Hercule Poirot is hired by the Australian mining tycoon Halliday (played by John Stone) to investigate a French aristocrat called Comte de la Rochefour (played by Alfredo Michelson) who he doesn't like pursuing his daughter and only heir Florence (played by Shelagh McLeod) believing him to be after her money. Florence is separated from her husband, Rupert Carrington (played by Julian Wadham), a gambler who still tries to get money from her. Later she and her maid, Jane Mason (played by Marion Bailey), take the Plymouth Express from London Paddington railway station. When they are supposed to change trains at Bristol, Jane finds that her mistress has vanished. Florence is soon found murdered, her body concealed under the seats in her compartment when the train reaches its final destination. In addition, her case containing her entire collection of expensive jewellery has been stolen. Poirot and Captain Hastings reconstruct Florence's train journey and, going by the information in the pathologist's report, the detective deduces that she must have been killed as the train arrived at Bristol. A newspaper boy tells Poirot that he saw Florence at Weston Super Mare station, the train's next stop after Bristol, and how she had made a big fuss over getting a late edition of a newspaper. Poirot solves the case, which involves murder, fraud and jewel theft perpetrated by ruthless criminals.
The Plymouth Express is an outstanding TV adaptation of Agatha Christie's short story. There is fine acting from a good cast with John Stone shining as Halliday, the devoted father torn apart by the death of his daughter, evoking a real depth of feeling. Kenneth Haigh, who starred in the early 70's TV drama Man At The Top, is also noteworthy as a villain as are Julian Wadham and Alfredo Michelson in their respective roles as two men who took advantage of the murdered woman, Florence, who is well played by Sheila McLeod. The film is directed with flair by Andrew Piddington, especially in the flashback sequences at the denouement, and all the other technical aspects and production values are of a very high standard.
The Plymouth Express is an outstanding TV adaptation of Agatha Christie's short story. There is fine acting from a good cast with John Stone shining as Halliday, the devoted father torn apart by the death of his daughter, evoking a real depth of feeling. Kenneth Haigh, who starred in the early 70's TV drama Man At The Top, is also noteworthy as a villain as are Julian Wadham and Alfredo Michelson in their respective roles as two men who took advantage of the murdered woman, Florence, who is well played by Sheila McLeod. The film is directed with flair by Andrew Piddington, especially in the flashback sequences at the denouement, and all the other technical aspects and production values are of a very high standard.