Synopsis:
While vacationing in Egypt, Poirot (David Suchet) meets the beautiful Linnet Ridgeway (Emily Blunt, Mary Poppins Returns, A Quiet Place), a wealthy British heiress on her honeymoon. Linnet requests his help, as she is being stalked by a former friend (Emma Griffiths Malin, The Forsyte Saga), who accuses Linnet of stealing her boyfriend (JJ Field, TURN: Washington’s Spies, Ford v Ferrari). Poirot declines to get involved in the quarrel, even as all four of them embark on a Nile cruise together. But when a murder occurs aboard the vessel, Poirot must turn his little gray cells from relaxation to investigation. The outstanding cast also features Daniel Lapaine (Catastrophe), David Soul (Starsky & Hutch), Judy Parfitt (Call the Midwife), and Barbara Flynn (Cranford, Cracker).
What We Thought:
With Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile coming out later in the year (if Covid allows), Acorn has out this new Blu-ray of 2004’s Death on the Nile starring David Suchet as Hercule Poirot and a very young Emily Blunt. The story is one of Agatha Christie’s classics.
Blunt plays a young heiress who steals her friend’s man and marries him. They travel around on their honeymoon with her now ex friend following them saying she’ll kill Blunt’s character. There are multiple murders, a pearl heist and nothing is as it seems like in all good Christie stories.
Suchet had mastered Poirot at this point and he’s great in the role. You know he’ll solve the case and that there will be twists and turns along the way. There’s no way the evidence will show it’s who everyone expects it to be and with most Christie adaptations, there’s usually multiple people involved.
This was one of Blunt’s first roles with her being in her early 20s when it came out. This version has been available before in Agatha Christie collections, but this might be the first time it’s been available on Blu-ray (don’t quote me on that though).
David Suchet has played Poirot numerous times and there’s times I’ve enjoyed his version and times I haven’t. I didn’t love his Murder on the Orient Express. I thought he was way too jaded and dark in that one. In this version of Death on the Nile he’s more accessible and you root for him to solve the mystery. If you haven’t seen it, watch it for young Emily Blunt or if you’re a fan of Agatha Christie.
The Nerds Templar 