Evil Under the Sun1982

“Yes, you are right, Madame; the sky is blue, the sun is shining, and yet you forget that everywhere there is evil under the sun.” This film has an interesting balance of tones with brightness of the locale contrasted with the somewhat tense undertones. The Cole porter soundtrack gives this film such an interesting feeling that I love. During the time the murder is taking place we see footage of all the characters going about the island under a lilting rendition of a classic show tune. The editing gives a rising feeling of unease while the seemingly tries to put our fears to rest.  Unfortunately it is all for naught and someone of course “gets it.” The murder does not occur till halfway through the film giving us ample time to ascribe motive to every character and enjoy the atmosphere of the island.  Poirot is I think even more enjoyable here than in death on the Nile. And everyone is more annoyed with him than ever. But while the cast and characters, location, and overall plot are better than either of the previous films the actual mystery was a little disappointing. Perhaps it was the editing or perhaps i am just too smart of perhaps I recalled from the far reaches of my mind the solution from when I viewed the television version many many years ago. I was able to guess the solution almost immediately. I kept my mind open to other possibilities but as it went on it clearly wasn’t leaning any other way. It’s also disappointing as the solution is nearly identical to that of death on the Nile. I do think with a better solution this would be an easy five stars for me but as of right now I’ll keep it tied with death on the Nile.