Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

This is one of the few Agatha Christie novels that I have not read so I am not in a position to say how faithful or otherwise this adaptation is. It's a fast moving TV movie starring many famous TV faces of the time (late eighties). Although a thriller, the emphasis is mainly on comedy with Stephanie Zimbalist very likable and endearing as 'girl in search of adventure' Anne Beddingfield. She has a suitably square jawed, handsome hero to team up with in Simon Dutton and is surrounded by an assortment of rather two dimensional 'suspects' including Edward Woodward being VERY English and Rue McClanahan being VERY Southern and basically replaying Blanche from 'The Golden Girls'. Tony Randall shows that he is definitely NOT a master of disguise and there is a very funny episode towards the end when the ladies 'fail to recognise him'. There are a few moments like this (Anne escaping from the worst cell ever, the prat-fall over the edge of the waterfall etc) which one is never quite sure if they are meant to be funny or not.On the whole this is quite enjoyable fluff but I must now read the novel which I believe is a far superior tale.

Some aspects don't work too well (there is a man appearing in two different female disguises but neither looks real; the 7-11-22 message turns out to be 71-1-22, but when we see it for the first time, it is CLEARLY 7-11-22), but on the whole "The Man in The Brown Suit" is a pleasant little diversion, and worth a look for any Agatha Christie / mystery fan. The story is intriguing enough and holds your attention, the locations are pleasing, the stunts are well-executed, and the finale has just the right fairy-tale quality. Stephanie Zimbalist is a rather attractive and likable heroine (the nicest touch to her character is her jumping onto a departing train and then teasing the men who were chasing her; I could have done without the ridiculous scene of her jumping onto a bed when she sees a dead rat, though) and she is surrounded by a capable cast - Rue McClanahan and Edward Woodward are the standouts. Keep in mind that this is a TV movie and you'll probably enjoy it. (**1/2)

The Man in the Brown Suit is one of those Agatha Christie TV movies that gets overlooked. But the production values are quite high for a TV of that period, the locations are sumptuous and the cast are pretty well known (Tony Randall, Edward Woodward, Stephanie Zimbalist to name a few)and the story is quite fun. A young woman in search of adventure gets involved in mystery on an exotic cruise. This isn't Schindlers List - and nor should it be. Its enjoyable Sunday afternoon fluff thats worth catching if you want something light to watch. Okay whoever adapted it for film has made some slight changes from the book, but you can let that go if you have something really intriguing to hang on to.Ladies...for Man in the Brown Suit, that thing is Simon Dutton.He's all sexy intensity and piercing eyes - absolutely wonderful if you are curling up on the sofa with a glass of wine and a yen for a little romance. He's not on screen that much (sadly) but when he is, he's terrific. Some of the other performances are a little hammy, but you get the impression Mr D is actually making an effort to turn in a good performance and as such (for my money anyway), he steals the film. He's charismatic and gorgeous and you can see why he got cast as 'The Saint'.If you like Agatha Christie or if you like your men dark and mysterious check out this movie.

This film is fun, but of course does not live up to the original novel. (It's been Americanised for one thing). That said, the cast is strong, and the plot has plenty of intrigue.But read the book - it's one of Agatha's best adventure novels (as opposed to Country- House-Body-in-the-Library novels) and the mystery is pretty good too.