The ABC Murders – 1/3
Dec. 27th, 2018 08:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessI was crying out for a moral centre to the Beeb’s recent adaptations of Agatha Christie books in which nasty people do nasty things, well, now we have John Malkovich’s Poirot. He’s a more sombre proposition than Branagh’s movie adaptation, although frankly the memory of David Suchet’s version still lingers. But it’s a different take, devoutly Catholic, arguably vain, feeling his age, formerly famous for ‘murder games’ at country homes (as much as solving murders?), receiving ‘fan’ mail, some of it from very disturbed individuals. The inspector he consulted with (yes, it’s the right phrasing), Japp, is now retired, and the young gun in his place is not interested.
But Poirot’s worried by the letters A.B.C. has been sending, and the audience, two steps ahead because we’ve been following the psychopath, know he’s right to be. Great casting on the nascent serial killer front, although I feel for the actor, likely to be typecast. You knew the chap was off from the way he sat through the litany of awful his new landlady delivered and didn’t run for somewhere less seedy.
Poor trapped Lily!
There were a fair bit of Harry Potter jokes to be made: it features Ron Weasley with a moustache, Moaning Myrtle, trains (on their way to Hogwarts/scenes of murder). It’s mouth-watering on period detail and stylishly shot, but of course, and a bit portentous. The titles borrow from Inception, they went big on the percussion for the typewriter, and with the audience watching the killer, we feel Poirot is slow to catch up – although that scene where he schooled the brutalist police officer in deduction and ‘the study of human frailty’ was great. But there was a sense of impatience: ‘Come on, see that the pattern is linked to your past, are the flashbacks a connection to the killer?’
And then they rocked my certainties (for someone who spent their teenage years reading Christie, remarkably little has stuck in my little grey cells) with Inspector Ron Weasley’s reveal that the great Hercule Poirot may not be who he seems!
Also, the show is quite pointed about the racism of the today to the useful immigrant (played by an American in a cast of Brits), letting us find our own resonance. But I’m sure there’ll be plenty of comment about how such a killer couldn’t operate these days – a remake might be called The A.B. Cancellation Murders or The Replacement Bus Service Murders etc, etc.
I meant to watch Blindpot live and catch up on this, but Pick wasn't showing it - is there a Christmas break or something more lengthy? I know Pick is meant to be a window/taster for Sky, but I'm more likely to buy a DVD boxset and catch up with a show in years than get a Sky subscription.
But Poirot’s worried by the letters A.B.C. has been sending, and the audience, two steps ahead because we’ve been following the psychopath, know he’s right to be. Great casting on the nascent serial killer front, although I feel for the actor, likely to be typecast. You knew the chap was off from the way he sat through the litany of awful his new landlady delivered and didn’t run for somewhere less seedy.
Poor trapped Lily!
There were a fair bit of Harry Potter jokes to be made: it features Ron Weasley with a moustache, Moaning Myrtle, trains (on their way to Hogwarts/scenes of murder). It’s mouth-watering on period detail and stylishly shot, but of course, and a bit portentous. The titles borrow from Inception, they went big on the percussion for the typewriter, and with the audience watching the killer, we feel Poirot is slow to catch up – although that scene where he schooled the brutalist police officer in deduction and ‘the study of human frailty’ was great. But there was a sense of impatience: ‘Come on, see that the pattern is linked to your past, are the flashbacks a connection to the killer?’
And then they rocked my certainties (for someone who spent their teenage years reading Christie, remarkably little has stuck in my little grey cells) with Inspector Ron Weasley’s reveal that the great Hercule Poirot may not be who he seems!
Also, the show is quite pointed about the racism of the today to the useful immigrant (played by an American in a cast of Brits), letting us find our own resonance. But I’m sure there’ll be plenty of comment about how such a killer couldn’t operate these days – a remake might be called The A.B. Cancellation Murders or The Replacement Bus Service Murders etc, etc.
I meant to watch Blindpot live and catch up on this, but Pick wasn't showing it - is there a Christmas break or something more lengthy? I know Pick is meant to be a window/taster for Sky, but I'm more likely to buy a DVD boxset and catch up with a show in years than get a Sky subscription.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-28 02:45 am (UTC)I haven't seen (nor do I want to) the Branaugh version of Poirot, but I was pleasantly surprised to like Malkovich's version here. I think David Suchet will always be Poirot for me but at least I've stopped comparing the two.
Also, I did eventually get past seeing Ron Weasley here -- I think the period appearance helps, he definitely looks older and reminds me more of Inspector Japp from David Suchet's version. Moaning Myrtle never seems to age at all!
I haven't read the books but it's interesting to see that we know right away who the killer is. I'm still waiting for the reveal about Poirot's past -- just who is he really?
no subject
Date: 2018-12-28 10:02 am (UTC)Malkovich could have gone in a lot of different directions, but yes, I liked his take on the character. (Suchet is as definitive as Joan Hickson is as Miss Marple - though I would be curious to see an actual Belgian's take on the role.) Branagh had a couple of interesting interpretations mired in exaggeration and The Moustache.
Grint does look older now, and I thought he conveyed the character's toughness well.
They've absolutely removed the 'whodunnit' to make it a 'whydunnit' and a how soon Poirot can stop it. In the first episode, Poirot was maintaining his Hercule Poirotness. I'm curious about the answers there.