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Poirot {The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (#7.1)} [VHS]

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Hercule Poirot is one of the most famous detectives in literary history. Yet, strangely, except for his portrayal by Albert Finney in the star-studded movie version of "Murder on the Orient Express," for a long time, there did not seem to be an actor who could convincingly bring to life the clever, dignified little Belgian with his unmistakable egg-shaped head, always perched a little on one side, his stiff, military, slightly upward-twisted moustache, and his excessively neat attire, which had reached the point that "a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet," as Agatha Christie introduced him through his friend Captain Hastings's voice in their and her own very first adventure, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (1920). But leave it to British TV to finally find the perfect Poirot in David Suchet, who after having had the dubious honor of playing a rather dumbly arrogant version of Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Japp in some of the 1980s' movies starring Peter Ustinov as Poirot, was now finally allowed to move center stage.

And the match is spot-on, not only physically but also, and most importantly, in terms of personality. Suchet shares Poirot's inclination towards pedantry: "I like things to be symmetrical ... If I put two things on the mantelpiece, they have to be exactly evenly spaced," he once said in an interview, comparing his real-life persona to that of Poirot, but adding that unlike his on-screen alter ego, "I don't need the same sized eggs for breakfast!" Although previously not interested in mysteries, his habitually meticulous research allowed him to quickly become intimately familiar with Christie's Belgian sleuth and the workings of his little gray cells -- and to slip so much into Poirot's skin that I, for one, can no longer pick up a Poirot book without instantly hearing Suchet's voice as that of the great little detective.

As in most of the TV series's other episodes, Philip Jackson co-stars in this movie-length feature based on Christie's like-named 1926 novel as a rather sturdy, down-to-earth incarnation of Chief Inspector Japp; but unlike in other episodes, neither Pauline Moran (Poirot's epitome of a secretary, Miss Lemon) nor Hugh Fraser (Captain Hastings) make an appearance here; owing to the fact that this particular story takes place at a time when Poirot has -- rather prematurely, as it will turn out -- decided to retire to a village named King's Abbot: an archetypal English village like those that later became so crucial to Christie's Miss Marple mysteries (the first of which, "Muder at the Vicarage," dates from 1930), where the detective is resolved to, henceforth, devote his life to the singular pursuit of growing the perfect vegetable marrow!

Story-wise, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" is one of the most remarkable entries in all of Christie's canon, not least because of its completely unexpected turntable conclusion -- which is, surprisingly enough, maintained extremely well in this adaptation, by means of a simple but very effective directorial slight of hand.

As the story's title indicates, the case itself centers around Roger Ackroyd, an industrialist, the richest man in King's Abbot and "more impossibly like a country squire than any country squire could really be," as village doctor James Sheppard describes him in the novel. When he is found murdered, Poirot finds himself compelled to step out of his retirement after all, to investigate Ackroyd's death ... as well as its connection to that of Ackroyd's friend, the only recently-widowed Mrs. Ferrars.

Also recommended:
The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Hercule Poirot's First Case
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Agatha Christie Collection)
Agatha Christie: Five Complete Hercule Poirot Novels - Murder on the Orient Express / Thirteen at Dinner / The ABC Murders / Cards on the Table / Death on the Nile
Poirot in the Orient (Hercule Poirot)
Hercule Poirot's Casebook
Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection
Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection, Vol. 2
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express
Death on the Nile

"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" brought "Agatha Christie's Poirot" back in 2000 after a hiatus of four years. Perhaps this mystery was selected to re-introduce the series, because it brings Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) out of retirement. For reasons unexplained, the Belgian detective has quit London for the village of King's Abbott, where he is perfecting his vegetable garden. But Poirot cannot escape man's criminal nature. He becomes concerned about his friend Roger Ackroyd (Malcolm Terris), who owns a large chemical company, after Ackroyd's paramour Mrs. Dorothy Farrars (Rosalind Bailey) dies of apparent suicide. Ackroyd had learned that someone was blackmailing Dorothy over the suspicious death of her late husband. He intends to find the culprit, but the culprit finds him first.

The novel "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" was published in 1926 and is considered one of Agatha Christie's best on account of its unusual structure and surprise ending. Screenwriter Clive Exton has tried to bring some elements of the structure to the film. The story is told from two perspectives in parallel. Poirot is reading the diary of the murderer after the crime has been solved, and we watch the crime and its solution play out while the murderer narrates. There is nothing wrong with this structure except that it is superfluous. It is a method of incorporating the murderer's diary, which becomes a plot point later on, into the film. The alternative would have been to leave the diary out of the story entirely. Undoubtedly, some viewers will prefer the path not taken.

David Suchet is in great form as Poirot after a few years away from playing the detective. Poirot betrays dismay at his own inability to save his friend and mounting frustration at lying witnesses. Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) makes an appearance, though he was not in the book, and Poirot is overjoyed to see his old friend. Poirot's reasons for leaving London and his disquiet at visiting his old haunts are never clear, and they leave the audience a little uneasy. This isn't one of the series top-tier episodes, but it's solid entertainment. It's nice to see the show was still going strong in Series 7 and into its second decade. The DVD (A&E 2000) offers no subtitles or bonus features but forces the viewer to watch an ad for A&E.

Retired? Poirot? Where the canny little Belgian treads, mayhem and murder can not but provide his little grey cells with the exercise dear Agatha intended !!! Here we have a clever story, cleverly told, emminently satisfying for the Christie fan, despite his retirement..

Suchet has so mastered the role of Poirot, to the tiniest detail, it comes as a shock to see him in other roles - the sign of a great craftsman. Follow his perusal of the journal of a cold-blooded killer, which causes him to re-live the case to its conclusion. Breathe the atmosphere of the period, lovingly re-created by the director and his team. Plunge into the story - because even if you devine the truth before the climax of the film, the entire experience will be as satisfying as any 100 minutes in your Christie library.