Review of Death on the Nile (1978) by Stuart K — 16 Jan 2012

After the success of Murder on the Orient Express (1974), it was inevitable that there would be another Poirot film. This brings together an all star cast from both sides of the Atlantic, and it makes for a very entertaining murder mystery that manages to have a sense of humour about it's proceedings.

Set on a river cruise going up the Nile river, it has newly married couple heiress Linnet Ridgeway (Lois Chiles) and Simon Doyle (Simon MacCorkindale) on their honeymoon, even though Simon's old flame Jacqueline de Bellefort (Mia Farrow) has followed them there, feeling jilted for Simon chosing Linnet over her.

Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) is on board, and so's Mrs. van Schuyler (Bette Davis), Miss Bowers (Maggie Smith), Linnet's maid Louise Bourget (Jane Birkin), novelist Salome Otterbourne (Angela Lansbury), American lawyer Andrew Pennington (George Kennedy) and Colonel Race (David Niven).

However, when Jacqueline shoots Simon, and then Linnet ends up dead shortly afterwards, it's up to Poirot with help from Colonel Race to find out who killed Linnet, but as everyone had a grudge against her, everyone on the cruise is a suspect.

You don't get murder mystery films like this anymore, and you won't get a cast as good as this anymore, Ustinov is a perfect choice for Poirot, while Lansbury and Davis steal the film. It's intriguing and captures the 1930's really well, and it has good dialogue.