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Miniseries – Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders

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71% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
John Malkovich stars as an older but wiser Hercule Poirot as he investigates the source of a series of sinister letters written by a mysterious criminal in the early 1930s in England. Although he is no longer revered, when murders begin occurring in relation to the letters, Poirot takes the case into his own hands and deploys his detective skills in order to find the killer before they strike again. Malkovich stars alongside Rupert Grint and Andrew Buchan in this three-part crime-drama series.

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Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders — Miniseries

Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders — Miniseries

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Critics Consensus

The ABC Murders liberally adapts the famed Agatha Christie mystery while retaining its thrilling spirit, thanks in part to the sly performance of John Malkovich, who inhabits Hercule Poirot with enough wizened panache to win over those who were skeptical of his casting.

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Critics Reviews

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Suzi Feay Financial Times Sarah Phelps gives [Poirot] the tragic refugee's back-story Christie unaccountably overlooked in a drama about identity, migration and fear of the other. Rated: 3/5 Feb 14, 2019 Full Review Sophie Gilbert The Atlantic While everyone else is hamming it up playing monstrous psychopaths on an operatic scale, Malkovich wafts glumly from scene to scene, his facial expressions rarely more animated than someone trying to do long division in his head. Feb 4, 2019 Full Review Mike Hale New York Times With the basic joys of superior sleuthing mostly stripped out, the remaining pleasure you expect from a Christie adaptation is the opportunity afforded to a talented cast by its congregation of suspects and victims. Feb 4, 2019 Full Review Robin Holabird KUNR (Reno, NV) While purists may disagree with the altered take on their beloved detective, they'll find both production and plotting work well. Jul 22, 2021 Full Review Jonathan Roberts The New Paper (Singapore) The ABC Murders can lose momentum and leave one wondering if a brisker two-hour mystery would be more enjoyable for one's little grey cells. Rated: 2.5/5 Dec 4, 2020 Full Review Clement Tyler Obropta Film Inquiry For those who stick with it, the miniseries' second half has a few clever, satisfying twists up its sleeve. Apr 29, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (26) audience reviews
Cliff R There's little appreciation for the original Agatha Christie work besides maintaining character names, places, and the general plot. The author was trying way too hard to be edgy and modern, and cast everyone as miserably broken. There's little wit, humor, or even much sleuthing - surprising considering it's an adaptation of a mystery novel. It's all just gratuitous grit, sadness, and blah. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/15/24 Full Review Ted B 3.5 Stars. Overall, the movie was somewhat slow and purposefully dark. The ending was good Agatha Christie style. John malkovich gave a good performance. But, i'm sorry. There is only one Poirot, and that is David Sushet. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/04/24 Full Review molly s This is a really bad adaptation of Agatha Christie. Its almost loosely based on the book and not a great representation of Poirot. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/09/23 Full Review Trudi B Mr. Malkovich is miscast. He attempt at Hercule's accent, demeanor, pompisity is lacking. The beard and mustache are all wrong. The director's pace is slow without any surprises. The dreary optics are uninviting. Why is everything grey and black? Whose idea was it to take an energetic sarcastic intellectual and turn him into such an old boring man. I doubt Poirot would have been this dull in old age. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/30/23 Full Review S M Raisul I Not the greatest but it passes the time alright. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/26/22 Full Review Audience Member Having recently read the book this is based on, I found many of the changes to be both unnecessary and, just, bad (esp. how they changed Rose's circumstances), like the writer or director or whoever desperately wanted to be edgy and "real." This is a take on Poirot that loses all his charm in favor of a darker, grittier, less mustachioed , sadder re-boot, which felt unnecessary. I do think people unfamiliar with Poirot might like this, however, as a slow, methodical crime series. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders — Miniseries

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Cast & Crew

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John Malkovich

Hercule Poirot

Rupert Grint

Inspector Crome

Andrew Buchan

Franklin Clarke

Eamon Farren

Cust

Jack Farthing

Donald Fraser

Tara Fitzgerald

Lady Hermione Clarke

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Dec 26, 2018 Episode 1 In 1933, an older and grayer Hercule Poirot receives letters threatening murder; the sender signs them only as "ABC"; when he takes the letters to the police for help, Hercule finds his old friends have moved on, but there is soon a murder. Details Episode 2 Aired Dec 27, 2018 Episode 2 Hercule is held in deep suspicion by Scotland Yard and the killer sends more letters promising to spill blood; Hercule's past, integrity and identity come into question, but a friend from his past intervenes and employs him to end the slaughter. Details Episode 3 Aired Dec 28, 2018 Episode 3 With the ABC killer still on the loose, Hercule realizes that only he holds the key to the murders; he faces a race against time to stop the bloodbath. Details Episode 4 Aired Sep 7, 2022 Episode 4 Hercule faces a race against time to stop the bloodbath; just as the police believe they have caught their man, Hercule suspects further artifice. Details

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Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders — Miniseries

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Season Info

Director
Alex Gabassi
Executive Producer
Basi Akpabio, James Prichard, Sarah Phelps, Damien Timmer, Helen Ziegler, Elizabeth Kilgarriff
Screenwriter
Agatha Christie, Sarah Phelps
Network
BBC
Rating
TV-14
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Crime
Original Language
British English
Release Date
Dec 26, 2018