Ten Little Indians (1959)

An assortment of disparate people are gathered together in a lone mansion on an island. All were invited but none of them know their "host". Soon, one by one, they are being killed off. Based on the classic Agatha Christie novel, better known as AND THEN THERE WERE NONE and directed by Paul Bogart (TORCH SONG TRILOGY). This is a condensed version of the Christie novel and as such, it feels rushed. Instead of the murders being paced out, they seem hurried coming quickly one after another. Which means that the tension aspect goes out the window. It also means that very few of the actors are around long enough to make an impression. Luckily, three of them (Nina Foch, Kenneth Haigh, Barry Jones) are first rate actors who seize the opportunity to make their presence known. Not so for the rest of the unfortunate cast including Valerie French, Romney Brent, Chandler Cowles and Peter Bathurst.