. And the movie is told is style more fitting Poriot and Christie. It looks more like the earlier episodes I enjoy so much.
The Clocks was always one of my favorite Christie books and this adaptation did not disappoint. I congratulate director Charlie Palmer and the screenwriters for taking a fairly complicated story with multiple characters and suspects and putting it together so well. There are plenty of red herrings that work perfectly. It has all the hallmarks of a classic, well made, and well told mystery. The acting is top notch. By now, my enjoyment of Suchet's work goes without saying. The supporting cast, including Tom Burke as Race and Jaime Winstone as Shelia Webb, is very strong. There's even some good comic relief provided by the frustrated Inspector Hardcastle, played brilliantly by Phil Daniels. The sets and locations are once again flawless. I'm amazed at all the varied locations the producers were able to find for filming. Just beautiful. Finally, the music is a real bonus. It fits nicely with the unfolding story. Overall, an easy 8/10 from me.
I've ranted recently about several of the newer Poirot episodes. Some are twisted and changed from Christie's original work to the point they are unrecognizable. Some are filmed in a modern style more suited for something like CSI than a classic detective story set in the 1930s. I'm happy to report that neither is true with The Clocks. The story, while it varies on some aspects of Christie's The Clocks, holds true on most of the main plot points. It's easily recognizable to anyone familiar with the book. And the movie is told is style more fitting Poriot and Christie. It looks more like the earlier episodes I enjoy so much.
The Clocks was always one of my favorite Christie books and this adaptation did not disappoint. I congratulate director Charlie Palmer and the screenwriters for taking a fairly complicated story with multiple characters and suspects and putting it together so well. There are plenty of red herrings that work perfectly. It has all the hallmarks of a classic, well made, and well told mystery. The acting is top notch. By now, my enjoyment of Suchet's work goes without saying. The supporting cast, including Tom Burke as Race and Jaime Winstone as Shelia Webb, is very strong. There's even some good comic relief provided by the frustrated Inspector Hardcastle, played brilliantly by Phil Daniels. The sets and locations are once again flawless. I'm amazed at all the varied locations the producers were able to find for filming. Just beautiful. Finally, the music is a real bonus. It fits nicely with the unfolding story. Overall, an easy 8/10 from me.
8/10
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