User reviews

The Charles Laughton/Tyrone Powers/Marlene Dietrich/Billy Wilder 1957 film of "Witness for the Prosecution" has been one of my favorite films since I was in high school. So, watching this Toby Jones version--that follows Agatha Christie's original short story--comes as quite a surprise. Mostly the same characters, but with a decidedly different take on the story of love & guilt. The two "Witness" films are like watching the Kurosawa film "Rashomon"--the guilt lands on different characters.

That said, and because I'm a student of film, I liked the Toby Jones version, too; and don't feel like it's inferior to the Billy Wilder film. The photography and set designs are all shadows, fog and smoke; just the right mood for a story that is does not reveal itself and fools the eyes. The acting is all excellent, which is in keeping with all British productions. And, the pacing of the narrative is accomplished with no tech or CGI--which is refreshing in this age of SuperHero films.

Bottom line: if approached without bias, this film of Agatha Christie's "first draft" of Witness for the Prosecution is rewarding on it's on merits.

This is one of those productions that combine really interesting characters within a story that has enough twists and turns to hold your interest, despite its rather tenuous link to real life events. What really drives this show along are the period details, the 'mood' and feel of the thing, and the solid acting by almost everyone involved. I felt 'Leonard' was the least effective character and the actor wasn't that convincing either. But Toby Jones and Ms Riseborough were too-notch in their performances. The pace was slow, filled with tension and showed how the various stratas of society dealt with the aftermath of a devastating war. The psychological damage was the most obvious, resulting in murder and an almost carefree attitude about the whole process and planning of it. This is a short story that is probably one of Ms. Christie's most damning condemnations of war and although adapted by Sarah Phelps, has definitely stayed true to the original intent. It's not light entertainment but worth watching, despite the fact that the lighting was just a bit too obvious in trying to create a certain 'atmosphere'.

This version of Agatha Christie's WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION shakes off what can often be goofy about Christie's stories and treats the characters as fully-formed individuals in an historic setting. It's an impressive effort with a shocking cast who inhabit their characters.

This is awards season in the U.S. and studios trot out their best efforts in a last minute bid to garner accolades. Were this a feature film, it would surpass many mega-budget films.

Director Julian Jarrold -- THE CROWN (2016), BECOMING JANE (2007) and KINKY BOOTS (2005) -- utilizes the strong talent assembled and tells an intriguing story of characters and conflict.

Billy Howle as the accused is convincing, constantly eye-catching, fully immersed and impressive. I've seen him in several other projects, including the miniseries GLUE, and he bares great vulnerability on screen, and it's believable.

Toby Jones is reliable at being superior and nuanced, he is a huge asset to this series.

Andrea Riseborough is enigmatic and surprising. I am accustomed to seeing her in contemporary dramas, and she delivers this character like placid waters with a shark circling beneath, ready to emerge and strike.

This version is so satisfying and memorable, I'm almost dreading the big screen, and likely big budget, version coming from Ben Affleck in 2018. His Oscar-bait 2016 film LIVE BY NIGHT shows a love for period pulp, but an inability to stitch it together. This version of WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION should be the standard against which his is judged.

Can definitely see the polarising opinions, the virtues being brought up are understandable and every bit as understandable are the complaints.

Of the adaptations of 'Witness for the Prosecution' it is this 2016 adaptation that fares the weakest, despite being closer to the short story than the play it is not a patch on the brilliant 1957 Billy Wilder film. Also preferred the 1982 version. It is not awful, and there are worse Agatha Christie adaptations around, a most notable recent example being 'Partners in Crime' with a woefully miscast David Walliams. But after being so impressed by 2015's 'And Then There Were None', I was honestly expecting much more.

There are strong things here. Apart from going overboard on the grimness sometimes, particularly in the first half, 'Witness for the Prosecution' is very pleasing to look at, being beautifully shot and with costume and set design that are both handsome and evocative. The music is unobtrusive but still has a presence.

Parts of the storytelling are very compelling, the whodunit and legal stuff is mostly quite riveting, while the conflict of WWI is powerfully evoked and the relationship between Mayhew and his wife having moments of tender pathos. There are some great twists, especially the very clever (though the one of the 1957 film had more edge) final reveal.

'Witness for the Prosecution' benefits from a great cast as well. A brilliant performance from Toby Jones is particularly note-worthy, and more than up to his level are Andrea Riseborough, who captivates in bringing an enigmatic quality to a character that you are not sure whether to trust or not. Billy Howle's performance is enough to make one convinced of his innocence. David Haig and Tim McMullan excel as morally devious barristers, as does a venomous Monica Dolan and a touchingly subtle Hayley Carmichael. Kim Catrall is luxury casting, and is a dream.

