Appointment With Death (1988)

IMDb plot summary: When a former prison wardress who dominates the lives of her three adult stepchildren and her daughter is found dead at an archaeological dig near the Dead Sea, there are a great many suspects.
Directed by Michael Winner. Starring Peter Ustinov, Lauren Bacall, Carrie Fisher, and John Gielgud.

What a disappointing mess of a movie! There's a pretty fun cast involved, but the writing and directing and editing are all absolutely abysmal, and even actors I enjoy like Lauren Bacall and Peter Ustinov can't make these lines sound reasonable. Agatha Christie's stories are so beautifully scripted and so dialogue-driven as is, I feel like there's seldom a reason, if any, to do much tweaking when adapting, and it definitely doesn't do the story any favors either. I am also decidedly not in favor of Piper Laurie as Mrs. Boynton -- she doesn't have nearly the sense of power and control needed to do this part justice.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Appointment With Death < Rushmore

Appointment With Death < Talk to Her

Appointment With Death > John Q.

Appointment With Death > Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Appointment With Death < Mr. Pip

Appointment With Death < The Black Stallion

Appointment With Death > The Butterfly Effect

Appointment With Death > A Farewell to Fools

Appointment With Death > Rancho Notorious

Appointment With Death > Maggie's Plan

Appointment With Death > You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

Appointment With Death < Start the Revolution Without Me

Final spot: #2540 out of 3185, or 20%.