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Rating: 
Summary: Poirot in Perfection.
Review: 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.
This collection contains feature-length dramatizations of two mysteries. As usual, Philip Jackson stars as a rather sturdy, down-to-earth incarnation of Chief Inspector Japp, Pauline Moran is Poirot's epitome of a secretary, Miss Lemon; and Hugh Fraser takes on the role of Captain Hastings, whom the screenplays, unfortunately, make come across as more of a well-educated but vacuous gentleman than do the novels narrated from his point of view, such as "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" and "Lord Edgware Dies." (And this although the same station, ITV, did so well in debumblifying Sherlock Holmes's friend and chronicler Dr. Watson!)
"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" (1926) is one of the most remarkable entries in all of Christie's collection, not least because of its completely unexpected turntable conclusion. This version moves the story towards the end of Poirot's career to better explain his retirement to 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). Roger Ackroyd is an industrialist, the richest man around 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 steps out of his retirement to investigate his death - and its connection to that of Ackroyd's friend, the recently widowed Mrs. Ferrars.
In "Lord Edgware Dies" (a/k/a "Thirteen at Dinner," 1933), Poirot is asked to intervene on behalf of beautiful young actress Jane Wilkinson, Lady Edgware by marriage, who now seeks her husband's consent to a divorce. When shortly thereafter Lord Edgware is found murdered, Lady Edgware is Inspector Japp's obvious suspect. Rightly so? Poirot, somewhat dazzled by the Lady, is not sure - and unfortunately, his little gray cells do not work quickly enough to prevent a second murder, that of American actress Carlotta Adams, and even a third one, of a young playwright.
Rating:
Summary: He's baaaaaaaack...
Review: Hyper-intelligent, hyper-finicky Hercule Poirot is back, in two great adventures that I enjoyed. Suchet is in particularly good form, the role that I think he does best."Murder of Roger Ackroyd" takes place in a little village, where an old friend ends up dead, dead, dead. Poirot and his friend Chief Inspector Japp (I miss Hastings *sniffle*) must deduce whodunnit. I disagree with the Amazon review: I found the ending to be most enjoyable, even though it has been a while since I last saw this. "Lord Edgeware Dies" is one of my favorite Poirots! In movie form, that is, I didn't like it too much in book form. Angelically lovely Lady Edgeware wants a divorce from her emotionally abusive, proud, jealous husband, but he won't give it. When Poirot is sent to Lord Edgeware, the man claims that he already sent a letter, agreeing to the divorce. The ecstatic Lady Edgeware goes off to a party--and the next morning, her husband turns up dead, stabbed through the neck. Did Lady Edgeware kill her husband? Was she framed? Or was it his angry daughter? Or his penniless nephew? Or the peculiar actress? Plenty of people have motives, and Hercule Poirot has to unravel who is the best actor of all, the one who can cold-bloodedly kill so well. I particularly applaud the "Lady Edgeware" actress--she's really spectacular, shifting from one personality shade to another.
Rating:
Summary: He's baaaaaaaack...
Review: Hyper-intelligent, hyper-finicky Hercule Poirot is back, in two great adventures that I enjoyed. Suchet is in particularly good form, the role that I think he does best. "Murder of Roger Ackroyd" takes place in a little village, where an old friend ends up dead, dead, dead. Poirot and his friend Chief Inspector Japp (I miss Hastings *sniffle*) must deduce whodunnit. I disagree with the Amazon review: I found the ending to be most enjoyable, even though it has been a while since I last saw this. "Lord Edgeware Dies" is one of my favorite Poirots! In movie form, that is, I didn't like it too much in book form. Angelically lovely Lady Edgeware wants a divorce from her emotionally abusive, proud, jealous husband, but he won't give it. When Poirot is sent to Lord Edgeware, the man claims that he already sent a letter, agreeing to the divorce. The ecstatic Lady Edgeware goes off to a party--and the next morning, her husband turns up dead, stabbed through the neck. Did Lady Edgeware kill her husband? Was she framed? Or was it his angry daughter? Or his penniless nephew? Or the peculiar actress? Plenty of people have motives, and Hercule Poirot has to unravel who is the best actor of all, the one who can cold-bloodedly kill so well. I particularly applaud the "Lady Edgeware" actress--she's really spectacular, shifting from one personality shade to another.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I loved these films! The story arch of Poirot moving back to his apartment and then in the next being rejoined by Miss Lemon and Hastings was brilliantly done! The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Not the best and most intriguing murder ever done, but seeing Japp and Poirot back in action was done, and the climax was just plain thrilling! - 4 stars Lord Edgware Dies - This is probably one of my three favorite Poirots ever! (The other two are "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" and "Yellow Iris") The case is great, complex, intriguing, fascinating, and I love the drum beat music when someone's about to be killed! If this is the finale to the whole series, it's a great one! Brave! - 5 stars - I heard they're still making more though, so that's good news!