It is a real shame however that 'Witness for the Prosecution' is let down significantly by pacing issues, especially for a lot of the first half, which takes too long to set up with scenes that feel over-stretched and go on longer than needed, and the seemingly endless and melodramatic stuff after the final reveal, like there was an indecisiveness as to how to end it. The second half is more gripping and better paced, but again the pace does drag and scenes and subplots feel like padded filler.

Really it would have been better to do 'Witness for the Prosecution' as a one off lasting an hour or something, because the story just doesn't feel long enough to sustain two hour long episodes. So it felt like there was too much padding and stretching in an attempt to sustain it. There is stuff included to give the story a darker tone, but it did feel too often too gratuitously grim and anachronistic, and over-darkened and overshadowed a story that didn't need it.

A few scenes between Mayhew and his wife, despite some tender pathos in others and great chemistry between Jones and Carmichael, felt soapy and overwritten, and personally am another person who found the sex scene unnecessary and in poor taste.

Concluding this review, not an awful adaptation and production, not as bad as said by some, but could have been much better and comes off as uneven. 6/10 Bethany Cox

My anticipation for Witness for the Prosecution has been enormous since reading about its announcement. As a huge Agatha Christie fan I was gutted to see the end of Poirot and to some extent Marple. The BBC dazzled us this time last year with their stunning adaptation of And then there were none, and if we're using that as a benchmark then the bar is set very high.

Witness for the Prosecution was one would expect has beautiful production values, it looks suitably gloomy, yet meticulously detailed from the sets to the fashions.

So very different from the excellent adaptation featuring Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power, it felt very dark, atmospheric and full of genuine intrigue, had you not read the book, you'd be constantly asking yourself is he guilty or innocent.

Wonderfully acted, huge plaudits for Billy Howle, Toby Jones and Andrea Riseborough, all showing just how good they are. Lovely to see the glamorous Kim Cattrall back in a British production, a historical piece in particular. As a huge fan of Monica Dolan, I must admit it was her I enjoyed enormously, such a venomous performance as Janet McIntyre.

Based on a short story, it's one of Agatha Christie's less well known works, but I felt this adaptation has brought the story very much to life once again.

BBC you've sorted a Christmas mystery for us once again. Please continue this trend. 9/10

Tightly written and beautifully directed, a complex mystery, with enjoyable twists throughout. Artfully expanding on the original short story, but don't read it ahead of time! Ignore the negative comments and enjoy a very classy movie-length period mystery. Wonderful, distinctive and nuanced performances by the cast as well, especially Toby Jones and Andrea Riseborough, with Julian Jarrold's meticulous direction.

The work of Agatha Christie is amazingly addictive! Regardless of how many times you read the original novel/short story, or how many different screen adaptations you already watched, you will always still look forward to the next big film or TV version! That's the case for me, at least, I'm sorry if I tend to generalize! But, seriously, the woman was brilliant, and the good people at the BBC seem to share this opinion, since they produced a few nicely sophisticated, well-budgeted and glamourous mini-series of Mrs. Christie's most famous and legendary stories lately. I, for one, am truly grateful they did, because I can only applaud that the work of my favorite writer of all times continues to reach wider and younger generations of audiences! "Witness for the Prosecution" was originally a short story and a stage play, and it hasn't been turned into film versions as often as, say, "Murder on the Orient Express" or "And then there were None". Of course, there's the phenomenal Billy Wilder classic from 1957. More than sixty years old, but that film still stands as one of the greatest and most influential courtroom dramas/thrillers in history, with intimidatingly bombastic courthouse settings and fascinatingly eccentric lead characters. A very praiseworthy innovation in this BBC version is the complete altering of the personas of the pivot characters, and it works perfectly. Mayhew, as depicted by the great Charles Laughton in 1957, was a self-confident and charismatic barrister, whereas Tobey Jones puts him down as timid, humble, sickly and highly insecure counsellor. Romaine Heilger, once portrayed by Marlene Dietrich as a cold and heartless shrew, is here a sensitive and introvert young lady. But, as to be expected in the universe of Agatha Christie, perhaps nothing and nobody is what they seem.

Kim Catrall has a splendid supportive role as Emily French; a lewd and eccentric heiress who likes to toy around with men that are much younger than her. She falls for the handsome Leonard Vole, and even changes her entire will in favor of him. When Emily is found brutally murdered at her home, the jealous and possessive maid Janet is quick to accuse Vole, and admittedly all the evidence does point in his direction. Barrister John Mayhew, struggling with his health as well as with his own guilt, believes in Vole's innocence and centers his defense around the testimony of his wife Romaine who can confirm Leonard was at home at the time of the murder. But then the loving wife suddenly and unexpectedly turns against Leonard. "The Witness for the Prosecution" wondrously recreates the 1920s and the depressing post-WWI era. BBC writer Sarah Phelps turned the short story into a totally different version than the 1957 classic, but it's an equally hypnotizing thriller with great performances, decors and photography.

