Review of Death on the Nile (1978) by Blake P — 31 Aug 2011

Do you like star-studded casts? Do you like murder mystery whodunits? Well, then you should definitely watch Agatha Christie's, "Death on the Nile". A big group of people decide to go on a cruise on the Nile.

But of course, considering this is an Agatha Christie adaption, and the main character is famous sleuth Hercule Poirot (Ustinov), you know a crime's gonna happen. And guess what? Socialite Linnet Ridgeway (Chiles) is the murder victim, and it seems that almost every single person on the ship has a motive, which includes actors Bette Davis, David Niven Angela Lansbury, Mia Farrow, Jon Finch, George Kennedy, Olivia Hussey, Maggie Smith, and the list could go on.

We know that one (or more) of the above is responsible, but it's just to bad that the person(s) responsible couldn't have picked a ship minus Poirot ... I think we all know that "Death on the Nile" won't be as good as "Murder on the Orient Express", but as exciting murder mystery whodunits go, "Death on the Nile" is one of the most fun, and well acted ones of them all.

Like all of the famous big cast capers of the decade, it has an odd assortment of characters, good sets, a great score, and most of all, suspense, which is the key to half of the fun going on. Like "CSI", the film shows how the characters would commit the murder, which keeps you guessing more and more, because the motives for the group then become more serious.

From kooky Lansbury as a nutty author to Birkin as a timid maid, everybody seems guilty, which are the ingredients for a perfect murder mystery. Ustinov is phenomenal, by the way. "Death on the Nile" is a superbly made movie that anybody looking for an exciting film should definitely watch.