Paradise Has a Body Count

Read Time:5 Minute, 26 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Evil Under the Sun (4KUHD)
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Genre: Mystery, Crime, Drama
Year Released: 1982, Kino Lorber 4K 2026
Runtime: 1h 57m
Director(s): Guy Hamilton
Writer(s): Anthony Shaffer; based on the novel by Agatha Christie
Cast: Peter Ustinov, Diana Rigg, James Mason, Maggie Smith, Roddy McDowall, Jane Birkin, Colin Blakely, Nicholas Clay
Where to Watch: available now, order your copy here: www.kinolorber.com or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: What happens when a murder mystery stops pretending suspense comes from darkness and instead lets everything unfold in the daylight? EVIL UNDER THE SUN doesn’t just answer that question; it builds its entire personality around it. Set against blinding Mediterranean sunshine and unapologetic luxury, the film understands that the true tension of a whodunit doesn’t come from shadows, but from proximity. Everyone is too close, too comfortable, too beautifully dressed to be innocent.

This is the second outing for Peter Ustinov’s Hercule Poirot following DEATH ON THE NILE, and while the stakes feel smaller, the control is sharper. Ustinov leans fully into Poirot’s theatricality here; less concerned with grandeur, more amused by human weakness. His performance doesn’t push for dominance in every scene. Instead, he allows the ensemble to breathe, knowing full well that the longer they’re allowed to perform, the more they’ll eventually give themselves away.

That ensemble is the film’s greatest weapon. EVIL UNDER THE SUN is stacked with performers who understand exactly what kind of movie they’re in. Diana Rigg and Maggie Smith, in particular, operate like surgeons in a life-saving operation, trading pleasantries that barely disguise the open contempt. Their scenes offer a precise cruelty that never turns cartoonish. James Mason carries himself with entitlement, Roddy McDowall relishes his outsider bitterness, and Jane Birkin brings a softness that feels deliberate rather than naïve. Every performance gives just the right intensity, high enough to be entertaining without breaking the illusion.

Guy Hamilton’s direction is confident but intentionally restrained. Known for his work on large-scale franchises, Hamilton here resists spectacle in favor of clarity. The geography of the island matters. Who can see whom, who can hear what, and who is close enough to lie convincingly all become part of the story. The film never rushes to manufacture tension; it trusts that the audience is watching just as closely as Poirot is.

EVIL UNDER THE SUN leans into beauty as misdirection. The location is pristine, the costumes are immaculate, and the overall aesthetic suggests leisure rather than danger. That contrast isn’t accidental. The murder lands harder because it violates the setting's promise. This is a place designed for indulgence, not consequences, and the film keeps returning to that imbalance. Violence doesn’t interrupt paradise; it exposes how fragile it always was.

Anthony Shaffer’s adaptation takes liberties with Agatha Christie’s original structure, but they’re largely in service of cinema rather than simplification. The film understands that fidelity isn’t about replication; it’s about preserving intent. Motives remain tangled, alibis remain fragile, and the solution relies less on shock than on accumulation. The script occasionally leans on coincidence a bit too comfortably, but it compensates by grounding those turns in character behavior rather than plotting.

One of the film’s more interesting choices is its use of music. The Cole Porter selections inject a playful irony that reinforces the film’s confidence. These songs aren’t there to heighten suspense; they’re there to underline absurdity. Murder exists here alongside flirtation, performance, and ego. The soundtrack doesn’t clash with the narrative; it offers a commentary on it.

For seasoned mystery viewers, the structure may feel so familiar as to be predictable. The film isn’t interested in reinventing the genre, and at times it leans a little too comfortably into expectations. Some supporting characters feel more decorative, existing only to add depth to the setting rather than to deepen the mystery. When Poirot lays out the solution, it’s done with clarity and control, not theatrical excess. The reveal doesn’t explode out of nowhere; it settles the assumptions. There’s satisfaction in that restraint, a sense that the film respects both its characters and its audience enough not to overplay its hand.

EVIL UNDER THE SUN succeeds because it understands the enjoyment of the genre. It doesn’t chase darkness for credibility or complexity for prestige. Instead, it leans into craft, performance, and tone, trusting that a well-told mystery doesn’t need to be reinvented to remain engaging. It’s not the most daring Christie adaptation, but it’s one of the most confident, a film that wears its intelligence and its confidence openly.

In a genre built on deception, EVIL UNDER THE SUN is refreshingly honest about its intentions. It’s here to entertain, to dazzle, and to remind you that sometimes the most dangerous place to commit murder is where everyone feels safest.

Product Extras:
NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson
Making of EVIL UNDER THE SUN
Reversible Art
3 Radio Spots
Theatrical Trailer
Dual-Layered BD50 Disc
Optional English Subtitles

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[photo courtesy of KINO LORBER]

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