I suppose it's a question of taste, and some people may find the BBC adaptations more realistic than the ITV Poirot & Marple adaptations, but I'm afraid both this and last year's "And Then There Were None" just leave me thoroughly depressed.

While both have been well-acted and well-directed, there seems to be an insistence on making things as bleak, miserable and depressing as follows, from the coughing-fit sex scene to the muted colours with no really likable characters at all.

Perhaps it is wrong to expect stories of murder to be fun. And maybe shows like "Midsomer Murders" cater for the likes of me.

I just find it irritating that in order to gain critical respectability, the BBC feels a need to pour a thick layer of dismal over their Christie adaptations. As excellent an actor as Toby Jones is, I found myself longing for Charles Laughton's bombast and energy.

And yes, I must admit, I miss the flashy, cartoony ITV Marple series. What a shame the BBC now has the rights to those stories too.

Good movie, even better than another old one of the same name. Of course, any Agatha Christie film will make the viewer walk side by side with the investigator for some crime that will occur. And this little jewel is no different. Arches of the well-built characters, villains shifting positions with good guys, beautiful environments and frames. Anyway, all the instruments needed for good fun. Enjoy!!

This is a surprisingly strong and dark interpretation of Agatha Christie. In fact even TV versions of her novels I love - like David Suchet's Poirot - rarely come close to how cynical the real Agatha Christie as an author actually was about humanity. Some of her books are downright bone chilling for the nastiness of the characters considering how long ago they were written and ironically fans like me still cheer on the slightly toned down and charming, cozy PBS or A&E versions of Ms. Marple and Hercule Poirot.

The Witness for the Prosecution is a solid reminder of how the lurid Italian giallo sub-genre is ultimately a product of the original Agatha Christie novels from the early to mid 20th century. In Italy in the olden days mystery novels had yellow covers (giallo). Christie is not the only influence on the 1960s and 70s art house flicks but she's named more frequently as a giallo influence than Raymond Chandler etc.

I was actually a bit taken aback at ho dark this ended up being at the twist, but I have nothing but praise for this attempt.

After last year's success of the adaptation "And then there were none" the BBC have returned to another equally bleak story with menacing overtones from Agatha Christie. The Witness for the Prosecution is 120 minutes long rather than 180 minutes like last year though. Gone now are the days of an old fashioned jolly good fun whodunit.

The premise begins with a rich widow who enjoys seducing younger men finds herself rather nastily knocked off, just like a game of Cluedo it looks like it was the candlestick in the lounge. The prime suspect in the case is her latest lover, perhaps he snapped after being treated like a pet or did he become enraged after she allegedly tried to end the relationship? To make things worse a witness claims she can place him leaving the murder scene moments before the body is discovered. Things ought to be okay for him though, after all he does have an alibi....

Other suspects in the story include a resentful maid and possibly even the young man's jealous "wife" who maybe killed her and then allowed her cheating partner to take the blame. Or did the two of them plan the murder together in order to get her money and now the wife has double crossed him? Or will we find out the dead lady had a string of jealous ex lovers, any of whom might have come back for vengeance? Personally I think it was the cat.

Our protagonist (a solicitor) is played by Toby Jones (That chap who's in everything, including a recent adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express.) We don't meet him until were about 30 minutes into the story, he's the one character we have who comes off as unquestionably genuine and caring, his home life is rather tragic and to say the least he has some health problems also.

The cinematography is worth mentioning too. Nearly everything is filmed with a horrible greeny/yellow tint, perhaps designed to emphasize the sickness and despair for many of those who'd experienced the Great War. Levels of detail in the picture are also very soft and often hazy, again deliberately I'm sure, as if a fog of confusion has descended over a world where things were once so clear cut and well defined. Personally I did find it a bit distracting at times. The smog finally lifts near the end as things become clearer and the truth is revealed.

Don't go into this hoping for a simple Miss Marple structured story with 6 or 7 suspects, all equally shifty and up to no good and lots of clues lying about for our charming investigator to stumble upon. The Witness for the Prosecution is more an intense study of the horrors of war and it's effects on the living. At it's bottom the story is about evil, deception, tragedy, guilt and the futility of life. Perhaps with 2016 being such a year of unpleasant shocks, divisions, upheaval and unrest the BBC decided to release an adaptation which would match the public mood...

This incredible version of the famous Witness for the Prosecution is completely mesmerizing. Atmospheric, spellbinding, surprisingly well done and eclipses the classic Billy Wilder film. Based on the A Christie short story not the play.

The 1920's, post WWI brought to life with beautiful cinematography, great acting and seamless direction.

Those panning this film must have been asleep at the wheel. For me, I was immediately caught up in the story, as If i'd never seen the Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton version. It was a big surprise and I've never appreciated A Christie as much. She was like a Alfred Hitchcock alter ego. The production value of this film was light years above the usual humdrum, A Chritie parlor mysteries.

