Thirteen at Dinner *** (1985, Peter Ustinov, Faye Dunaway, David Suchet, Jonathan Cecil, Bill Nighy, Diane Keen, John Stride, Benedict Taylor) – Classic Movie Review 7,207

Peter Ustinov is very welcome back in one of his six appearances as Agatha Christie’s Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot in the 1985 film Thirteen at Dinner, a TV movie version of Christie’s novel Lord Edgware Dies.

Peter Ustinov is very welcome back in his recurring role as Agatha Christie’s Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot in director Lou Antonio’s 1985 film Thirteen at Dinner, the TV movie version of Christie’s novel Lord Edgware Dies, adapted by Rod Browning. Ustinov is not the Poirot of the books, but, no matter, he is a thoroughly entertaining turn.

Lord Edgware (John Barron) is found dead after a dinner party with 13 guests the night before. American movie actress Jane Wilkinson (Faye Dunaway) is Lady Edgware, the lady upon whom the blame is put by Scotland Yard. The day after she asks Poirot to help her get a divorce from her husband, both Lord Edgware and another American actress are found murdered, each at their own homes. But of course the dogged, wily Belgian detective sets out to find the truth.

Ironically, Ustinov’s TV successor in the role, David Suchet, is also on hand as Inspector Japp. However, Suchet judges his performance as Japp as ‘possibly the worst performance of my career’. Jonathan Cecil effectively inhabits his recurring role as Poirot’s confidant/ sidekick, Captain Hastings, which he reprises in the sequels Dead Man’s Folly (1986) and Murder in Three Acts (1986). It also stars Bill Nighy as Ronald Marsh, Diane Keen as Jenny Driver, John Stride as the film director, and Benedict Taylor as Donald Ross.

Benedict Taylor as Donald Ross.

Thirteen at Dinner is a good, teasing mystery respectfully handled and well done. It is not quite as plush as Ustinov’s early outings, but it is attractively campy and still richly enjoyable. Director Antonio plays a film producer and David Frost (as himself) introduces Poirot on his TV show.

Also in the cast are Lee Horsley, Allan Cuthbertson, Glyn Baker, Avril Elgar, Peter Clapham, Lesley Dunlop, Russell Keith Grant, Roger Milner, David Neville, Amanda Pays, John Quarmby, Geoffrey Rose, Pamela Salem, Jean Sincere and Oriana Grieve.

Thirteen at Dinner is directed by Lou Antonio, runs 95 minutes, is made by Warner and CBS, released by CBS, written by Rod Browning, based on Agatha Christie’s novel Lord Edgware Dies, shot by Curtis Clark, produced by Neil Hartley, and scored by John Addison.

It follows Evil Under the Sun (1982) and precedes Dead Man’s Folly (1986), all with Peter Ustinov in one of his six appearances as Hercule Poirot.

It is remade as Lord Edgware Dies in 2000 with David Suchet as Poirot; and is first filmed in 1934 Lord Edgware Dies with Austin Trevor as Poirot.

Lord Edgware Dies was published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in September 1933.

Lord Edgware Dies was published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in September 1933 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year under the title of Thirteen at Dinner.

The British TV show Agatha Christie’s Poirot ran for 13 series and 70 episodes on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. By the time it finished with Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case, every major Christie work by that featured Poirot had been adapted.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7,207

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Peter Ustinov and Faye Dunaway in Thirteen at Dinner (1985).

Book dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition of Lord Edgware Dies.