Rating: 
Summary: Don't forget: "[E]verywhere there is evil under the sun"
Review: +++++
I watched this movie without reading the 1941 Dame Agatha Christie novel that it is based on. I'm glad I did this! Why? Because it forced me to really watch the movie in order to try and deduce who the murderer was.
As a brief synopsis, the movie begins with a death. Then the movie shifts to a group of people arriving at "Daphne's Island" where they all stay at a posh hotel. One of the guests staying at this hotel is none other than the super-sleuth himself, Hercule Poirot (Sir Peter Ustinov). Eventually a hotel guest is murdered. As Poirot investigates it seems that "nobody did it."
Who are the other guests and those associated with the hotel? They are as follows:
1) Sir Horace Blatt, a wealthy industrialist (Colin Blakely)
2) Daphne Castle, owner of the hotel (Dame Maggie Smith)
3) Arlena Stuart Marshall, a famous stage actress (Dame Diana Rigg)
4) Captain Kenneth Marshall, Arlena's husband (Denis Quilley)
5) Linda Marshall, Kenneth's daughter (Emily Hone, her movie debut)
6) Christine Redfern, socialite? (Jane Birkin)
7) Patrick Redfern, Christine's husband (Nick Clay)
8) Rex Brewster, biographer (Roddy McDowall)
9) Odell Gardener, producer (James Mason)
10) Myra Gardener, Odell's wife and a producer (Sylvia Miles)
Near the end of the movie, Poirot lists the clues that were needed to solve the murder: "a bathing cap, a bath, a bottle, a wristwatch, [a] diamond, a noon-day gun [or cannon], The Breath of the Sea, and [the] height of [a] cliff."
Of all the actors above, Ustinov's performance stands out. This was his second time playing Poirot and I feel he does a stellar job depicting the great Belgian. Other performances to look for are Maggie Smith as the hotel owner and Diana Rigg as the famous actress.
The cinematography of this movie is visually stunning. This movie was partly filmed on location in Majorca, Spain. (Christie purists may not like this since in the novel the setting is the English coast.) Some of the costumes are outrageous and over the top. (Ustinov designed the bathing suit he wears in the movie.) All music in the movie is by Cole Porter.
As Poirot is attempting to solve this crime, he looks in the hotel register. Look for a famous name among these signatures.
Finally, the DVD has some extras. Of these, I found the one about the making of this movie interesting. It lasts for about fifteen minutes.
In conclusion, this movie has everything: wit, odd characters, a good mystery, beautiful settings, and an enthralling ending. It is a fun movie even if you have read the novel it's based on!!
(1981; 2 hr; widescreen; color)
+++++
Rating:
Summary: Mystery galore...
Review: Agatha Christie's Evil under the sun with it's all star cast keeps your interest to the end. My wife and are especially caught up with Peter Ustinov's character mixing in with all of the rest to make this video a must for all mystery buffs.
Rating: 
Summary: Murder is 'just one of those things'
Review: Agatha Christie's murder mystery, 'Evil Under The Sun' is brought gloriously to life, in this movie from the early 80's. It features Peter Ustinov in his second showing as the legendary Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot along with a cast of actors who camp it up for all they are worth.The plot follows the classic Christie template (see Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express) of a group of people gathered together, with one being particularly nasty and unlikeable and (surprise, surprise!!) is murdered, with all of the remaining characters having a motive for putting this person out of the way. While this movie doesn't move too far away from the template, it rewards the viewer with an intriguing yet fun couple of hours. The performances from all of the actors on board are excellent - yes they are over the top (especially Roddy McDowell's bitchy Rex Brewster and Sylvia Miles's droning Myra Gardener) but that makes them all the more endearing. Maggie Smith is obviously having loads of fun as the hotel proprieter, Daphne Castle, and her scenes with Ustinov have great energy. However Diana Rigg all but steals the film as the "ageing" actress, Arlena Marshall, a prize and completely ostentatious vamp. Ustinov is again on fine form as Poirot and relishes the chance to add his stamp to a character already memorably portrayed on screen by Albert Finney. This film offers a great opportunity to actors out of their normal milieu (the aforementioned Smith and Rigg, as well as the luminous Jane Birkin) and is almost worth watching for that alone. Added to that is a great soundtrack of Cole Porter numbers which indelibly places this movie in the 1930's. While it does deviate from the setting and characters of Christie's source novel, that doesn't detract it from being an superb addition to the canon of Christie films.
Rating:
Summary: A movie I can watch over and over again...
Review: Although David Suchet's Poirot is, I think, more faithful to Christie's vision of him, I have always enjoyed Ustinov as the famous Belgian sleuth. Evil under the Sun appeals to me because of the quality of the cast, as well as its small size, and the gorgeous location (a small island in the mediterranean). The movie is infused with light and some of the best Cole Porter music. Diana Rigg is an absolutely odious Arlena Marshall, and Maggie Smith's Daphne Castle is wonderful as her erstwhile rival. Roddy McDowell's fruity Rex Brewster is probably my favorite. Jane Birkin is the fragile nagging wife of Arlena's toy boy Patrick Redfern (Nicholas Clay), and is wonderful in the staircase scene at the end of the movie. These and a few other characters congregate on Daphne's Island, for a sunny holiday, that is very quickly interrupted by murder. In order to avoid dealing with the inept local police, Daphne calls on Poirot's 'colossal brain power' to solve the crime for her. Poirot takes on the case, and is soon faced by a seemingly insurmountable problem...(and you'll have to watch the movie to find out what it is).
