Review~ Miss Marple: Ordeal by Innocence (2007)

Move over, Jessica Fletcher!
There's another crime-solving old lady in town...
and this one is wearing a cute hat.

Seeing "Miss Marple: Ordeal by Innocence" reminded me of watching "Murder, She Wrote"
with my grandma as a kid.  [Side note: I later found out that "Murder, She Wrote" is loosely based
on Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series and that Angela Lansbury (who plays Jessica Fletcher) also
played Miss Marple in "The Mirror Crack'd."]  For that grandma-bonding sentimental memory alone,
I would have enjoyed this movie, but there were many other things I liked as well.

First of all, seeing Richard Armitage in another role was great!
This year I want to view the RA films I haven't seen yet and this movie was a great way to start.
The plot revolves around the Argyle family.  Richard portrays Philip Durrant, who is married
to their oldest daughter, Mary.  Philip may look good in a tux, but he's a gold digger and cheater.
 

I loved getting caught up in the story and guessing game.
It takes an interesting plot to distract me from Richard's screen presence,
but I became engrossed in the storyline of this movie.

Here's an overview:
(there may be a few spoilers, although I've tried to avoid too many)

Rachel Argyle (Jane Seymour) is the wealthy matriarch of the Argyle family, who adopted
6 underprivileged children with her husband, Leo.  She meant well, but showed her children little love.
She is found murdered one evening, a few hours after arguing with her son Jacko (Burn Gorman)
who had attacked and threatened to kill her after she refused to give him money for his debts.

Jacko is arrested and executed for the murder of his mother.
The Argyle family is saddened by both losses, but eventually move on with life.

Two years later...

Most of the Argyle family members are happy and making plans for the future.
Philip, however, has been disabled due to polio and everyone mentions his grumpiness. 
I guess I'd be grumpy too if I were aged prematurely by being dependant on a wheelchair,
donning an old man hat and being wrapped up in blankets and an ugly gray sweater. 

Miss Marple comes into the picture when she's invited to the Argyle residence for a wedding.

While the family is enjoying an evening together, a stranger appears and reveals there is proof  that Jacko
had been innocent.  They're all shocked to discover that he'd been wrongly accused and executed.

"How dare you interrupt our awesome game of charades with such bad news!"

The news is a blow to the Argyle family, who were the only ones home on the night of the murder.

Immediately, suspicions are raised and everyone is now a suspect.

Sadly, every person in the family had something to gain by Rachel Argyle's death.

The viewer is left guessing, who did it???

Was it Leo Argyle?

~Author and patriarch of the family,
who had been under his wife's disapproving thumb for years.

Was it Gwenda?

~Friend of Miss Marple and Leo's secretary,
who has secretly been in love with him all along.

Was it Bobby Argyle?

~Twin brother of Jacko, who acts a bit fishy.

Was it Philip or Mary Durrant?

~Both want the inheritance money.

Before her death, Rachel Argyle discovered Philip has things to hide.

Was it Mrs. Lindstrom?

~The bossy housekeeper and eyes/ears of the household.

Was it Mickey, Tina or Hester?

~Youngest children in the Argyle family who all show odd behavior
and are bitter about their adoptions.

Miss Marple immediately starts digging around, finding clues on her own to solve the mystery.

Why leave it up to Inspector Huish when he got it wrong the first time?

With the help of Dr. Arthur Calgary, Miss Marple is able to put the pieces of the
puzzle together and announces the true identity of the killer.

It may be unfair to compare two productions, but I was reminded of "Malice Aforethought"

which I also viewed for the first time recently. Malice and Ordeal are both murder mysteries
based on novels, and Philip shares some similarities with Bill Chatford, which I may focus on later.

However, unlike Malice, "Ordeal by Innocence" doesn't reveal the murder until the very end,

leaving the viewer constantly guessing who committed the crime.  There are all sorts of
twists and turns... and as soon as I thought I knew who the killer was, I'd change my mind
and begin suspecting someone else.  I have to say I enjoyed Ordeal much more than Malice.
I highly recommend watching this one, and not just to see the handsome Richard Armitage.

My favorite characters were the intelligent Miss Marple (Geraldine McEwan)
and the nerdy, sputtering Dr. Calgary (Julian Rhind-Tutt.)

 

They were both adorable.

Sorry, Philip.  You're just too much of a jerk to like...
despite your Gisborne smirk and disability that should urge sympathy.
If you had sideburns, I may reconsider.
I did like seeing you in a tux, so I'll give you points there.

(Richard should take that as a compliment
due to his fine portrayal of another baddie.)

By the way, Americans, Durrant is pronounced
Dur-"int" not "ant" like I'd always thought.

One last thing: I was shocked to find out our little Miss Marple
at one time was the scary witch lady on "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves!"
To avoid giving you nightmares and tainting your view of the sweet old lady,
I won't display a picture here.  What an awesome actress!

Thanks to Richard Armitage Net, Richard Armitage Online and Richard Armitage Central
for supplying wonderful screen caps, as well as other various online sources.