Rating:
Summary: Poirot at his best!
Review: I was extremely excited to hear that a new Poirot made-for-tv-movie was coming out(The Murder of Roger Ackroyd) I was not disappointed upon viewing the movie. I couldn't figure out who the murderer was, among all the suspects that were featured before me. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd has so many twists and turns, just when you think one person did the deadly deed, you're wrong. You will be shocked when you find out who the murderer is!Lord Edgeware Dies is an equally intriguing mystery, where the motive for murder is clear, but just who did the deed is not. This movie has just as many twists and turns as the first disc(The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Remember, this is a 2-disc set) Again, you will be shocked to find out who the murderer is!
Rating:
Summary: Poirot at his best!
Review: I was extremely excited to hear that a new Poirot made-for-tv-movie was coming out(The Murder of Roger Ackroyd) I was not disappointed upon viewing the movie. I couldn't figure out who the murderer was, among all the suspects that were featured before me. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd has so many twists and turns, just when you think one person did the deadly deed, you're wrong. You will be shocked when you find out who the murderer is!Lord Edgeware Dies is an equally intriguing mystery, where the motive for murder is clear, but just who did the deed is not. This movie has just as many twists and turns as the first disc(The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Remember, this is a 2-disc set) Again, you will be shocked to find out who the murderer is!
Rating: 
Summary: New Poirot not up to earlier efforts
Review: I won't bother to get into details of the stories, since that is already well-covered by other reviews on this site. This two DVD set includes "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" and "Lord Edgeware Dies". The producers set these stories as taking place after previous episodes. This decision was probably made on account of how much older the actors look. While Poirot and Inspector Japp have aged gracefully, both Captain Hastings and Miss Lemon show their years. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is one of Agatha Christie's most famous novels, but it translates poorly on the screen. It is impossible to go into details without giving away who the murderer is, but suffice it to say that the surprise of the novel is greatly diluted here. There is also a wistful sort of sadness that permeates the entire story, with none of the charm of the earlier episodes. There is also a feeling that the production was rushed, and that the actors feel uncomfortable in their roles. Thirteen at Dinner is a much better production. All the old favorite characters are re-united here and some of the charm/humor missing in the first story is present here. There is also a greater sense of locale. This episode feels more populated and the variety of locations along with the complexity of the story helps keeps this moving along at an entertaining clip. If you have the opportunity to purchase the two DVDs seperately, definately choose Thirteen at Dinner and forget about Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
Rating: 
Summary: great production...rotten DVD
Review: The two POIROT tales in this set are great tv productions, but are given are rather poor DVD release. The actual picture quality is fine, but the image format leaves a lot to be desired: being reformatted from the 16:9 ratio down to the "normal" tv size of 4:3. Unfortunately this often results in very odd looking pictures where two halves of characters chat to each other either side of the screen! And despite the correct running times of 100 minutes being displayed on the cases, both stories have been edited down to just 95. A&E - you could, and should, do so much better....
Rating:
Summary: Lord Edgware Dies
Review: This Tv adaptation of lord Edgware Dies is one of the finest Poirot Movies.Helen Grace plays a great Jane Wilkinson.I Highly recomend this to Agatha Christie Fans.
Rating:
Summary: Lord Edgware Dies
Review: This Tv adaptation of lord Edgware Dies is one of the finest Poirot Movies.Helen Grace plays a great Jane Wilkinson.I Highly recomend this to Agatha Christie Fans.
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