review for Death on the Nile on AllMovie

A prototypical Agatha Christie adaptation, Death on the Nile is a classic mystery with an all-star cast of recognizable names and faces. Continuing in the vein of Murder on the Orient Express, a murder has occurred during a river cruise, making everyone onboard a suspect, and, as the eminent detective Hercule Poirot observes, everyone had either an opportunity or a motive to do the dastardly deed. Death on the Nile features Peter Ustinov in the role of Poirot and he gives an uncharacteristically subtle, low-key performance, leaving the histrionics to the rest of the cast which features David Niven, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Maggie Smith, and George Kennedy, among others. This is Ustinov's first appearance as Poirot and he seems to be feeling out the role and leaving the plot to carry the film. Like most works by Agatha Christie are on some level, the plot is somewhat formulaic. However, the mystery is well-constructed as one would also expect from a Christie story, but there is a lot of information to digest in order for the viewer to be able to participate in the solving of the crime and the resolution of the story. By necessity most of the action takes place on the ship, but the other Egyptian locations lend an exoticism to the film and set the period well.