Info
Genre: Crime drama
Based on: Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie
Screenplay by: Clive Exton and others
Starring:
- David Suchet
- Hugh Fraser
- Philip Jackson
- Pauline Moran
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Language: English
Number of seasons: 13
Number of episodes: 70
Imdb Rating: 8.6/10
My Rating: 10/10
Plot Summary
Hercule Poirot is a former Belgian policeman, who settled for good in London after the war, soon so famous as an infallible private detective that he becomes a society figure in his own right.
In each episode, Poirot gets to solve a crime mystery for a paying client or otherwise catching his attention, generally along with his faithful English sidekick Captain Hastings and/or his Scotland yard “friendly rival” Chief Inspector Japp.
Characters
Hercule Poirot, our titular protagonist, is a Belgian citizen who settled in London after World War I. With his well-groomed moustache and overall perfectionistic appearance he takes up the role of private detective for varius cases that mostly involve murder. Unusual and sometimes eccentric in his approach he often becomes the object of criticism from those around him. But despite the difficulties, he always solves the mystery.
Poirot is often accompanied on his adventures by his friend Captain Hastings, a loyal and kind man who has a weakness for beautiful women as well as Chief Inspector Japp, a strict yet sometimes messy Scotland yard policeman. Both of his companions are a delight to watch due to their contradicting qualities and their dynamic with Poirot, both as a group and individually.
Themes
As expected of a crime drama series, the basic theme is a murder that has to be solved.
Each murder case might seem simple in it’s solution but sometimes the answer is entirely different from what we are lead to believe.
Vengeance is a murderer’s motive that we see quite frequently along with the need to acquire the victim’s money.
Last but not least, we get a glimpse of the 1930s and the everyday lives of the people living during that period.
My Thoughts
Hercule Poirot is one of my favourite characters of all time. To see him on screen portrayed by the incredibly talented David Suchet felt like meeting him in real life and experiencing each case as one of his “helpers”.
