Her fictional works are do much more interesting than this. I find her to be most annoying especially with her deliberate lack of sharing her thoughts, for 'dramatic effect'. Give me Ms Marple anytime.
47 Reviews
Nice Cinematography BUT ....
charles-limcw27 May 2021
Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar
Prismark1016 December 2019
Channel 5 make another original Agatha Christie mystery movie featuring Agatha Christie turned crime investigator. This way they do not have to deal with any copyright issues relating to Marple or Poirot.
Agatha Christie (Lyndsey Marshal) has divorced her husband and gone to an Iraqi archaeological site to seek inspiration to write romance stories.
Instead she finds love with a younger man. Max Mallowan (Jonah Hauer-King) an archaeological assistant is found by Christie after he is shot. The real life Mallowan actually ended up marrying Christie.
Christie also stumbles into murder then a monkey who has been poisoned and later found hanged.
Of course this could easily be a Poirot mystery. The desert, Babylonian artefacts being looted, a tablet containing a curse, an arrogant American tycoon and oodles of death, but that character is under copyright.
So Christie and Mallowan try to unearth the killer and also find time for some hanky panky. At times it comes across as Carry on Follow that Camel with a randy couple on the excavation site and some double entendres.
This looks more expensive than last year's Agatha and the Truth of Murder. It has been filmed in Malta. It was also more playful and lighter in tone in than the previous movie. I am not convinced that it actually made it a better film. I think Marshal fitted the part better than the previous actress.
Agatha Christie (Lyndsey Marshal) has divorced her husband and gone to an Iraqi archaeological site to seek inspiration to write romance stories.
Instead she finds love with a younger man. Max Mallowan (Jonah Hauer-King) an archaeological assistant is found by Christie after he is shot. The real life Mallowan actually ended up marrying Christie.
Christie also stumbles into murder then a monkey who has been poisoned and later found hanged.
Of course this could easily be a Poirot mystery. The desert, Babylonian artefacts being looted, a tablet containing a curse, an arrogant American tycoon and oodles of death, but that character is under copyright.
So Christie and Mallowan try to unearth the killer and also find time for some hanky panky. At times it comes across as Carry on Follow that Camel with a randy couple on the excavation site and some double entendres.
This looks more expensive than last year's Agatha and the Truth of Murder. It has been filmed in Malta. It was also more playful and lighter in tone in than the previous movie. I am not convinced that it actually made it a better film. I think Marshal fitted the part better than the previous actress.
The good balances the bad
siderite4 March 2021
Lyndsey Marshal has a history with Agatha Christie adaptations and I believe she was a good fit for the character of Agatha in this film. However the character itself was a bit too bland. Also the story was showing random people getting killed without telling us anything about them. Agatha's lack of emoting combined with the overall care free reaction to murder of just about everybody made the film feel implausible.
Now, the acting was decent for all, without it being stellar in any way, but it was really difficult to empathize with any of the characters or feel for the history or culture of Iraq. And to top it all off, they added the artificial character of Pearl, whose only reason for existence seemed to be being an educated and attractive Black young woman who had a few scenes to complain about not being taken seriously, then proceed to be irrelevant to the story.
Bottom line: the storytelling felt amateurish and failed to compel me in any way. Too bad, because the acting was good.
Now, the acting was decent for all, without it being stellar in any way, but it was really difficult to empathize with any of the characters or feel for the history or culture of Iraq. And to top it all off, they added the artificial character of Pearl, whose only reason for existence seemed to be being an educated and attractive Black young woman who had a few scenes to complain about not being taken seriously, then proceed to be irrelevant to the story.
Bottom line: the storytelling felt amateurish and failed to compel me in any way. Too bad, because the acting was good.
Thoroughly enjoyable!!!
tkatsoufris28 June 2020
A very likeable fictional representation of how Agatha Christie met her second husband to be in the context of a murder investigation at a dig in Iraq.All the elements that make her mysteries such perennialy enjoyable readings are here in spades.A fine effort!!!
So plodding and dull we turned it off half-way through
londoner09165 October 2020
Very disappointed. Yet another relatively recent jumping on the band-wagon of using Agatha Christie's name to pull in audiences, only to either butcher the original story into oblivion so it is unrecognisable or using Agatha herself as the sleuth to avoid copyright issues with Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot.
The sets were the only decent thing about the film.
The score was sometimes intrusive and jarring and did not enhance the mood the visual was trying to achieve, which was distracting.
