Death on the Nile

Agatha Christie’s Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) investigates a series of murders aboard a steamship on the Nile.

Death on the Nile is a well-produced murder mystery featuring great location photography, a knockout cast and a refreshingly graphic script.

Featuring David Niven, Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, John Finch, George Kennedy, Angela Lansbury and Mia Farrow, the cast reads like a who’s who of accomplished leads and character actors, not to mention lead Peter Ustinov, an Academy Award winner himself. Director John Guillermin handles the ensemble well, never forcing scenes just for “screen time” yet still giving each performer a moment to shine.

The script by Anthony Shaffer is a thing of beauty. Granted it’s still shackled by the traditional murder-mystery accoutrements, but Shaffer does manage to point out the graphic and violent nature of murder, a facet sorely missing from most “classic” mysteries. Shaffer also interjects his trademark black humor into several scenes.

Indeed, about the only problem with Death on the Nile is that, despite Shaffer’s polish, it can’t help but feel dated. That’s not to say it’s bad, but just that detectives today simply don’t gather all the suspects in a big room before explaining how the crime was committed and pointing out the victim. It’s simply cliché, even if it was Agatha Christie herself who helped make it so.