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When a series of bizarre thefts at a boarding house leads to murder, it takes Hercule Poirot all of his ingenuity to solve a series of interlocking mysteries and unmask the killer. This feature-length Poirot mystery shows why David Suchet is the definitive screen version of Agatha Christie's dapper Belgian sleuth. With his fastidious habits and thick French accent it would be easy to turn Poirot into a caricature, but Suchet makes him funny without diminishing the detective's brilliance. Poirot's peculiarity is a perfect disguise, and when he sets out for the murder scene in his immaculate clothes--like a shiny black beetle bustling through the drab, brown London streets--there is little doubt that the crime will soon be solved. Hickory Dickory Dock reaches its climax, naturellement, with the detective and his suspects gathered tensely in a drawing room. Although the story suffers from some clumsily introduced clues (Christie suffers here in comparison with writers like P.D. James), the denouement works well, keeping us guessing while allowing the more astute viewer to spot the killer before Poirot makes his announcement. --Simon Leake
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