Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None

In the late 1930s, eight strangers, including a young secretary (Maeve Dermody), a British general (Sam Neill), and a judge (Charles Dance), arrive at Soldier Island for a house party given by "Mr. U.N. Owen," who is surprisingly absent. Soon after, one of the guests dies, but that is just the beginning. The latest cinematic version of Christie's classic mystery, which was commissioned to mark the 125th anniversary of the author's birth, does make some minor changes to the original novel's plot—the addition of a smidgen more sex and violence, for instance—but overall remains quite true to the spirit of Christie's 1939 masterpiece by emphasizing the darker tone of the book as well as the author's steadfast belief in seeing that justice is served. There have been a number of movie and television adaptations of this book, but none can match this brilliant new version, with its superb production values, excellent performances, and chilling sense of dread.