The film was offered as part of a free one week trial of "Acorn TV" on Amazon. Glad I stumbled onto it because I really needed to see something unexpectedly good tonight. Flipping through new films on Amazon or Netflix looked grim, but then this free trial popped up on Amazon..

Rather than saying anything more specific about the performances which are stunning, that might lead to expectations let me just recommend seeing this devoid of expectations.

I enjoyed this version of the movie, The Witness for the Prosecution, even though there were a few flaws. However, the acting was superb and the storyline did have some suspense. I was shocked when certain characters were not who they had pretended to be. A Jolly Good Time.

If you love a good "whodunnit " crime drama then you'll enjoy this. It's well casted and brilliantly acted. Don't read too many reviews or plot spoilers, just watch it. You won't be disappointed. Pass the popcorn please!

It was a mistake to advertise this version as a return to Agatha Christie's original short story. The script does jettison at least one memorable addition that was not in the original, but it also adds a great deal of extra material. Some of the material harmonizes very well with the story, and it has to do with a look, from here in the future, back at things that, during the period in which Christie was writing, were taken for granted. The indelible trauma of the First World War, the yawning gap between the haves and have-nots. The actors help sell the point that these are not just reminders of history but also reminders of human nature. The fleshing-out draws the viewer into the story more deeply than many playful or even mechanical Christie-inspired movies have done, but ultimately it wanders into territory that Christie herself, I suspect, wouldn't have entered and perhaps wouldn't even have endorsed.

Witness for the Prosecution may be one of Agatha Christie's lesser known short stories, but Sarah Phelps admirably puts meat on the bone with this dark, meticulous production. How often, motivation, circumstance, plausibility and realism are sacrificed for dubious reasons of dramatic licence; not here! Each character, has their objectives, urges, needs and reasons. Yes, a coincidental meeting near the end does stretch credibility, but I'll allow for that.

I've never seen a pigeon not pecking away at something, Mayhew, appearing with an almost perpetual bead of sweat, played adroitly by Toby Jones, pecked away at justice, seeking to prove his client innocent, with admirable fortitude but, like some pigeons, not as much perception as was needed.

Andrea Riseborough rose to the challenge of being enigmatically evil with great aplomb, her sweet singing of 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart', so hypnotic, I almost felt her calling ME sweetheart (which I wouldn't have minded) as she slowly intoned the last stanza from her perch on the moon....'I'm in love with......you'. Me, of course!

There was dark foreboding, quite a queasy scene of a cat walking in it's dead mistresses blood - not that Kim Catrall would really have minded, perhaps she's looking to make a sequel to Sex in the City - Paws in the Blood.

Julian Jarrold directed with excellent tempo until the very end, which was a wee bit melodramatic, though I loved the moon appearing in the sky at the denouement, as it had every right to and should have received a credit for.

It's usually possible to predict who, why and what fairly easily - the twists and turns of this masterpiece kept us guessing to the end, although most of us had our suspicions. And I was always sure the cat was an innocent victim, not the culprit.

The disappearance of Play for Today and the Wednesday Play deprived us of brilliant offerings from the likes of Ken Loach and Peter Terson, more recent authors and directors hardly have an outlet for their talent. We need more contemporary drama, but this period piece, had interesting, highly contemporary themes of greed, sexual jealousy and loyalty - of sorts - from Emily French's maid.

Andrea, you don't have to call me sweetheart. I received quite sufficient pleasure seeing you and the ensemble performing to the peak of your ability. Offer the moon, you might, but as your character, Romaine, I might just want to have my solicitor with me when we meet...

In the 2016 BBC adaptation of The Witness for the Prosecution, John Mayhew's persistent cough, attributed to wartime gas exposure, felt like an unnecessary addition. Rather than enhancing the story, it became a distraction, pulling focus away from the central mystery. This departure from Agatha Christie's original work shifted the adaptation's tone, making it feel more like Mayhew's personal tragedy than a tightly woven courtroom drama.

The original story is a masterclass in suspense, built on sharp dialogue, careful pacing, and the ever-present question of Leonard Vole's guilt or innocence. However, in this adaptation, much of that tension is diluted by the emphasis on Mayhew's deteriorating health. While Toby Jones delivers a compelling performance, his character's struggles take up so much space that they overshadow the legal intrigue. The adaptation seems intent on adding emotional weight where none was needed, veering away from the crisp efficiency of Christie's storytelling.

While some might argue that Mayhew's illness adds depth to his motivations, I found it distracting and unnecessary. The best Christie adaptations respect the elegance of her plotting rather than embellishing with subplots that shift the focus. Unfortunately, this version of The Witness for the Prosecution strays too far, losing the razor-sharp tension that makes the original so compelling.