The ABC Murders (1992)

Wonderful character development!

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

This TV film of "The ABC Murders" is one of the best movies of the entire Agatha Christie series on Hercule Poirot. It also ranks among the very best mystery thrillers of all time. The film is packed with intrigue from start to finish. The simple modus operandi of the murders in this story belie the complexities of this fantastic mystery. Super sleuth Poirot is stumped for a long time, but his little grey cells help him eventually unravel this great mystery. His sidekick, Captain Hastings, is on hand to lend a hand. And Chief Inspector Japp has more than the usual work cut out for him in the effort to apprehend the murderer. The cast for this film give it their all, and some guest actors turn in tremendous performances as well. Donald Sumpter as Cast gives a performance worthy of an award. This is too great a mystery to say much more about. It would deprive those who haven't yet seen the film from the full enjoyment of a superb mystery. Kudos to Grenada Media and associates. This is an outstanding production of an enthralling thriller from the pen of the greatest mystery writer of all time.

The contrast with this feature length episode and the much later ones cannot be more stark.Despite the longer running time, The ABC Murders does not feel padded. The art direction is exquisite even for small street scenes. More importantly it has dashes of humour even though the storyline is dark. I actually laughed several times. Captain Hastings returns to London from South America with a smelly stuffed crocodile as a gift for Poirot. Almost immediately Poirot's little grey cells are being tasked.Poirot receives a series of anonymous letters from a killer who calls himself ABC who taunts him by telling Poirot where he will strike next. The killer leaves an ABC railroad schedule at the scene of the murders, the victims appear to be random but the killer seems to have an obsession with an adherence to alphabetical order both in the names of the victims and the town or city the deaths occur.Poirot gets the friends and families of the various victims together to look for any common clues in order to find the serial killer. Suspicion falls on a shell shocked war veteran who is a door to door stocking salesman. The press are going hysterical with alliterative headlines.Poirot suspects that not all of the victims were random.The ABC murders is an intriguing episode which was simply well made, the characters are comfortable with each other, Japp joking about receding hairline to Hastings, it tries to divert you to a cul de sac but Poirot is too wily for that.

Hercule Poirot receives a letter, indicating that a murder is about to take place, showing the date and area and challenging Poirot to solve the case. It is signed the "ABC". The murder takes place, with a copy of the ABC railway timetable nearby. Soon hereafter Poirot receives another letter with a similar indication. It is soon apparent that the murderer is killing people in alphabetical order by surname and area - the first person had a surname starting with A and was killed in an area starting with A, the second B in an area starting with B. Poirot and the police try to stay one step of the murderer but it proves to be a difficult task.Quite original as this is not your usual Poirot case. No group of suspects to choose the most likely murderer from - the murderer is a serial-killer and could be anyone. We are given hints as to who the serial killer is, but catching him is another story.One or two scenes in the movie do give the conclusion away though. The problem with keep-the-time-tight TV movies is that any scene must have value and can't be filler...

I believe that I've always loved Agatha Christie's books. When I was younger, I can remember reading and re-reading each one, especially those with Hercule Poirot, over and over. I've probably read most of her books at least 3 times. So it only seems natural that I would be a fan of and enjoy movies adapted from Christie's mysteries. The big-budget Hollywood films like Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express are among my favorite films. But for whatever reason, over the years, I have passed on most chances to watch Poirot with David Suchet on television. I had caught the odd episode here and there, but they were not a priority. I've decided to change that and give them a try.It's odd that I would start my journey through the series with The ABC Murders. Of all the Poirot novels, it's one of my least favorite. Most of the problems I have with the novel are the same as those I have with the movie. The biggest issue I have is the story's structure, including the final reveal. For my money, we as viewers (and readers) discover far too early the identity of A.B.C. We know who the man is, what he looks like, and what he's doing. And, while the film does bring all the characters together for Poirot to make the big reveal as to the murder's identity, for lack of a better description, it lacks some of that good old English drawing room feel that I really enjoy. It's almost an afterthought without the power usual found in Christie's endings.Getting past my petty quibbles with the story's structure, the movie is very nicely done. As much as I enjoy Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney in the role of the Belgian detective, David Suchet may be the definitive Poirot. He seems closer in my mind to fitting Christie's description of Poirot than anyone else I've seen. He's quite remarkable in the role. The rest of the acting is just as good, with A.B.C. himself, Donald Sumpter, giving a wonderful performance. The film's pace is snappy and the direction is solid. Considering what I assume to be a modest budget, the 1930s sets and costuming are dead-on perfect. The film has a wonderful look to it. Overall, the positive far outweigh the preconceived negatives I had in my mind making The ABC Murders quite an enjoyable experience.I'm looking forward to visiting the other episodes in the series. If the other films in the series are this entertaining as The ABC Murders, I'm in for a real treat.