The BBC's adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1925 short story Witness for the Prosecution holds a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with fans calling the miniseries 'mesmerising'. The show, starring Toby Jones and Kim Cattrall, follows the hunt for the killer of a glamorous heiress found dead.
A Critically Acclaimed Adaptation
Adapted by Sarah Phelps and directed by Julian Jarrold, the series sets itself apart from other adaptations by not shying away from the sad ending. One reviewer on IMDb wrote: "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 reviewer added: "The 1920's, post WWI brought to life with beautiful cinematography, great acting and seamless direction." Another fan commented: "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."
High Praise for Performances
The same reviewer noted: "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." They added: "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."
Another wrote: "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."
Streaming Now
The same viewer praised the production: "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." They continued: "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."
They concluded: "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." Witness for the Prosecution is streaming now on BBC iPlayer.
