Appointment with Death (1988)

Let's go for another murder mystery, eh?

I indeed watch a lot of murder mysteries and it's not because of the murders. Uncovering the crime and how it was all planned out intrigues me. There are quite a good number of murder mysteries that are worth watching. Also, some are bland and not worth wasting your time. I love watching movies so I have sat through many good and bad ones. Even some of the detective movies that I have watched made me question why I bothered with this. But that's the point - not every movie is supposed to be good. There's one thing for sure, you can't go wrong with a Christie's murder mystery. At least it's not going to feel like time wasted. Today's feature is Appointment with Death (1988).

Appointment with Death (1988)

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Another one of Poirot's mysteries. But none of the four films have been directed by the same director. Hence each of them is different and not just story-wise. Every director has their method of directing and even though all four were following a story from the same author, by the time you get to the fourth film, all the excitement is gone. Perhaps that's my personal opinion. When you build up a lot of expectations from the very first film, it's not often that the sequels will deliver - disappointment is somewhat expected. I don't think it's the fault of direction - maybe I shouldn't watch all four of them back to back. Appointment with Death isn't a bad film but I don't think it'd be rated more than an okay.

The casting and a few characters were good. I really love Lauren Bacall's acting but the characters she played in Murder on the Orient Express and in Appointment with Death seemed almost similar. The victim of this movie is quite a spectacular one though. A greedy and control freak stepmother who keeps all her stepchildren under her thumb. She used to be a prison wardress and even after marriage continues to be a wardress in her stepchildren's lives. As ruthless as she is, she's aware that if she keeps them on a tight leash, one day they'll break free - so she sometimes allows them to do things their way so that they stay with her. That is one hell of a toxic character.

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I remember a time when I'd watch a movie beforehand and based on my opinion my friends would sit and watch a movie again - but that was a long time ago. Nowadays I watch by myself most of the time. I sat through all four of the Poirot movies by myself too. This is the fourth one in the series but somewhere along the line, this one has lost its flavor. Even with such glamourous casting, the film isn't quite attractive. The set is also magnificent, from Trieste to the archeological dig of Jerusalem it's a sight worth swooning. But even the beautiful sets weren't enough for the film. Considering the second film of the series, this one barely has any drama and lacks misdirection. There are also some holes in the plot and it just isn't spicy enough. Perhaps I had my hopes high but it was a big let down.

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