Dead Man’s Folly *** (1986, Peter Ustinov, Jean Stapleton, Tim Pigott-Smith, Jonathan Cecil, Constance Cummings, Nicollette Sheridan) – Classic Movie Review 7209

Director Clive Donner’s 1986 thriller Dead Man’s Folly is a diverting and ingratiating made-for-TV movie, given a considerable boost by a good production and its top-notch Anglo-American cast.

The estimable Peter Ustinov entertains for the fourth time as Hercule Poirot, out to solve Agatha Christie’s involving mystery about an American crime writer whose latest fantasy murder turns into the real thing.

Jonathan Cecil again plays Poirot’s fussy sidekick Captain Hastings, and venerable American ladies Jean Stapleton and Constance Cummings head the welcome guest cast, with Tim Pigott-Smith and Nicollette Sheridan also starring.

Poirot and Hastings are called in as experts by eccentric mystery author Ariadne Oliver (Jean Stapleton), who has been asked to organise a Murder Hunt game for a local fair, but the girl playing the corpse is really murdered. Then the lady of the manor vanishes and an old man’s body is dragged from the river.

Dead Man’s Folly is a well-made, good mystery thriller, only just a couple of notches below Ustinov’s two cinema Poirot features, Death on the Nile (1978) and Evil Under the Sun (1982).

Christopher Guard plays Alec Legge.

Also in the cast are Constance Cummings as Amy Folliat, Tim Pigott-Smith as Sir George Stubbs, Kenneth Cranham as Detective Inspector Bland, Susan Wooldridge as Amanda Brewis, Christopher Guard as Alec Legge, Jeff Yagher as Eddie South, Nicollette Sheridan as Hattie Stubbs, Ralph Arliss as Michael Weyman, Caroline Langrishe as Sally Legge and Alan Parnaby as the boatman.

Though it is set a manor house in Devon, it is mainly filmed at West Wycombe Park, Buckinghamshire, England.

It is preceded by Thirteen at Dinner and followed by Murder in Three Acts.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7209

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