Favorite portrayal of Poirot? (in movies or tv)

[Kyriakos]

There were a few actors who played the Belgian detective. The first one to do so on the screen was Austin Trevor - who infamously did not have a mustache in the role. I read that Charles Laughton had played the part in a stage production a few years earlier.

Let's continue, in chronological order:

Albert Finney (Murder on the Orient Express)

Peter Ustinov (I read he was in three movies and three tv episodes; the most famous one was Death on the Nile)

David Suchet (13 seasons of a tv show)

Lately there was also Kenneth Branagh (three movies)

The question is straightforward: who was your favourite Poirot.

I always loved the Finney film - after all, it has an incredible cast. Finney was the first depiction of Poirot I saw and I came to associate the character with him, but looking back I liked the depiction on its own. Granted, it may not be as loyal to the books.
I also liked Ustinov a lot, he brings his kind of reserved charm. Perhaps he is a bit too comedic. Death on the Nile had a great cast itself - some of the other adaptations he was in clearly were lower-budget.
Suchet is someone I relatively recently tried to watch, and I like him, although the budget for the episodes could not rival the movies. I am slowly warming up to his depiction of the detective.
Branagh... Imo he doesn't work at all, but it's not just his own fault - the cast in his movies can't compare to the old adaptations of Express and Nile. His mustache is rather ridiculous too - he isn't portraying de Maupassant.

I voted for Finney, for sentimental reasons, although the first three are all good imo.

 

[EvaDK]

I have to go with Peter Ustinov. His Death on the Nile is my favorite of all the Poirot adaptions I have seen. His other Poirot films are not on the same level nor as cinematic, Murder Under the Sun probably the best. To me, Ustinov's humor and charm works and warms me to the character.

Suchet had a great run for the small screen, although his Poirot is a bit colder in comparison.

It's really down to what your personal preference is, I think.

I'm still trying to warm up to Branagh's films. His Nile is ok - gorgeous looking and a great score. But there's something missing in all of them and I don't quite know what it is.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Branagh should stick to traditional Shakespeare. It's too weird for me to have to say that I prefer Mel Gibson's Hamlet to Branagh's.

No opinion about Poirot. I haven't seen any of these movies.

 

[Snowygerry]

There were a few actors who played the Belgian detective.
(…)

Suchet is someone I relatively recently tried to watch, and I like him, although the budget for the episodes could not rival the movies. I am slowly warming up to his depiction of the detective.


I voted for Finney, for sentimental reasons, although the first three are all good imo.

The later seasons had a considerably larger budget and it shows, I especially liked season 13.iirc

 

[BenitoChavez]

I've only seen Branagh so I had to pick him by default. I'm not familiar with the books either so I don't have anything to compare his performance on but he was fine. He's definitely got the best mustache of the 4 of them. The movies he was in well...the only decent one was Murder on the Orient Express. The other two just aren't worth seeing. As far as detectives from modern movies/TV I think I like Daniel Craig in the Knives Out movies the best.

 

[REDY]

I grew up on David Suchet TV series and then in all big movies I felt that its not my Hercule.

 

[danjuno]

Only seen him played by Suchet, can't imagine anyone else as him.

 

[Kyriakos]

I am rewatching Death on the Nile:

 

[a pen-dragon]

I did see the Finney and Ustinov films as well as a few Suchet episodes.

In my opinion the old orient express film is by some length the best work, although I think that Finney's portrayal of Poirot is one of the weaker performances in that film.

I must admit that I watched the Suchet episodes significantly later than the films and that I have a general disinclination towards series that might affect my judgement, but I believe that Suchet's acting is a bit too dry. Overall I did like his style, but I think Ustinov had a more fitting, more lifelike and relatable performance.

 

[Kyriakos]

I did see the Finney and Ustinov films as well as a few Suchet episodes.

In my opinion the old orient express film is by some length the best work, although I think that Finney's portrayal of Poirot is one of the weaker performances in that film.

I must admit that I watched the Suchet episodes significantly later than the films and that I have a general disinclination towards series that might affect my judgement, but I believe that Suchet's acting is a bit too dry. Overall I did like his style, but I think Ustinov had a more fitting, more lifelike and relatable performance.

It's been some time since I last rewatched it, but iirc Finney can be seen as a type of father Karamazov-cunning character: one who hides his ongoing thinking by fake hyper-extroversion. In that respect, it would work - though it isn't at all based on the novels, of which iirc I have read two.
But I primarily have identified his look in the film with Poirot, since that was the first adaptation I saw. Ustinov is imo a bit too much like the charming uncle, and Suchet is distant and silent (which, again, seems to be closer to the actual novels).

 

[lymond]

Ustinov was great, but I'm going with Suchet. Loved the show. The Brannaugh movies were kinda meh.

 

[Farm Boy]

Branagh.

Suchet is a lot of fun tho.

 

[Voidwalkin]

I have no idea who Poirot is.

 

[Kyriakos]

Murder Under the Sun

Evil under the Sun ^^
Which is the only other Ustinov Poirot I have watched.

 

[Arakhor]

I remember watching Albert Finney's Orient Express and being totally stunned by the ending. Absolutely stellar cast too.

Ustinov's Death of the Nile was also star-studded - Angela Lansbury, David Niven, Maggie Smith and others I'm probably forgetting.

 

[Kyriakos]

I remember watching Albert Finney's Orient Express and being totally stunned by the ending. Absolutely stellar cast too.

Ustinov's Death of the Nile was also star-studded - Angela Lansbury, David Niven, Maggie Smith and others I'm probably forgetting.

Mia Farrow and Betty Davis

 

[Kyriakos]

I didn't know that they had a "mustache origin story" for Branagh's awful Poirot ^^

 

[Farm Boy]

Yeah, not the same old tiny neurotic man that we know and love, again.

 

[PhroX]

Never read the books, so I can't say who's the most accurate, but it will always be Suchet for me as I grew up watching the series. Anyone else just seems wrong.

 

[H4run]

I have no idea who Poirot is.

Agatha Christie's detective character, iirc haven't search yet however when I read Orient Express I know for sure that's him. I remember when I was a kid my sister has huge collection of her books and keep telling me about how genius Hercule Poirot is, but I never read it. There was a point and click adventure game called Orient Express, now I played that one even though I can't go too far because I was too little to understand and I'm not sure if that game has any relation with the book or the movie adaptation.

(edit: Check it, the game not called Orient Express, but it's called Dagger of Amon Ra, idk how I remember it as Orient Express)