Agree with the other critical reviews that this is too drawn out. It also barely felt like a true murder mystery, more thriller and horror-like. In most murder mysteries, we're seeing the protagonist discover clues that help them get closer to figuring out who is responsible. But as this movie drags on, we learn almost nothing that better helps us determine who the killer may be, we just learn more about the past bad things each character did.
All of them have a bad event or several in their past and seem perfectly capable. One of the most obvious points was never brought up in the film but came to me fairly early on. Who there would know all these details about the crimes each of them have committed in the past? Somehow that extremely important factor never crossed their minds. Once they figured out the U. N. Owens person was fake and the killer was one of them, the judge should have quickly become the top suspect. None of the rest of them have the background to know such details about the others.
I also don't like that the judge's murder was faked but it didn't sync up with the rhyme that the rest of the murders did. The next murder fit with the portion of the poem that can be interpreted as faking a murder ("red herring"). The viewer has no way to know the previous murder was faked.
I saw in some other reviews that the Russian version from 1987 is supposedly the best. I may check it out in a few years but have little desire to rewatch a different adaption of this right now.
All of them have a bad event or several in their past and seem perfectly capable. One of the most obvious points was never brought up in the film but came to me fairly early on. Who there would know all these details about the crimes each of them have committed in the past? Somehow that extremely important factor never crossed their minds. Once they figured out the U. N. Owens person was fake and the killer was one of them, the judge should have quickly become the top suspect. None of the rest of them have the background to know such details about the others.
I also don't like that the judge's murder was faked but it didn't sync up with the rhyme that the rest of the murders did. The next murder fit with the portion of the poem that can be interpreted as faking a murder ("red herring"). The viewer has no way to know the previous murder was faked.
I saw in some other reviews that the Russian version from 1987 is supposedly the best. I may check it out in a few years but have little desire to rewatch a different adaption of this right now.