In this typically polished whodunnit, adapted by Anthony Shaffer (who wrote Sleuth) from the Agatha Christie novel, Peter Ustinov makes his second appearance as fussy Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. You won't use up too many grey cells figuring out who is responsible for the murder of actress Diana Rigg, but there's enormous pleasure to be had from sitting through the picture while waiting to be proved right. The stellar cast clearly enjoys itself, with Maggie Smith in fine fettle as the hotel manageress. Majorca looks hot, but it would have been nice if the producers had retained the original Cornish setting.

An opulent beach resort provides a scenic background to this amusing whodunit as Poirot attempts to uncover the nefarious evildoer behind the strangling of a notorious stage star.