And Then There Were None

9/28/2019

If you enjoy this review, please check out my blog, Old Hat Cinema, at https://oldhatcinema.medium.com/ for more reviews and other cool content. And then there were...too many. From Agatha Christie’s highly acclaimed novel, originally published as Ten Little Indians, comes this mediocre “thriller”. With an all-star cast, including Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Houston, Louis Hayward, and Roland Young, and directed by Rene Clair, you’d think you were in for one of the all-time great mystery thrillers of the ‘40’s. Especially considering the material it came from: Christie’s expertly-written, suspenseful, and at times downright frightening novel is a great read that I highly recommend to anyone whose nerves can handle it. It’s one of the greatest stories of human corruption and brutality, o

7/1/2022

This is a superbly directed (by René Clair) adaptation of one of Agatha Christie's more intriguing murder mysteries that I don't think has been surpassed in the 75-odd years since it first hit the screen. A great ensemble cast are invited to weekend on a remote island by a couple they have never met. Once on the island, their host - by way of a record - accuses each of them of committing heinous crimes; then slowly - but surely - they start to drop like flies. I suppose I have to warn that in the vernacular of the 2020s, this film contains language and terminology that we might find offensive nowadays, but suspend the correctness for 100 minutes and you'll get a great murder mystery featuring a super cast - especially Barry Fitzgerald ("Judge Quincannon"); Louis Hayward ("Lombard") and Jun