SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

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.

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.

jgorton Why Didn't They Ask Evans? is a scene for scene adaptation of the very good Agatha Christie novel of the same name which runs to 3 hours. It is not paced in the way that most modern movies or television adaptations would be for that reason. Accordingly, it is best watched in one or two sittings. When given half a chance it is great fun.I've seen this film twice and it improved on the second viewing. The period character of the film, vaguely early '30's, is very good, and the film is chock full of veteran British character actors who give wonderful performances, among the most fun is Sir John Gielgud who plays Bobby, the male lead's father. Even more fun is a completely over the top cameo by Joan Hickson as a Mrs. Rivington. Hickson is of course the epitomal Miss Marple in the '80's and '90's television adaptations, but here she plays a hilarious and empty-headed society hostess to stunningly comic efect.All in all, a very engaging and faithful dramatization.