Agatha and the Truth of Murder (2018)

Directed by: Terry Loane | 92 minutes | crime, drama | Actors: Ruth Bradley, Dean Andrews, Bebe Cave, Amelia Dell, Richard Doubleday, Derek Halligan, Blake Harrison, Pippa Haywood, Stacha Hicks, Ralph Ineson, Brian McCardie, Michael McElhatton, Tim McInnerny, Clare McMahon, Liam McMahon, Seamus O’ Hara, Luke Pierre, Joshua Silver, Samantha Spiro

Two fascinating mysteries from the 1920s, which have little to do with each other, form the basis of the British television film ‘Agatha and the Truth of Murder’ from 2018. On the one hand, there was the legendary crime writer Agatha Christie who died in 1926. disappeared from the face of the earth for eleven days. She was divorced from her husband, suffered from writer’s block and had a hard time in the male-dominated author world. But why she was missing for so long and what exactly she was up to in those eleven days is a mystery that has never been unraveled. And then there’s the murder of Florence Nightingale Shore, godson of the acclaimed nurse of the same name who became famous for her compassionate care of wounded war soldiers. Young Florence had chosen a career similar to her godmother, but met a tragic fate. In 1920 she took the train from Victoria to Hastings to meet some friends there. She was dropped off by her close friend and colleague, Mabel Rogers. She would never see Florence alive again, because once on the train, just outside Lewes station, she was struck three times in the head by an unknown person, probably with a revolver. Who did that and why has never been clarified.

In ‘Agatha and the Truth of Murder’, screenwriter Tom Dalton weaves the murder of Florence Nightingale Short and the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie into one plot. In 1926, Agatha Christie (Ruth Bradley) is in a difficult position; She is accused of being too predictable in her stories and is desperately looking for inspiration. In addition, her unfaithful husband Archie (Liam McMahon) is pushing for a divorce, but she is not waiting for that. Then suddenly Mabel Rogers (Pippa Haywood) shows up on the doorstep, asking if she would help her solve the six-year-old murder of her friend Florence Nightingale Shore. She’s pretty desperate, but Agatha doesn’t want anything to do with it at first. ‘I am a writer, not a detective,’ is her answer. But when she sees that this could be a great inspiration for a new crime novel, she and Mabel decide to try to unravel the mystery. She disguises herself as lawyer Mary Westmacott and gathers all the suspects in the murder of Florence in an old mansion, where they will supposedly divide the inheritance of a non-existent American businessman. Mabel, as a housekeeper, is of course involved in the conspiracy. The suspects are Daphne Miller (Bebe Cave), a nurse who could have lost her job and reputation thanks to Florence, and her father Wade (Dean Andrews); Randolph (Tim McInnerny), Florence’s cousin who inherited her money and didn’t like that his aunt was dating Mabel; the Frenchman Zaki Hanachi (Luke Pierre), whom she helped to recover during the war and who was probably after her money; Travis Pickford (Blake Harrison), a shadowy figure who was the only one to be questioned by the police after the murders of Florence and Pamela Rose (Samantha Spiro), the woman Florence was traveling to, and her son Franklin (Joshua Silver).

The case really starts to roll when one of the suspects is killed himself and the grumpy detective inspector Dicks (Ralph Ineson) is summoned. He complains that he could only get one agent—and not even the brightest—because everyone else has to help track down the missing writer Agatha Christie. Ineson puts down a wonderful character, who actually grants you his own film or series. ‘Agatha and the Truth of Murder’ is a smooth tribute to the famous crime writer, portrayed by Ruth Bradley with charm and conviction. The story is of course paper thin and anyone who often watches detectives will undoubtedly sense which direction the story is heading (Agatha herself says it several times: ‘The perpetrator is usually the one from whom you least expect it’). Despite this, Dalton and director Terry Loane manage to hold our attention until the very end, thanks mainly to nice nods to reality. Those who pay close attention will see titles of books (‘The Man in the Brown Suit’) and references to events and situations (for example, the name ‘Mary Westmacott’ was once a pseudonym of Christie), often subtle, sometimes thick on top.

The funniest homages to crime writers are those in which humor reigns supreme; we saw that phenomenally in the classic ‘Murder by Death’ (1976) and recently in ‘Knives Out’ (2019). ‘Agatha and the Truth of Murder’ is excellently acted but in tone quite dry and straightforward, although Bradley and Ineson are a welcome exception. Where Agatha Christie is usually portrayed with a distinguished, elusive and refined charisma, Bradley knows how to make a person of flesh and blood. With his sarcastic commentary and unruly energy, Ineson gives the film a much-needed boost. They certainly help to ensure that fans of British detectives in general and Agatha Christie in particular will have a great time for an hour and a half with ‘Agatha and the Truth of Murder’ and will also be the only characters to stick around.