VividSimon
Simply Perfect
VeteranLight
I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
Acensbart
Excellent but underrated film
XoWizIama
Excellent adaptation.
gridoon2018
This is what can happen when a film or TV adaptation of a book is so determined to remain slavishly faithful to the original source that it refuses to exercise any judgement on what to cut and what to leave in; no mystery film should run over 3 hours! "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" stars with a gripping premise, but it becomes insufferably plodding. Frankie herself says at one point (at around the middle of the picture): "Well, why didn't they ask Evans? It would have saved us an awful lot of bother!", and I share her feelings. Francesca Annis is wonderful as Frankie, and the production is lovingly crafted, but the more liberal adaptation of the same Agatha Christie story for the "Marple" series in 2009 is a more exciting film. "The Seven Dials Mystery", another Christie adaptation made in 1981 with some of the same cast and crew, is also considerably better. *1/2 out of 4.
qasdfghj
I really like this hidden gem. I have no complaint about the length, which I've seen others here complain about. The length really gives the viewer time to get acquainted with the characters and all the intricacies in the plot. I love whodunits, and fills that exact craving well. Also, there is a tinge of British comedy strung throughout. James Warwick and Francesca Annis are just perfect for this role. I find this movie to be better than their "Partners in Crime" shows. All in all, I find it really enjoyable to watch, and hard to guess the plot if you haven't read the book. I highly recommend it!
scribe-27
I was hooked by Francesca Annis and James Warwick when they played Tommy and Tuppence in Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime, and as an avid Christie fan have always wanted to see them again in Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Although its plot is very picaresque, and suffers from some of the careless crafting found in Agatha Christie's earlier work, it is, in fact, an enjoyable book, and has no doubt been adapted adequately for television. Infuriatingly, the DVD is not available in the UK, or in the entire Region 2! I don't suppose it ever will be. Odd, isn't it? I believe that American viewers have similar difficulties obtaining English films and television programmes in Region 1 format, Perhaps, one day, there will be a single standard for all of us.
boomcoach
This BBC version of an Agatha Christie book shows the pitfalls of following a book too closely. Christie's books tend to move at a gentle, sometimes even sedate pace, and "Evans" is one that certainly does. It also has a solid school of red herrings to confuse the plot. This version is extremely faithful to the book, which results in a very slow, involved story. As a Christie fan, I gave it 7 stars, but it takes 3 hours to make its way through a relatively action-free story. I appreciate some of the tightening of plots that the BBC did for its later Christie productions much more.In the end, this movie is a leisurely pleasure, highlighted by the breathy waif Francesca Annis who brings considerable charisma to her role and plays off James Warwick very well.