Hauer-King's acting was rather wooden and his period accent not at all credible; in fact the film's 1920s vernacular was too modern in general - note to TOM DALTON - have you read any Agatha Christies, or books of that period? If you had, you would realise that people did not, for example, say things like "Call the police" or "Excuse me?" when Agatha was interrupted by the train guard speaking to her in Arabic? Most British people wouldn't use that Americanism, even today! If you don't want to do this, then set it in the present day.
I know it is only a TV film, but how on earth did it even get the green light to go into production and release, one wonders...?!
The sets were the only decent thing about the film.
The score was sometimes intrusive and jarring and did not enhance the mood the visual was trying to achieve, which was distracting.
Hauer-King's acting was rather wooden and his period accent not at all credible; in fact the film's 1920s vernacular was too modern in general - note to TOM DALTON - have you read any Agatha Christies, or books of that period? If you had, you would realise that people did not, for example, say things like "Call the police" or "Excuse me?" when Agatha was interrupted by the train guard speaking to her in Arabic? Most British people wouldn't use that Americanism, even today! If you don't want to do this, then set it in the present day.
I know it is only a TV film, but how on earth did it even get the green light to go into production and release, one wonders...?!
Agatha and the Curse of the Dull Movie
propaganda2121 June 2020
This was slow and plodding. It managed to make 95 minutes feel like 3 hours. The main actress playing Agatha lacked charisma and it had a bit of an amateur feel to it, although it was made as a TV movie. On the plus side, the production values were very good, so it was a shame that it wasn't a better script with a bit more drama and played less flat. This is probably the dullest Agatha Christie related movie that I have ever seen. At least the ones made in the 80s were entertaining.
You need a whodunnit around Christmas time.
Sleepin_Dragon15 December 2019
Penned by the same writer who wrote last year's surprise package Agatha and The Truth of Murders, but a different actress in the lead role. Lynsey Marshall steps in to replace Ruth Bradley, and does a fine job.
It's a very slick production, it looks great, it's well filmed, and very well written. It was a good old fashioned mystery. I love the way they penned a situation for Christie. Stunning location work.
It more then made up for the lack of Agatha Christie drama on the BBC this Christmas. If only this had been transmitted on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day.
Is this a trend? Will there be another one next year? On this evidence I hope so.
It's a very slick production, it looks great, it's well filmed, and very well written. It was a good old fashioned mystery. I love the way they penned a situation for Christie. Stunning location work.
It more then made up for the lack of Agatha Christie drama on the BBC this Christmas. If only this had been transmitted on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day.
Is this a trend? Will there be another one next year? On this evidence I hope so.
Boring
dklecan2 June 2021
I couldn't help but think of the many Poirot movies set in the middle east. Those were imbued with sound, heat, mystery, etc. Of these exotic locations. Poirot always insistent on pursuing his british/belgium idiosyncrasies while trying to enjoy his "vacations " which was always interrupted by a wonderful murder. (See Death on the Nile).
This is the complete opposite. The first part of the movie focuses on christie trying to imbue her novels with "romance." She is encouraged by new friends to go to Iraq, and it is downhill from there. The Christie actress is bland, the murder of someone is not clear...apparently the monkey imbibed the poison.. The rest of the ensemble (except for young Max) is boring and unforgettable. Even the scenery is dusty and boring. There didn't seem to be any music or sound effects to heighten our attention to murders or significant scenes.
Watch the first of these Christie driven movies. The one that depicts Christie when she disappeared for a few weeks, made a couple of years back. That actress successfully depicted Agatha as a serious author, but with a lovely sparkle underneath. There is no sparkle here.
This is the complete opposite. The first part of the movie focuses on christie trying to imbue her novels with "romance." She is encouraged by new friends to go to Iraq, and it is downhill from there. The Christie actress is bland, the murder of someone is not clear...apparently the monkey imbibed the poison.. The rest of the ensemble (except for young Max) is boring and unforgettable. Even the scenery is dusty and boring. There didn't seem to be any music or sound effects to heighten our attention to murders or significant scenes.
Watch the first of these Christie driven movies. The one that depicts Christie when she disappeared for a few weeks, made a couple of years back. That actress successfully depicted Agatha as a serious author, but with a lovely sparkle underneath. There is no sparkle here.
Pretty Vacant
tonytunbridge29 April 2020
It has all the trappings of a pretty period drama, and it probably wasn't cheap to make, but the plot and the dialogue are absolute drivel. Jonah Hauer-King is a tasty piece of eye-candy but ogling him is the only pleasure to be had from wasting your time with this.
