terrible... so disappointed.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

This tale of the sad death of a dowager who strokes out carries with it a deep moral message which all of us should heed. If you're going to die at all, it is far better to die rich than poor. When you're terribly wealthy, old, and ill, friends and relatives rush to your country estate and lavish their affections on you. They pay attention to your every need. Did you take your medicine? How about another shot of morphine? Would you like some tea? Did you make a will? And when you finally shuffle off this mortal coil, it's from an overdose of morphine which, if you have to go, is the way to do it.The old woman of course had a household full of servants and was being visited by her closest relative, Elinor, Elinor's fiancé Roddy, and the old lady's protégé, the cute blond Mary. Mary and Roddy fall for each other in next to no time and the stricken Elinor returns Roddy's engagement ring. There are several hints that Roddy and Elinor have been playing doctor on a pre-conjugal basis, two lascivious animals. But I don't think Roddy had the time or the opportunity to get it on with Mary. Too bad for him. There is a doctor involved too, who loves Elinor from afar, but he looks a lot like Gabriel Byrne so we may dismiss him as a suspect at once.Elinor (Elisabeth Dermot Walsh) is actually an attractive women but make up has done its best to render her less radiant than the wall-eyed but sensual Mary. Elinor hates Mary.The old lady dies and leaves all her estate to Elinor who is obsessed by her bitterness. In a curious scene involving Elinor, a maid, Mary, and jars of salmon paste and crabmeat, Elinor serves the maid and Mary tea and sandwiches -- English sandwiches, meaning two slices of crust-free bread with a thin film of something in between. Mary winds up dead, poisoned by morphine too. Elinor is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death.I don't want to get into the rest of the plot. As usual it's more twisted than it looks and contains intrigues, greed, illegitimacy, daughtercide, jealousy, adoption, family ties, and class borders. It has a terrible scene in which the director uses what it sometimes called the Vertigo shot. We see Mary's lovely face turn into a rotting, grinning skull. It's horrifying but then Poirot wakes up and thrusts his sweating face into the camera with a grunt. Will we never see the end of this hoary cinematic cliché? Poirot winds up pleased with himself and two lovers ride off happily into the sunset. No Japp, no Hastings, no Lemon, but it's an interesting story.

Sad Cypress is one of my favourite Poirot episodes, along with Five Little Pigs and Peril At End House everything about this adaptation was stunning. I do admit I did cry two or three times. It is faithful to the book, apart from a slight misjudgement about the rose. The plot is quite a complex one, but it is very well constructed here. The look of Sad Cypress was absolutely exquisite- you can never go wrong with dazzling photography, splendid scenery and lovely costumes- this adaptation had all three of those things. The music was gorgeous, haunting yet tragic, and I think it was this that reduced me to tears. The script is very good, beautifully written, and does have a hint of faithfulness about it. The acting was exceptional, although he looked tired, David Suchet turned in an impeccable performance as Poirot. I do consider Suchet the definitive of the Poirots, like Jeremy Brett was the definitive Sherlock Holmes. Elizabeth Dermott Walsh was beautiful beyond words as Elinor Carlisle, just perfect for the role, and Rupert Penry Jones perfectly conveys his flawed character. Diana Quick and Phyllis Logan are fine actresses, and they were superb in their roles. The final solution was very well done, not quite as good in construction as the one in the book, but still effective. I have to say when I first saw this adaptation, I was extremely disturbed by Poirot's dream of Mary Gerrard and her decompsing face. All in all, highly recommended. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This is a beautiful looking production, wonderfully shot and - on the whole - very well acted. David Suchet's excellent Poirot enters the story somewhat earlier than in the book but that's not too surprising - the series is called 'Poirot' and fans will want to see him at the earliest opportunity. Being one of my favourite Poirot books, I had quite definite ideas of how these characters should look and feel and generally speaking I was happy with the results in the film. Elisabeth Dermott Walsh was really spot on as Elinor and Rupert Penry Jones catches Roddy's weakness very well. It was nice to see the excellent Phyllis Logan pop up as one of the nurses and Diana Quick is suitably sympathetic as the invalid Mrs Welman. Perhaps my only slight reservation is that the crucial role of Mary Gerrard is played as rather more 'knowing' than she ought to be and as a result rather less sympathetic.Two disappointments, one very trivial and one not quite so. Much as I enjoyed the denouement, it didn't have the power of that in the book where the solution was revealed by a series of revelations within the courtroom. The film opts for a more exciting end but as a result it's less believable. The trivial disappointment is a lack of attention to detail, for the important supporting role of the Zephirine Drouhin rose is miscast - it should be bright pink and not crimson red! Seriously though, this is a very good film overall and well worth watching.

Hercule Poirot looks into the case of a woman accused for two murders: there is overwhelming evidence against her, her dislike for one of the victims - the girl who stole her fiancé's heart - is well-known, and she doesn't express any feelings of regret. Despite all that, a doctor, who is secretly in love with her, is convinced of her innocence and asks his old friend Poirot to help him prove it.Let me put it simply: the story, direction, performances, music, and set design of "Sad Cypress" are of higher quality than approximately 90% of what is available out there. Dropping the (highly entertaining, it must be said) sidekicks, changing the tone to almost completely serious, and reducing Poirot's screen time in favor of the other characters (in fact, it could be argued that the beautiful Elisabeth Dermot Walsh is the central figure here) are all bold moves, and they pay off brilliantly, in this case at least. Up to this point in the series, and without having seen "Five Little Pigs" yet, the only episodes I would rank above this one are "Wasps' Nest" and "Lord Edgeware Dies".A must-see if you love good cinema, even when it's made for TV. (***1/2)