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Dead Man's Folly

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.

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?

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

Clive Donner

Written by

Rod Browning

Peter Ustinov

Peter Ustinov

Hercule Poirot

Jean Stapleton

Jean Stapleton

Ariadne Oliver

Constance Cummings

Constance Cummings

Amy Folliatt

Tim Pigott-Smith

Tim Pigott-Smith

Sir Stubbs

Jonathan Cecil

Jonathan Cecil

Hastings

Kenneth Cranham

Kenneth Cranham

Insp. Bland

Susan Wooldridge

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 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.