The defence The Big-Idea Head
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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Dead Man's Folly
Crime · Thriller · Mystery · 1986
During a murder hunt game at a country house, to which Hercule Poirot is invited as an "expert", a real murder occurs.
Movie details
Dead Man's Folly
1986 Crime · Thriller · Mystery 1h 30m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.4 / 10
Community rating
During a murder hunt game at a country house, to which Hercule Poirot is invited as an "expert", a real murder occurs.
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 Dead Man's Folly?
For the defence
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe 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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The Pale Blue Eye
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Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery
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A Walk Among the Tombstones
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Miss Marple: 4.50 from Paddington
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Travelling on the 4.50 from Paddington, Mrs McGillicuddy witnesses a murder on a passing train - but where is the body?
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Clive Donner
Written by
Rod Browning
Peter Ustinov
Hercule Poirot
Jean Stapleton
Ariadne Oliver
Constance Cummings
Amy Folliatt
Tim Pigott-Smith
Sir Stubbs
Jonathan Cecil
Hastings
Kenneth Cranham
Insp. Bland
Susan Wooldridge
Amanda Brewis
Court is in session
Put Dead Man's Folly on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
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.