While searching for Sarah Water's The Little Stranger, I came across Ordeal by Innocence on Amazon Prime. Seeing that this was based on an Agatha Christie's book, I decided to check this out instead.

The premise is as followed: Heiress Rachel Argyll, unable to have children, adopts 5 children and raises them, along with her husband Leo, played well by Bill Nighy. And with 5 children, a few of them are a bit out of sorts, like the son Jack. Jack, played extremely well by Anthony Doyle, is emotionally sporadic, wild, cruel, a snitch and your basic out of control person, who is aware of his inability to stop or control himself. But he is just one of the "hot" messes in this family, as with most families, there are plenty of secrets running well, secretly, amok.

And between not having an substantiated alibi, and being the wild child with a record, when Rachel is murdered, he is the one charged with the murder. While in prison, Jack is brutally assaulted and dies from his injuries. The family, though sad, carries on.

18 months pass, and a few days before Leo's wedding to his secretary, Dr. Arthur Calargy, played very well by Luke Treadaway, arrives, stating that he was with Jack the night of the murder and that he is Jack's alibi. Unlike the book, this Dr. Calagry has a few secrets of his own. Naturally, his arrival throws the household into a tizzy, all re-living the night of their mother's death. Because they all know if Jack didn't kill Mother, then someone among them did.

Having said more than enough, on to my Kitty Paw Ratings:
One Kitty Paw for Anthony Doyle's performance. Hell, he pissed me off enough, I wanted him dead.
One Kitty Paw for Bill Nighy. He played Leo very well and, having not read the book, I wonder if they wrote his character with him in mind to play it.
One Kitty Paw for Luke Treadaway's performance as the hapless dr.
One Half Kitty Paw for keeping the suspense going, even though I narrowed it down to the killer and another person.
One Half Kitty Paw for the clever use of the staircase set.

But . . .

I have to take away a few Paws.

I have to take away a Paw because they were trying to make Rachel Argyll seem like horrible, overbearing, controlling mother and they really failed. Sure, she was mean at times, but they also showed her being very caring and a good mother. And since Anna Chancellor, the actress who portrayed Rachel has the talent to be cruel and unbending, as she was in Pride and Prejudice as Miss Bingely, they just didn't sell it.

And I have to take away a Half a Kitty Paw for her death scene. It was not done well and it was awkward. Not spoiling the "who", but she was assaulted from behind while standing, falls to the ground, knocking a shoe off, and taking a decanter with her. Then the maid finds her sitting in a chair and when the enters the room, she asks the maid "Well?" like she's perfectly fine and then suddenly there is blood. It was not done well. Too confusing.

So, at 2.5 Kitty Paws, I did enjoy it but there were definitely a few flaws.

csk