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Appointment with Death

Appointment with Death

Thriller · Crime · Mystery · 1988

Emily Boynton, the stepmother to three children, blackmails the family lawyer into destroying a second will of her late husband that would have freed the children from her dominating influence. She takes herself, the children, and her daughter-in-law on holiday to Europe and the Holy Land. At a dig, Emily is found dead and Hercule Poirot investigates.

Movie details

Appointment with Death

“An invitation to murder!”

1988 Thriller · Crime · Mystery 1h 42m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

Emily Boynton, the stepmother to three children, blackmails the family lawyer into destroying a second will of her late husband that would have freed the children from her dominating influence. She takes herself, the children, and her daughter-in-law on holiday to Europe and the Holy Land. At a dig, Emily is found dead and Hercule Poirot investigates.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Appointment with Death?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Michael Winner

Written by

Anthony Shaffer · Michael Winner · Peter Buckman

Peter Ustinov

Peter Ustinov

Hercule Poirot

Lauren Bacall

Lauren Bacall

Lady Westholme

Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher

Nadine Boynton

John Gielgud

John Gielgud

Colonel Carbury

Piper Laurie

Piper Laurie

Emily Boynton

Hayley Mills

Hayley Mills

Miss Quinton

Jenny Seagrove

Jenny Seagrove

Dr. Sarah King

Court is in session

Put Appointment with Death on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.