Cheap Poirot Set 4 (DVD) (Ross Devenish, Edward Bennett, Richard Spence, Peter Barber-Fleming, Andrew Piddington, Ken Grieve, John Bruce (II), Brian Farnham, Renny Rye, Andrew Grieve) Price

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Customer Reviews of Poirot Set 4

On the plus side, all three stories in Set 4 are lavishly produced with period attire and fully-elaborated sets, and thoughtful cinematography. On the minus side, nothing close to the same competence went into the plots.

"The Million Dollar Bond Robbery" recounts how bearer bonds disappear en route from London to New York aboard the Queen Mary. The story is so full of implausibilities and outright holes that one wants to weep. (Quasi plot spoilers ahead.)

For starters, the mise en scene is unconvincing. What bankers in their right mind would ship such a quantity of bonds (worth over $20 Million in today's money) in a mere briefcase left unattended by a solitary bank official in his stateroom? These people never heard of armored vaults or professional security guards?

Much is also made of the fact that only a few people have keys to the briefcase (thereby supposedly limiting the list of possible culprits), when in fact any thief would simply take the whole briefcase. Once you appreciate that the bonds could be stolen without benefit of one of the authorized keys, the whole storyline is revealed as a Rube Goldberg concoction of gross proportions, using a pathetically convoluted scheme entailing many risks, when a much simpler plan would have done the job much more easily and safely (for the thief).

Then there's the person who needs to be in two different places at once, and is able to shift from Place A to Place B and back again with truly impressive ease, like Captain Kirk beaming up. And if this person had to be in B as part of the grand plot, why the appearance in A? There was no need for it. Wait, the appearance in A did serve a purpose after all; it was so Poirot could notice the clue that solved the case. . .

"The Plymouth Express" concerns a jewelry theft and murder aboard a train. This, too, evidences extraordinarily shoddy plotting.

Again, the villain orchestrates an elaborate scheme when a much simpler one would suffice. This villain goes to tremendous lengths to mislead the police (and the audience) about whether the murder took place before or after a certain train stop. To what end? As the story unfolds, we eventually come to realize it is totally irrelevant when the murder occurred.

And, let's not forget, there is no need whatever to commit this particular theft and murder aboard a train, exposing the perpetrator to many potential witnesses, not to mention requiring eight hours on a train (out and back) - not the most clever of getaway plans. There was ample opportunity to rob and kill the victim back in London.

Worst of all, the solution to this case is pulled straight out of a hat. All we're told is that Poirot was able to identify the perpetrator by studying his secretary Miss Lemon's "files". That's it?

The third story, "Wasps' Nest", succeeds a little better than the other two, though it still leaves much to be desired as a whodunit. Here, at least, the murder plan is interesting and plausible. However, the motive for the murder is somewhat of a stretch, and the story development is also spun out of thin air. Poirot in effect makes a series of lucky guesses, based on no clue discernible to the audience. No little grey cells at work here, just one guess after another to move the story along.

Agatha Christie would not approve.

Not as Good as Some Poirot, but any Poirot is great!
Poirot is such a superior series that even it's mediocre episodes shine brightly. But when judging one episode against the others there must inevitably be some that don't measure up.

The Million Dollar Bond Robbery - This is actually the highlight of the trio and features much enjoyable footage with the Queen Mary. As well as a rather good solution. - 4 stars.

The Plymouth Express - This is very well done and draws more emotion out of you than most episodes, but is still lacking. The plot just seems too simplistic when set against other episodes. Still the footage of the murder is chilling and you really feel for the victim's living relatives by the end. - 3.5 stars

Wasp's Nest - It's always nice to see them try something different, but this episode just didn't click with me. I've seen them all many times and I just can't get used to this one, even though I like the "solution." - 3 stars

Box Set Overall score (Not an Average) - 4 stars

A coincidental juxtaposition and one extraoridinary episode
We are now well on our way to the first six sets of the collection in boxed sets of three VHSs each. Please see my reviews of the first three sets for general comments on these sets as a whole.

Collector's set 4 contains two similar and one quite unusual episode from the immensely popular British television series. Without wanting to reveal the solutions, I can only say there is a marked similarity in those of "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery" and "The Plymouth Express." The former is quite different in detail from the short story, which runs only 8 pages in my "Hercule Poirot's Casebook" and thereby pretty well represents the changes necessitated by inflating short mysteries into full hour episodes.

The second is a few pages longer and the television version is more faithful to the original. Although you do not have too much sympathy for the murder victim in this one, the shot of the body and Poirot's description of the deed itself is chilling. One of the better entries, to be sure.

"Wasps' Nest" is the most unusual of all the mysteries in this series. Again, I must not reveal too much, but we have a very nasty Poirot suffering from having no case at hand and berating himself for looking at a new situation concerning a friend in a most negative light. Of course, his suspicions are confirmed and he sets out not to solve a killing but to prevent one. But I must say no more. What is doubly fascinating is that the original story takes place only between Poirot and the person in question. So what you see in the final scene of the video is pretty much how the original story is handled. It is also one of the slower moving of the episodes.

Do not forget that the most excellent and are available on DVD.