'Murder is easy' very quickly impresses with a certain charm, almost folksy and kitschy, that seems characteristic of British murder mystery films or TV shows. That goes double for the classic works of Arthur Conan Doyle or, as in this instance, Agatha Christie. Even as the image only slowly and deliberately comes into focus, the puzzle pieces are laid out with an ease and finesse that's at once peculiarly particular and dearly disarming. That sense is only amplified with Gerald Fried's score - variably imparting country comfort, upper class splendor, dire drama, or meditative curiosity - and with delightful dialogue and scene writing brimming with wit, repartee, passing levity, and otherwise enchanting magnetism. (For good measure throw in amusingly outdated values including judgmental lines about "rock concerts," "man-chasers," and notions of the United States as a haven for substance abuse, and inflated bluster about the personal computer as a fantastic new consumer good.) From the very start and through to the end, this TV movie ably entertains and keeps our attention. Even 40 years later, this is well worth watching.
Just as this 1982 feature adapts Christie's tale with some modern touches, the cast is filled with names spanning generations of star power. Bill Bixby, fresh off his stint as David Banner in 'The incredible Hulk,' is a solid lead as Professor Luke Williams. Freddie Jones, in a smaller supporting role, is cheekily brilliant in portraying Constable Reed - giving possibly the best performance of the lot - and I've never seen Jonathan Pryce so young as he is here, playing sketchy Ellsworthy. They and all others present - Lesley Anne-Down, Shane Briant, Olivia de Havilland, Leigh Lawson, and so on - demonstrate gratifying nuance and spirit in realizing these characters of such smart personality. Though some of the dialogue and scene writing is a tad too exaggerated and overt for its own good, the interplay between all the assembled actors is rightly absorbing.
I can't say I'm especially familiar with the novel, but Carmen Culver's screenplay offers up a wonderfully intelligent narrative with able twists that holds its secrets close until just the right moment. We get definite minor thrills, tastes of humor, and solid suspense all the way through, building into a small but satisfying tale of murder most foul that keeps us engaged. This is really just so much fun - good writing, direction, and acting is deserving no matter the time or place, and this is a fine example of that constancy.
There's really just not much more to say, except perhaps that the mixture of "crime thriller" ill deeds with the expected mirthful gaiety of British programming may not be for all viewers. Yet if that air is not off-putting, and not least of all if one enjoys any such stories, then 'Murder is easy' is a fun, well-made TV movie that's worth checking out if one has the opportunity.
Just as this 1982 feature adapts Christie's tale with some modern touches, the cast is filled with names spanning generations of star power. Bill Bixby, fresh off his stint as David Banner in 'The incredible Hulk,' is a solid lead as Professor Luke Williams. Freddie Jones, in a smaller supporting role, is cheekily brilliant in portraying Constable Reed - giving possibly the best performance of the lot - and I've never seen Jonathan Pryce so young as he is here, playing sketchy Ellsworthy. They and all others present - Lesley Anne-Down, Shane Briant, Olivia de Havilland, Leigh Lawson, and so on - demonstrate gratifying nuance and spirit in realizing these characters of such smart personality. Though some of the dialogue and scene writing is a tad too exaggerated and overt for its own good, the interplay between all the assembled actors is rightly absorbing.
I can't say I'm especially familiar with the novel, but Carmen Culver's screenplay offers up a wonderfully intelligent narrative with able twists that holds its secrets close until just the right moment. We get definite minor thrills, tastes of humor, and solid suspense all the way through, building into a small but satisfying tale of murder most foul that keeps us engaged. This is really just so much fun - good writing, direction, and acting is deserving no matter the time or place, and this is a fine example of that constancy.
There's really just not much more to say, except perhaps that the mixture of "crime thriller" ill deeds with the expected mirthful gaiety of British programming may not be for all viewers. Yet if that air is not off-putting, and not least of all if one enjoys any such stories, then 'Murder is easy' is a fun, well-made TV movie that's worth checking out if one has the opportunity.