Fresh and Exciting

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Some aspects don't work too well (there is a man appearing in two different female disguises but neither looks real; the 7-11-22 message turns out to be 71-1-22, but when we see it for the first time, it is CLEARLY 7-11-22), but on the whole "The Man in The Brown Suit" is a pleasant little diversion, and worth a look for any Agatha Christie / mystery fan. The story is intriguing enough and holds your attention, the locations are pleasing, the stunts are well-executed, and the finale has just the right fairy-tale quality. Stephanie Zimbalist is a rather attractive and likable heroine (the nicest touch to her character is her jumping onto a departing train and then teasing the men who were chasing her; I could have done without the ridiculous scene of her jumping onto a bed when she sees a dead rat, though) and she is surrounded by a capable cast - Rue McClanahan and Edward Woodward are the standouts. Keep in mind that this is a TV movie and you'll probably enjoy it. (**1/2)

This movie definitely reinforces my policy of watching a movie before reading the book that it is based on. This movie is fine if you watch it and then read the book, almost like a warm up for the actual story. Rue McClanahan and Edward Woodward save this movie! Without their believable quirkiness so much of this movie would have been both over the top and silly. They keep it moving in the right direction when at times it can feel like it's trying to veer off course a little. The book itself is Wonderful! One of my favorites of Agatha Christie's. But I don't know if my review of the movie would have been as favorable if I'd gotten my hands on the book first.

Being a fan of Agatha Christie, I searched for this rare TV movie for quite some time. All of the VHS copies I found were in PAL and as I live in America, I was unable to view them. When I located a DVD copy of this film I pounced on it and wasn't horribly disappointed. Anne Beddingford has purposely put herself on the wrong plane and ends up in Cairo. She encounters an accident when a man runs in front of a taxi to get away from someone. All that she has as a clue now is a small bit of paper and a glimpse of the "man in the brown suit" who has been linked to a beautiful night club singer's murder. The plot thickens and Anne finds herself in a sea of suspects and, later, on the killer's hit list. While the plot line has been changed quite a bit, this film still has the undeniable touch of Christie to it. Many of the characters are a bit phony (the heroine Anne) and others were almost unbearably BAD (Tony Randolff), but they are overshadowed by Rue McClannahan, whom I thought stole the show. The plot is far more exciting than other Christie books. There are a couple killings, a couple attempted killings, a love story, and a kidnapping sequence. I enjoyed the film, it had a campy edge to it which made it kinda fun.

This is the best of the made-for-tv movies done by CBS. There is no video avaliable, but it does sometimes come on the Fox Family Channel or Encore Mystery Channel. More of an adventure story than a mystery, the action keeps up well until it lags towards the end. Randall provides comic relief appearing as an elderly vicar lugging a suit case full of bibles around and as a female secretary. 3 stars out of 4. Certainly better than any of the Helen Hayes & Peter Ustinov Tv Movies.