This TV film of "The ABC Murders" is one of the best movies of the entire Agatha Christie series on Hercule Poirot. It also ranks among the very best mystery thrillers of all time. The film is packed with intrigue from start to finish. The simple modus operandi of the murders in this story belie the complexities of this fantastic mystery. Super sleuth Poirot is stumped for a long time, but his little grey cells help him eventually unravel this great mystery. His sidekick, Captain Hastings, is on hand to lend a hand. And Chief Inspector Japp has more than the usual work cut out for him in the effort to apprehend the murderer. The cast for this film give it their all, and some guest actors turn in tremendous performances as well. Donald Sumpter as Cast gives a performance worthy of an award. This is too great a mystery to say much more about. It would deprive those who haven't yet seen the film from the full enjoyment of a superb mystery. Kudos to Grenada Media and associates. This is an outstanding production of an enthralling thriller from the pen of the greatest mystery writer of all time.

Did they have serial killers in the 1930s? Of course they existed, Christie even makes reference to Jack the Ripper here, but I don't know if the modern concept of the serial killer, the killer who kills multiple people that he's never met before, for reasons that only make sense in his deranged brain, I don't know how popular that was in Christie's time. In the novel, she spends quite a lot of time talking about the psychology of such a person, mostly with the idea of hopefully being able to predict and warn the next victim. Poirot has multiple conferences with the police and an "alienist"; Poirot himself has always supported the idea of understanding the psychology of a criminal, but there are a few characters in this story who pooh-pooh that notion, who come from the "right is right and wrong is wrong" school of thought. These days, whenever I read a Poirot novel, I can't help but compare it to how such a crime would be treated on Law and Order, or, in this case, Criminal Minds.The concept is an unusual one, even for Christie. Poirot is receiving taunting letters from a killer. In each case the killer gives Poirot the date and place of the murder in advance. The first murder is of Alice Ascher, an elderly lady who keeps a small shop, not a very prominent crime. But shortly afterwards, the killer attacks a pretty young girl, Betty Barnard, and then a rich art collector, Sir Carmichael Clarke, and in each case he leaves at the scene of the crime an alphabetical railway guide known as an ABC, the same initials as those of the anonymous letter writer. Hence the various discussions about the mind of a "homicidal lunatic" and how to warn any potential future victims, and to catch the killer before he strikes again.I liked that this episode is faithful to the novel is almost every aspect. Due to the nature of the crimes, this is not one of the more light hearted episodes, which is a bit of a shame; these longer episodes need a little levity to relieve the grim tension involved. There is an amusing running joke about a stuffed alligator that Hastings has brought back from South America, and Suchet has some of his best moments when Hastings presents it to him as a gift. For me this episode was good for the same reasons that the book itself is good, but could have been better if they had found a few more ways to make it interesting.

A serial killer strikes in London: he selects his targets in alphabetical order of name and location. He also sends letters to Hercule Poirot, signing as "ABC", boasting about his "accomplishments" and challenging Poirot to find him.Reportedly this is one of the favorite Poirot episodes of David Suchet himself, and you can see why. Agatha Christie has rarely been more audacious in her misleading and manipulating the (reading & viewing) audience than she is here. Halfway through, you may feel a slight disappointment, that the film has told you too much; stick with it and you'll find out why this is not the case. They often say "seeing is believing", but in this story sometimes you shouldn't even believe what you can see with your own eyes! All this, and some priceless Poirot-Hastings interaction as well: a top-notch episode. (***)

I believe that I've always loved Agatha Christie's books. When I was younger, I can remember reading and re-reading each one, especially those with Hercule Poirot, over and over. I've probably read most of her books at least 3 times. So it only seems natural that I would be a fan of and enjoy movies adapted from Christie's mysteries. The big-budget Hollywood films like Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express are among my favorite films. But for whatever reason, over the years, I have passed on most chances to watch Poirot with David Suchet on television. I had caught the odd episode here and there, but they were not a priority. I've decided to change that and give them a try.It's odd that I would start my journey through the series with The ABC Murders. Of all the Poirot novels, it's one of my least favorite. Most of the problems I have with the novel are the same as those I have with the movie. The biggest issue I have is the story's structure, including the final reveal. For my money, we as viewers (and readers) discover far too early the identity of A.B.C. We know who the man is, what he looks like, and what he's doing. And, while the film does bring all the characters together for Poirot to make the big reveal as to the murder's identity, for lack of a better description, it lacks some of that good old English drawing room feel that I really enjoy. It's almost an afterthought without the power usual found in Christie's endings.Getting past my petty quibbles with the story's structure, the movie is very nicely done. As much as I enjoy Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney in the role of the Belgian detective, David Suchet may be the definitive Poirot. He seems closer in my mind to fitting Christie's description of Poirot than anyone else I've seen. He's quite remarkable in the role. The rest of the acting is just as good, with A.B.C. himself, Donald Sumpter, giving a wonderful performance. The film's pace is snappy and the direction is solid. Considering what I assume to be a modest budget, the 1930s sets and costuming are dead-on perfect. The film has a wonderful look to it. Overall, the positive far outweigh the preconceived negatives I had in my mind making The ABC Murders quite an enjoyable experience.I'm looking forward to visiting the other episodes in the series. If the other films in the series are this entertaining as The ABC Murders, I'm in for a real treat.