Evil Under the Sun (1982)

Mostly for Poirot completists and admirers of then-trendy, all-star ensemble casts from the 1970s and early '80s, Evil Under the Sun finds Peter Ustinov in his second outing as Agatha Christie's famous Belgian detective (three years after 1978's Death on the Nile). As the title promises, the action this time takes place on an Adriatic island (though Christie fans will surely balk at the switch from the novel's setting on the English coast), where a famous stage star (Diana Rigg) is murdered, and the list of likely suspects is unusually high. The parade of legendary performers--Roddy McDowall, James Mason, Sylvia Miles, Maggie Smith, Jane Birkin--plus Ustinov's energetic performance keep things hopping. But Anthony Shaffer's lazy screenplay and director Guy Hamilton's superficial approach nudge everything (action, characters, tone) toward campy, near-parody, with bitchy sniping, tacky costumes, and an obligatory soundtrack of Cole Porter tunes. It's only in the last lap that the film transcends such obviousness and finds its way back to the glories of detective fiction. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

A GREAT WHODUNIT!

Evil Under The Sun is full of beautiful scenery, a great soundtrack and is full of great acting all interwoven in a great mystery. Unlike some murder mysteries that tend to get bogged down with long needless detail, Evil Under The Sun will captivate you from start to finish and will not lose you in the middle. Great ending--will keep you guessing until the very end! August 24, 2008

Evil Under the Sun, Peter Ustinov

I do like this version of Evil Under the Sun. It has a beautiful island setting, Spain I think. The acting is fantastic and the story is very well put together. However, I think I like the David Suchet version of this better. This movie heavily features Cole Porter music, which is really beautiful, but tends to overpower the movie itself. It is also a little long and tends to feature its big star actors more than the story itself. I believe the other version more closely follows the book and the storyline is slightly more interesting, focused on the mystery more than the actors. June 7, 2008

Bright sunshine and dark motivations

I enjoyed Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot in "Death on the Nile", so I happily picked up Mr. Ustinov's Poirot follow-up, "Evil Under the Sun". Like "Death on the Nile" and most other Christie TV/film adaptations, on one level this is pretty by-the-numbers stuff: you get an eccentric cast of characters, a colorful locale, someone who everyone has a reason to hate and soon becomes a murder victim (here, a still dazzling Diana Rigg), and the eventual revelation of the murderer/murderers while all sit around and listen to Monsieur Poirot as he unspools the facts. But, also like "Death on the Nile", everything is done so lavishly and in so polished a fashion that the repetitive formula is more of a comfort than a liability. In the end, "Evil Under the Sun" is a lot of fun, and clever, too. And all the Cole Porter music doesn't hurt, either.

Anchor Bay's DVD offers a crisp, bright image, nicely enhanced for 16x19 televisions, and a few modest extras. If you enjoy the mystery film genre, you can't go wrong with this. April 15, 2008

Great film. A must see!

This is a great film! Glamorous setting. Great cast. Interesting storyline. A must see! One of my favorites. April 11, 2008

Agatha Christie Mystery

Wonderful cast, Maggie Smith, Diana Riggs, James Mason, Roddy McDowell, Peter Ustinov, Vera Miles and Jane Birkin (yes, the Birkin bag is named after her).

Cole Porter music and absolutely beautiful costumes. The cast delivers a witty and ironic mystery and as only Dame Agatha can do, she makes murder mysteries fun to watch.

Great movie night at home alone, with Ben & Jerry's or a pizza. Or in keeping with the movie, cocktails (have a sidecar or between the sheets) and snacks. March 28, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...