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable entry in the Murder Mystery Series
Review: Although not as good as the two previous movie adaptions, and considering it is almost faithless to Agatha Christie's great novel, EVIL UNDER THE SUN is good fun. Murder visits a tiny island resort and motives abound. Peter Ustinov returns as Hercule Poirot, although he seems a little less serious this time around. All-star cast includes Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg, Roddy McDowell, Jane Birken, and James Mason. Worth a look. Look for Maggie Smith and Diana Rigg's sparring. It's priceless.
Rating:
Summary: "Holidays can be murder!"
Review: At least for 'ercule Poirot! This is one of two Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot movies in which Peter Ustinov starred as Hercule Poirot. He's simply so loveable and so much fun. Now, you have to love a guy who, while on a seaside vacation, wears a swimsuit (much more coverage in those days) with a giant "P" on it and only wades in the water, refusing to get himself wet! He's too much funny fun.
This movie version plays out more campy and almost comically (especially against the more modern David Suchet as Hercule Poirot's version of "Evil Under the Sun.") The victim here, played disgustingly well by Diana Rigg, is just such an aggravatingly vile human being that, as presumed, you don't care that she dies, you only care that you get to help figure out whodunnit! (As contrasted with the Suchet movie, where he constantly tries to drag the viewer into the dreadful emotion of murder. Well, we don't care that a vile person is murdered; we only care that we get to figure out who murdered her. Get it!)
Anyway, this is as colorful and fun a Peter Ustinov Hercule Poirot movie as his equally excellent and fun "Death on the Nile." See them both. They're a very nice duet. And, again, as I said in my comparison review of "Death on the Nile," if you only want to own one "Evil Under the Sun," own the Ustinov one. It's the more entertaining.
See also: Peter Ustinov plays a stunningly funny and persistent detective in the 1989 miniseries starring Pierce Brosnan, "Around the World in 80 Days." It's also loads of fun.
Rating:
Summary: Campy Christie Classic
Review: EVIL UNDER THE SUN contains perhaps the campiest dialogue and most over-the-top performances of the four sparkling, big budget adaptations of Agatha Christie mysteries (ORIENT EXPRESS, NILE, MIRROR, and this one) made by the same producers. Somehow, it all works better here with its exquisite locations, lyrical Cole Porter score, and knockout Anthony Powell costumes which are truly breathtaking. As always in a Christie mystery, no one seems able to have done the crime (despite everyone having a viable motive), and it's up to Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov who plays with the part more than ever in his broadest interpretation of the role in five tries - two films and three made-for-TV movies) to sort things out. He does so in a beautifully played denouement at the film's conclusion which makes everything clear. The new DVD release is to be treasured for its very saturated colors (the VHS tape seemed washed out and vaguely unfocused) and clear sound (though mono, it seemed wonderfully rich and full). It's a terrific addition to anyone's mystery library and remains my favorite of the Christie adaptations. (I would like to see MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPESS get a widescreen DVD release some day, however.)
Rating: 
Summary: Strong Finish
Review: Evil Under The Sun follows the case of a selfish English actress who is murdered at an exclusive island resort, surrounded (of course) by a number of people who will not mourn her death. Diana Rigg is the actress, and it's up to Hercule Poirot, played again by Peter Ustinov, to solve the seemingly impenetrable crime. I don't think his performance represents Poirot the way Christie probably envisioned him, but he is fun as the famous sleuth. The potential murderers are played by such recognizable stars as Maggie Smith, James Mason, Roddy McDowell, and Sylvia Miles. Most of the actors play it very broadly, often going for laughs, with Smith being the most successful at it. The film moves along quite slowly, really coming to life as Ustinov reveals all, solving the crime just as we knew he would. With its poor pacing and script-in-need-of-a-rewrite, this isn't a great mystery movie. But finding the solution will keep you interested, particularly with an ending that pays off.
Rating: 
Summary: "Everyone automatically comes up with a watertight alibi"
Review: Evil Under the Sun is an unfortunately abysmal rendition of Agatha Christie's novel of the same name. The very English environment and upper-middle class social milieu that Christie was so adept at creating has been mangled beyond recognition. Instead of the English seaside, the action has been removed to an island in a laughably fictional kingdom somewhere in the Adriatic. However, this does provide one of the few saving graces of the film - some absolutely stunning coastal scenery.
Peter Ustinov is a very passable Poirot (even if some of the things the director and screenwriter have got him doing are highly unlikely). When an aging actress is murdered whilst on holiday, there are no shortage of suspects amongst the other guesthouse residents. But all would appear to have cast iron alibis, so Belgian sleuth supreme Hercule Poirot must call on his "little grey cells" to distinguish fact from fiction. The other characters are portrayed with a highly developed sense of camp, and indeed the film ends up feeling like a parody that doesn't quite manage to pull it off. Watch however, for some fabulous verbal sparring between Maggie Smith and Diana Rigg. It is only at the last, when Poirot is expounding his theory on the identity of the murderers that the movie regains some credibility. Despite the awkwardly connected sub-plots concerning a missing jewel and a murder on the English moors, the loose ends are tied up, and the viewer shares the guests' indignation as it appears that the perpetrators of the crime are going to get away with it. In conclusion, watch it if you must, but don't let it put you off seeing other (largely far superior) screen adaptations of Christie's stories.
Rating:
Summary: Best Agatha Christie-Film-Adaption
Review: Fantastic story, great actors, amazing costumes and sets, the wonderful Cole Porter-Soundtrack - all that makes it to the best Agatha Christie-Movie as ever made. Unforgetable Peter Ustinov as Poirot and Diana Rigg as bitchy Broadway-Diva!
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