NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Thehibikiew Not even bad in a good way

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

JohnHowardReid SYNOPSIS: As a newly appointed trustee of a youth reclamation program, Miss Marple hunts down a killer who is hiding amongst the personnel of a naval training ship. NOTES: Fourth and final entry in the Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple series. Oddly, although shown intact abroad, the movie was never released in the United Kingdom in its original form. Instead, it was slashed down to 74 minutes to provide second-feature fodder. COMMENT: The last and best of the series, this one combines Margaret Rutherford in full flight and director Pollock at his finest form with a screenplay that neatly intertwines mystery, suspense, comedy and character in a tantalizing setting. A frothy mix of sleuthing and suspense, madness and mishap, the script is further aided by a terrific cast of veterans including Lionel Jeffries (an absolute howl as the put-upon captain), plus the lovely Norma Foster and cameos from the likes of Miles Malleson and Henry Oscar. Ron Goodwin's music score is a joy, Desmond Dickinson's photography a delight, and even, as stated, George Pollock has risen to the occasion with handling that is never less than highly professional and even occasionally exhibits traces of genuine style. I also enjoyed Stringer Davis who makes the most of a role in which he has actually something to do, rather than simply prop up his wife (Rutherford) as in the preceding entries. Here he is presented not just as her straight man, but as a comedian who is patently amusing in his own right. A SECOND VIEW: Despite Pollock's routine and occasionally inept direction (too many close-ups, for example, plus camera set-ups that refuse to edit smoothly and the inept use of an obvious double for Miss Marple in the boat), this entry makes for a reasonably intriguing mystery thriller. Admittedly, most of the comedy falls flat (especially the encounters between Rutherford and the over-reacting Tingwell), though Lionel Jeffries manages to impart a bit of freshness to his hackneyed lines and a smidgin of polish to his equally stale routines. The mystery itself, however, and its novel background setting, are cleverly contrived, even though the identity of the murderer will disappoint most viewers. All the same, the climax does possess a welcome flourish. The heroine is attractive, although her part is minimal (as indeed are all the support roles with the exceptions of Jeffries, Davis and Tingwell). Production values look quite lavish by British "B" standards. Eye-pleasing sets, atmospheric photography and Ron Goodwin's zippy music score prove big assets.

AaronCapenBanner George Pollock once again returned to direct Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple, Stringer Davis as Mr. Stringer, and Charles Tingwell as Inspector Craddock, in this original story not directly based on an Agatha Christie novel. Here, Miss Marple investigates the death of a fellow trustee member that leads to Maritime murder, and uses her trustee status to go on board a naval ship to investigate the murder, and reports that one of the officers is operating a crime ring from it, which of course leads to more murders... A bit of a step down from the first two pictures, being not as atmospheric, and a bit too much comedy, but still has a fine British cast to make it seaworthy.

TheLittleSongbird Ever since I was 11 I've loved Agatha Christie and Miss Marple. And while they are not perhaps films that die-hard traditionalists of Christie's work the four George Pollock-Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple films are entertaining enough still. Murder Ahoy is the fourth and last of the series, and for me it is also the weakest. The main problem is the story, which is rather contrived and confusing at points(Christie's lack of involvement and that it wasn't based on any of her work- even with a couple of moments where there are echoes of it- was all too evident here. While the sword-fighting scene is tacky and just felt silly compared to everything else going in the film and while there are some witty and funny moments the script does sketch over the characters too much so we never get to know anybody. However, the setting, locations and period detail are great, and the black and white photography is crisp. Pollock's direction is smooth, the film goes by at a good- if not as zippy as the other three- pace and there are some decent clues and solving of them. But the strongest points are the music and the cast. The music is deliciously catchy, just love the opening theme. Margaret Rutherford steals the film and is simply terrific(if somewhat unconventional) as Miss Marple, her in the naval uniform alone is guaranteed the viewing, while Lionel Jeffries seems to be having great fun as the Captain. Overall, not great but definitely worth watching. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Lechuguilla The story begins with a murder onshore, and then shifts to a harbor bound ship where the real answers to the puzzle can be found. The story isn't really that interesting. But what makes the film worthwhile is Margaret Rutherford. She is wonderful as the overpowering amateur detective, always two steps ahead of the bumbling police.The main problem with the film is the screenplay, with a contrived plot and some rather obvious plot holes. Further, there's a conspicuous lack of character development. We never really get to know the suspects. In some cases, they are interchangeable. It's as if the screenwriters devised the plot first, and then created stick figure characters, to advance the plot.Aside from the script, the production design is weak. And I found the hammy performance of Lionel Jeffries to be mildly annoying. It's like he was trying too hard to be funny. This problem might have originated with the director.Absent the elaborate costumes, the gorgeous scenery, the flashy cinematography, and the star power of blockbuster films like "Death On The Nile" and "Evil Under The Sun", "Murder Ahoy!" is rather humdrum. But what this film does have is Rutherford's Miss Marple, a battleship of integrity, energy, humor, and intelligence. In this film she dabbles in chemistry with gusto, engages in a fencing duel, and in general converts a lackluster script into an enjoyable whodunit.