Plodding and very uninvolving
gridoon20247 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
First of all, I've got to wonder why Ruth Bradley, who played Agatha Christie in "The Truth Of Murder", was replaced: she had nailed the part. Lyndsey Marshal's Christie is a bit dowdy, and lacks Bradley's magnetism. As Max, the man who in real life became Christie's husband, Jonah Hauer-King is blandly handsome and nothing more; their on-screen attraction is not convincing at all. It is impossible to care about any of the people who appear in this movie, and, by extension, impossible to care about who done what. Easily one of the dullest Agatha-related projects I have ever watched. *1/2 out of 4.
A fun murder mystery
Tweekums17 December 2019
This, the second story to imagine authoress Agatha Christie to be caught up in a murder mystery of her own, sees her travelling to Iraq to stay with friends at an archaeological dig. Before she gets there young archaeologist, Max, finds a body. This is put down to a snake bite but it soon becomes apparent that something is afoot. When Agatha arrives she finds Max injured by a bullet wound in the head and not long afterwards when she gets to the house where those involved in the dig are staying a pet monkey is found hanged! She thinks this is more than mere animal cruelty so, with the help of Max, performs an autopsy. The results make her certain that the dead man was killed something other than a snake. In the investigation that follows she grows close to Max while exposing a plot to steal artefacts and ultimately identifying the killer.
If you can get beyond the conceit of placing a real crime writer in a fictional murder mystery this rather fun. This fictionalised Agatha is a good protagonist and the mystery provides plenty of suspects. As well as the central mystery there is a degree of romance which doesn't distract from the main story. The thing that surprised me most about this production was the degree of humour; there were laughs from start to finish. These were unforced rather than obvious gags and added to my enjoyment. The cast is solid, most notably Lyndsey Marshal who is charming as Agatha and Jonah Hauer King, who plays Max. Obviously it couldn't be filmed in Iraq but the Maltese locations used have a suitably Middle Eastern look. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of classic murder mysteries.
If you can get beyond the conceit of placing a real crime writer in a fictional murder mystery this rather fun. This fictionalised Agatha is a good protagonist and the mystery provides plenty of suspects. As well as the central mystery there is a degree of romance which doesn't distract from the main story. The thing that surprised me most about this production was the degree of humour; there were laughs from start to finish. These were unforced rather than obvious gags and added to my enjoyment. The cast is solid, most notably Lyndsey Marshal who is charming as Agatha and Jonah Hauer King, who plays Max. Obviously it couldn't be filmed in Iraq but the Maltese locations used have a suitably Middle Eastern look. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of classic murder mysteries.
Nowhere Near As Good As Christie's Work.
P3n-E-W1s317 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
TheSTORY-0.75
Oh, dear! Poor old Agatha will be rolling and fuming in her grave with this travesty. Everything that a Christie Novel has is sadly missing in this tale of... well... boring mystery.
With a well-crafted mystery, the writer needs to get his audience hooked into trying to solve whodunnit and why. Unfortunately, Tom Dalton doesn't provide us with this. In truth, I found it very hard to actually give a damn about what was going on. All the characters were two dimensional and uninspired. The twists and turns were too straight and easily predicted. Worst of all was the "strange murder". Granted a hanged monkey is pretty weird and even though I am an animal lover I still couldn't bring myself to care. It all appeared too staged. Too contrived... and not in a good way. Then it only gets worse with the funny moments, which were nothing but dire and mirthless.
theDIRECTION-0.75
Oh, this was just as bad as the story. Sam Yates has some wonderful moments where he could have added atmosphere and used some nice camera techniques but fails awesomely. Right at the start, when the mystery kicks off we are in a dusty hole in the ground with an archaeologist and his trusted guide. This would have been a lot better had the hole been darker, moodier, and scarier. This would have given the audience a shiver and started to prep them for the dying man. Then the finding of the dying man would have been more powerful. Different camera angles and added soundtrack ambience would have worked wonders here.
Yates does show he has an eye for composition when we get to the hanged monkey scene. The trouble is nobody movies after the initial reveal. They stay glued to their X's. This makes the entire scene then feel fake and unnatural.
And then for the humorous scenes... well, I could go on and on, but I won't. The direction could have been so much better.
theTEMPO-0.5
This bar far is the worst thing that Yates could do to the story. As stated above the story is boring so the last thing it needs is a slow pace... let alone this tortoise velocity he gives us. He doesn't even pick up the pace in the few action sequences. The pace is one of the main reasons this film falls flat so quickly.
theACTING-0.75
I have to say that the actors, at no time, feel as though they are phoning their parts in or do they appear bored. They guys and gals do the best with what they have. It's just unfortunate that they don't have a lot to work with. Even Lyndsey Marshall, as Agatha, and Jonah Hauer-King, as Max Mallowan, try to form a chemistry on-screen. However, it doesn't come across as sensual or as powerful as it should have and I am putting this down to Yates' direction and Dalton's story.
theGRATIFICATION-0.75
If you are looking for a murder mystery where you can solve whodunnit and maybe get an insight into the character of Agatha Christie then I would wholeheartedly recommend staying away from this film.
