Death on the Nile Reviews

This Christie whodunit takes place on a pleasure boat cruising down the Nile with a cast of wonderful characters on board, not the least of whom is Belgian supersleuth Poirot, masterfully portrayed by Ustinov. When a wealthy heiress (Chiles) is murdered, everyone on the cruise becomes a suspect because each has a motive for killing the much-hated woman. A follow-up to the remarkably successful, star-studded MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, this entry didn't live up to expectations at the box office. Running a substantial 140 minutes, the film does, at the very least, give fans a chance to see many of their favorite players hamming it up. Niven is a pleasure to behold as Ustinov's cool-headed, aloof traveling companion; Lansbury provides a colorful portrait of a tippling author; and Davis is her usual commanding self as the wealthy dowager. Birkin (a European actress practically unknown in America) stars in her first of two Ustinov-Christie pictures (EVIL UNDER THE SUN [1982] was the second). Shot in England and Egypt with one of Rota's final scores, the film won an Oscar for Best Costumes (Anthony Powell).