The Pale Horse (2010) Movie review

      The Pale Horse (2010. D: Andy Hay. Julia MacKenzie, Jonathan Cake, Neil Pearson.] Father Gorman mails a letter to Miss Marple just before his murderer attacks him. The letter contains a list of names. Investigation by the police, Mark Easterbrook, and Miss Marple reveals they’ve all died recently, apparently of natural causes. Miss Marple discovers a devious scheme to murder people for profit. The Pale Horse is an inn where witchy rituals take place; these supposedly cause the deaths. But in fact thallium is the poison the murderer uses.
       Julia Mackenzie is not as good a Miss Marple as Joan Hickson. But she’s better than Geraldine McEwan, who I think was miscast as Miss Marple. It’s quite clear from Christie’s texts that Miss Marple has no illusions, that she’s capable of acting flustered and fluffy-minded when it suits her, that she has clear and strict moral code, that she’s very observant, that she understand not only human nature but a good deal of what used to be called general knowledge, especially of poisons.  Mackenzie does these traits are very well here. But people who know Hickson’s version will feel that something is missing. Hickson gives the impression that Miss Marple knows the dark side better than most; and she shows us the inner core of a steely determination to dispense justice.
        The dramatisation, filming, supporting cast, narrative pace and so on are all good. A good hour and a half’s entertainment. **½