An uneasy assortment of guests gather at the sea coast mansion of a wealthy but rigid matriarch (Danielle Darrieux). But when a dinner guest discreetly recalls a murder that happened many years and how the killer got away with it, he dies under mysterious circumstances. But when the matriarch gets her head bashed in, it's clear that murder most foul is afoot and there are no shortage of suspects. Based on the novel by Agatha Christie, director Pascal Thomas has deftly turned Christie's very British characters into a hothouse of passionate French. He (and one of the four screenwriters I presume) has added generous dollops of humor that weren't in Christie's original novel and it works for the most part though it seems strained during the denouement. The typical Christie red herrings, twists and turns should satisfy the most demanding of mystery lovers. The handsome Brittany and Cotes-d'Armor locations are exquisitely shot by Renan Polles and the Herrmannesque score is by Reinhardt Wagner. With Chiara Mastroianni, Francois Morel, Melvil Poupad, Laura Smet (who overdoes the wacko wife bit), Alessandra Martines, Clement Thomas and Xavier Thiam.
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