Fans of the lavish 1978 theatrical version of Agatha Christie's novel may find
this smaller-scale TV production disappointing, but it has an ace up its sleeve: The perfect Poirot. Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Malin) suggests that her dishy fiancee, Simon Doyle (J. J. Feild), is the perfect candidate for a job with her wealthy friend, Linnet Ridgeway (Emily Blunt), never imagining that Linnet will steal away her man. Unhinged by love, Jacqueline stalks the happy couple on their Egyptian honeymoon, where she befriends detective Hercule Poirot
(David Suchet), who's vacationing at the same hotel as the newlyweds. Poirot warns that Jacqueline is playing a losing hand, but she's too besotted to think rationally. Poirot and the Doyles find themselves thrown together during a scenic cruise on a luxury steamer whose other passengers include Linnet's financial advisor, Andrew Pennington (David Soul); self-proclaimed anarchist Ferguson (Alistair MacKenzie); romance novelist Salome Otterbourne (Frances de la Tour) and her daughter, Rosalie (Zoe Telford); viperish spinster Miss Marie Van Schuyler (Judy Parfitt) and her poor relation/nursemaid Cornelia Robson (Daisy Donovan), as well as a French maid, a British thief and a German physician. Jacqueline is aboard as well, though sneaked onto the ship for the express purpose of confronting Simon, whom she shoots in the leg. Meanwhile, in her cabin, Linnet dies of a gunshot wound to the head; fortunately, Poirot pieces together a time-line that clears Jacqueline. Linnet's maid knows something that could compromise the real killer, but she's stabbed to death before she can try her hand at blackmail. Ever the chatterbox, Salome declares that she has the mystery solved: But will she be silenced before she can spill the beans? Poirot must dig deep into the passengers' secrets before there's yet another death on the Nile. Christie's mysteries run like Swiss clocks, and even if you know the solution to the puzzle, the splendid British cast is sufficiently persuasive that you may find yourself wondering whether you're remembering correctly. --Robert Pardi