In fact, I would recommend staying away from this film unless you are having trouble sleeping. In which case, get in bed and turn this on... you should be asleep in about fifteen minutes.
theSCORE-3.5
Head on over to my The Game Is Afoot list to see where I've ranked this one and to possibly find something fresh and new'ish to watch.
Oh, dear! Poor old Agatha will be rolling and fuming in her grave with this travesty. Everything that a Christie Novel has is sadly missing in this tale of... well... boring mystery.
With a well-crafted mystery, the writer needs to get his audience hooked into trying to solve whodunnit and why. Unfortunately, Tom Dalton doesn't provide us with this. In truth, I found it very hard to actually give a damn about what was going on. All the characters were two dimensional and uninspired. The twists and turns were too straight and easily predicted. Worst of all was the "strange murder". Granted a hanged monkey is pretty weird and even though I am an animal lover I still couldn't bring myself to care. It all appeared too staged. Too contrived... and not in a good way. Then it only gets worse with the funny moments, which were nothing but dire and mirthless.
theDIRECTION-0.75
Oh, this was just as bad as the story. Sam Yates has some wonderful moments where he could have added atmosphere and used some nice camera techniques but fails awesomely. Right at the start, when the mystery kicks off we are in a dusty hole in the ground with an archaeologist and his trusted guide. This would have been a lot better had the hole been darker, moodier, and scarier. This would have given the audience a shiver and started to prep them for the dying man. Then the finding of the dying man would have been more powerful. Different camera angles and added soundtrack ambience would have worked wonders here.
Yates does show he has an eye for composition when we get to the hanged monkey scene. The trouble is nobody movies after the initial reveal. They stay glued to their X's. This makes the entire scene then feel fake and unnatural.
And then for the humorous scenes... well, I could go on and on, but I won't. The direction could have been so much better.
theTEMPO-0.5
This bar far is the worst thing that Yates could do to the story. As stated above the story is boring so the last thing it needs is a slow pace... let alone this tortoise velocity he gives us. He doesn't even pick up the pace in the few action sequences. The pace is one of the main reasons this film falls flat so quickly.
theACTING-0.75
I have to say that the actors, at no time, feel as though they are phoning their parts in or do they appear bored. They guys and gals do the best with what they have. It's just unfortunate that they don't have a lot to work with. Even Lyndsey Marshall, as Agatha, and Jonah Hauer-King, as Max Mallowan, try to form a chemistry on-screen. However, it doesn't come across as sensual or as powerful as it should have and I am putting this down to Yates' direction and Dalton's story.
theGRATIFICATION-0.75
If you are looking for a murder mystery where you can solve whodunnit and maybe get an insight into the character of Agatha Christie then I would wholeheartedly recommend staying away from this film.
In fact, I would recommend staying away from this film unless you are having trouble sleeping. In which case, get in bed and turn this on... you should be asleep in about fifteen minutes.
theSCORE-3.5
Head on over to my The Game Is Afoot list to see where I've ranked this one and to possibly find something fresh and new'ish to watch.
Unexpected garbage
mihaisorinp30 June 2020
I expected some value out of an Agatha Christie movie but it was pure garbage. First the lead actress is dull , actually all the cast is made of boring people with no charisma. The plot initially promised a lot but it was just unrealistic and poor designed. The so called romance was a joke.
Not My Cup of Tea
mariakirova20 February 2020
Not your standard TV Movie
raeiaphade16 December 2019
After tuning in to watch what I thought would be your usual Agatha Christie take, I was pleasantly surprised by something different that definitely stands out from the crowd.
Brilliantly directed by Sam Yates, the shots looked well thought out and added to the classier finish of production you don't tend to find on your evening foray threw the channels.
Part romance, part murder mystery, this film was absolutely worth my time and I thoroughly recommend it; by and large for the stellar performances by the cast, especially the leads in Lyndsey Marshal and Jonah Hauer King who harboured a wonderful chemistry throughout.
Brilliantly directed by Sam Yates, the shots looked well thought out and added to the classier finish of production you don't tend to find on your evening foray threw the channels.
Part romance, part murder mystery, this film was absolutely worth my time and I thoroughly recommend it; by and large for the stellar performances by the cast, especially the leads in Lyndsey Marshal and Jonah Hauer King who harboured a wonderful chemistry throughout.
