Peril at End House (1990)

Very well executed

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Poirot and Hastings are on holiday in Cornwall, staying at a resort. There they meet Magdala Buckley, a young heiress. She reveals to them that several events have occurred recently that make her think her life is in danger. Moreover, her fiancé has just died in an aircraft accident, and she was the sole beneficiary in his will. A wealthy uncle has also recently just died, leaving her a fortune. Her sudden inheritances appears to be the motives for the attempts on her life.Good mystery with a decent twist towards the end. As sometimes occurs, if you think about it, sometimes the solution is quite obvious, and this has elements of that. However, it's still a pretty intriguing journey.Polly Walker appears as Magdala Buckley.

The start of the second series and ITV are already dipping their toes in a feature length Poirot as this was shown as a two part story.Poirot and Hastings are holidaying in the Cornish coast. Poirot seems enchanted by a young lady Nick Buckley who lives nearby in a small house. The trouble is she has had several close shaves with death in the past few days. This arouse Poirot's interest in the young lady. When Nick's cousin comes to stay with her, she is later found dead apparently mistaken for Nick.Poirot and Hastings are joined by Inspector Japp. Miss Lemon also joins them and has a part to play in unveiling the culprit.The story works well as a two part story without feeling flabby. The art production, location shooting, costumes still carry the high standards set from the first series.The story leaves little clues behind to help you unmask the eventual killer, the resolution felt it went over a little too fast that included forged documents and cocaine addiction. Polly Walker is ravishing as Nick Buckley.

The first of Christie's full length novels to be adapted for ITVs long running Poirot, Peril at End House sets the mark (a high one). Without giving away too much, I'll say that, for me anyway, there was a definitive line between the aspects of the film that I class as "good" and "bad". To begin with the good - as usual the acting is of top quality; Polly Walker stood out particularly as young Nick Buckley, Alison Sterling portrayed Fredrica Rice perfectly, pale faced, a little aloof exactly as I'd envisaged her in the book; and of course David Suchet as the brilliant Hercule Poirot. Seeing Carol Macready (102 Dalmatians) was a pleasant surprise, not whom I'd have pictured as Mrs Croft - she seemed considerably younger and vivacious compared to the disabled Mrs Croft in the book, however brought a grin to my face on several occasions. Yet again, the music is beautiful, as are costumes (notably Polly Walker in her first scene). The time period has been captured and presented exceptionally well bringing a real authentic feel to the film, something that isn't as strong with some of the newer Poirot adaptations.Peril at End House is almost entirely faithful to the novel which is in the middle of the road of the five Poirot stories I've read, the best being Death on The Nile. I love the story and the intricacy of some of the characters as they grow throughout. Despite identifying the murderer early on (I rarely do) there's always another twist or turn waiting round the corner to catch you out. Unfortunately, whether down to cutting or simple lack of planning a substantial amount of questions remain unanswered after the climax in which the murderer is revealed. The book does reveal the answers but I was disappointed to see that the film didn't; omissions include explanations as to Maggie Buckley's arrival, the bullet, the chocolates, the motive behind a hatred toward a certain person. Being one of the longer films, 100 minutes, this was probably a time issue, however with certain slow points in the middle, it would have been satisfying to have a more expressive conclusion. Brilliant, nonetheless. I highly recommend to all! Acting, scenery and music is immense but may need to read novel to clarify unanswered questions or theories.

Well done Poirot mystery has all the elements that make an Agatha Christie story an intriguing puzzle to solve. Even the famous detective cannot make any sense of the events surrounding a beautiful heiress whom he suspects is being systematically targeted for murder so someone else can inherit her fortune.I have to confess that I suspected who the culprit was long before the revelation is made, although along the way there were a few surprise twists that I hadn't counted on.As the young heiress, POLLY WALKER is excellent and all the others in the British cast give her fine support. HUGH FRASER is again on hand as Hastings, as is PHILIP JACKSON as Inspector Jaff. PAULINE MORAN is a breath of fresh air as Miss Lemon.The plotting is typically full of red herrings but manages to hold up to inspection when the tale is ended. The clues are few and far between and the ending will no doubt come as a surprise to most viewers.Well worth watching.