THE MOVIE

In classic movie matinee style Evil Under The Sun is a trademark ‘who dunnit’ from the pen of the formidable Agatha Christie. Whilst a bit dated, and if your not familiar with the genre (or the books) you may get a little lost, it remains an entertaining and pleasant way to pass two hours.

The famous detective, Hercule Poirot, has been hired by an insurance company to investigate a fake diamond they were to insure. When Hercule confronts the man who presented the company with the diamond he learns that it was purchased for Arleen Marshall, a self obsessed stage star who is currently on a vacation. Arleen must have switched the real diamond for a fake. Hercule travels to the small island where Arleen is vacationing and checks in at the same hotel. Everyone there hates Arleen and so it comes as no surprise when she shows up dead. Now in his element, Hercule goes to work to solve the case.

Whilst this film boasts a star studded cast and a serpentine plot it remains rather tiresome and lengthy. It moves along slowly and whilst it makes you think, it is slightly distancing. Still, if you are a fan of this genre of film, or a Christie fan, you will love it.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

Evil Under the Sun is presented in a widescreen presentation, which, considering the films age, is very good. Obviously there is some grain but for the most part this film has been very well transferred onto DVD. Colors look very good and the picture is sharp and well defined. The image is sharp, clear and well defined and blacks are strong. There is also good shadow detail. This transfer creates a wonderful atmosphere for the film and is a joy to watch.

Audio:

The DVD comes with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 sound track. Everything is clear and easy to hear and there is no distortion or hiss, as can so often appear on older, less well-known films.

The score is nice and makes good use of some Cole Porter songs to really give the film a nice atmosphere. Everything sounds right about this film and viewers couldn’t ask for anything more.

THE EXTRAS

I didn’t expect any extras to be on this disc. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found a making of feature. Given the films age this was a welcome addition and it contains some interesting behind the scenes footage. There is also a photo gallery, biographies and trailers for Evil under the Sun and Murder on the Orient Express (which is an Easter Egg reached through pressing right when biographies is highlighted). Scant but interesting extras make this a good buy for fans.

SUMMARY

I would highly recommend this DVD for Agatha Christie fans, or people who enjoy good murder mysteries. You can’t get much better than Agatha Christie when it comes to this and she delivers with Evil Under The Sun. Whilst I found it a little slow, it was still enjoyable and I could see myself watching it again later on.