The Curse of the Befuddled Viewer
LCShackley15 August 2023
It's hard to explain thoroughly what an utter mess this film is. The story is flimsy and hard to follow, and the actors seem to be asleep most of the time. Special opporobrium goes to the composer, who doled out a mish-mash of a score that ranges from Arvo Part-style minimalism, to weird processed piano doodling, to electronic noise. It's as though 3 or 4 different hacks each contributed a reel. The producer is a no-name whose only credits are three knock-off Agatha Christie mysteries. Who funded him? It's telling that he couldn't get the same actress to play the lead role in all three films. Shame on PBS for foisting this on a mystery-hungry public.
Miserable
crankyerma198423 November 2020
I began to watch this after having thoroughly enjoyed "Agatha and the Midnight Murders" as it was similarly framed. However, the historical framing of this joyless, dour and decidedly postmodernist bunch of sadness is where the similarities end. One hopes that when producers use a famous author as the central character in a film billed as being similar in style to her works that the film would in fact have similar tone and personality. The producers of this film chose to betray the author's legacy by using it to pander to current cultural trends rather than give us an Agatha Christie style mystery. A great opportunity was lost. Thankfully, these great wrongs were corrected in the far superior "Midnight Murders" which I recommend viewing instead.
Agatha and the Homeopathic Solution
frukuk15 December 2019
Take what you know of Agatha Christie as a person and add what you know of her works of fiction, then "let waters roll down like justice" to dilute, until there is nothing of Agatha Christie left. That seems to be the "receipt", as Miss Marple might put it, followed by the writer of Agatha and The Curse of Ishtar.
The weak humour is a dead giveaway that the writer lacks confidence in the story he's telling. The hotel receptionist infers that Mrs Christie is mute, because she draws a cross on a piece of paper to indicate her companion requires medical assistance (thinking that the receptionist wouldn't speak English). A woman who infers that Mrs Christie has been getting to know Max Mallowan in the biblical sense, asks how Mrs Christie found "the artefacts". You can see that this isn't going to be a profound work.
Like the earlier Agatha and the Truth of Murder (2018), this had a running time of 2 hours on Channel 5 in the UK and was similarly far too frequently punctuated with adverts (commercial breaks). Very little of interest happened between the adverts.
The weak humour is a dead giveaway that the writer lacks confidence in the story he's telling. The hotel receptionist infers that Mrs Christie is mute, because she draws a cross on a piece of paper to indicate her companion requires medical assistance (thinking that the receptionist wouldn't speak English). A woman who infers that Mrs Christie has been getting to know Max Mallowan in the biblical sense, asks how Mrs Christie found "the artefacts". You can see that this isn't going to be a profound work.
Like the earlier Agatha and the Truth of Murder (2018), this had a running time of 2 hours on Channel 5 in the UK and was similarly far too frequently punctuated with adverts (commercial breaks). Very little of interest happened between the adverts.
Simple Plot but very Agatha Christie
ghostchallengers6615 December 2019
Laughable
davemellor16 December 2019
Anachronistic, slow, generally bad
pawebster15 December 2019
Jonah H-K... how does he get parts? Here he is, playing an extremely similar role to the one he had in World on Fire, i.e. a wet young upper-class Englishman in the 1920s-1940s. In neither role does he have a feeling for the period or an appropriate accent. Even if he were better, the script would still be anachronistic anyway. And Agatha herself is boring. It's also very slow. After a while I gave up and switched off.
Yawn
timrogers-3360020 December 2020
Dull and weirdly soulless. It's pure am dram. It looks as if it was put together on a scratch budget by a writer, crew and Director who aren't familiar with TV. Long winded scenes. Static dramatisation. Politically correct lines and dialogue and total lack of jeopardy. An empty vessel that plods from one set piece scene to another. The most boring numbskull imitation Christie ever contrived. The end credits state that it was not endorsed by the Agatha Christie estate. I bet is wasn't.
Unexpected gem
rosie-6930216 December 2019
Poor Grammar Switched off After First Few Lines.
penked5 October 2020
Switched on full of enthusiasm, waiting for the usual Christie-quality production and it looked good inside the tomb: and then he said it... 'no one has STEP foot in here!' What the hell does that mean? There is no such expression; if he means 'no one has SET foot in here' then I could have continued watching but if the quality-control fails at this stage then, as they say, 'I'm out' so I switched off because the rest was going to lack credibility, too. If some numpty can't even get that right what chance does the rest of the production stand? What a shame.
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