Evil Under the Sun 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Evil Under the Sun 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 24, 2025

Guy Hamilton's "Evil Under the Sun" (1982) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include archival interviews, archival programs, production stills, and more. In English, with optional English SDH, French, and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Mixing business with pleasure.

When a young woman is found dead in the British countryside, Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov, Death on the Nile, Lola Montes) is hired by an insurance company to solve the case. He is also asked to inspect a fake diamond, which a wealthy industrialist (Colin Blakely, Nijinsky, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes) wants to be insured for £50,000.

Soon after, the eccentric Belgian detective travels to the South of France where he meets the industrialist and discovers that some time ago he gave the original diamond to Arlena Marshall (Diana Rigg, Julius Caesar, Theatre of Blood), a sophisticated but rather capricious actress with whom he fell madly in love. They met in New York and decided that she would come back to Europe with him. Before they left, he bought her the diamond from Tiffany’s. However, halfway across the Atlantic, the actress changed her mind and ran off with another man - but kept the diamond. When they met again later, she returned the diamond, but when the industrialist tried to insure it, he discovered that it was fake. Having recently learned that the actress will be vacationing on a beautiful Mediterranean island, the industrialist asks Poirot to travel with him and prove that his former lover cheated him. Poirot agrees, but shortly after he arrives on the island, someone kills the beautiful actress.

Completed in 1982, Guy Hamilton’s Evil Under the Sun is unquestionably the least exotic of the three films in The Poirot Collection. A good portion of the film feels like a straightforward melodrama, rather than an exotic period thriller full of colorful characters hiding juicy secrets. However, this is hardly a bad thing because the distracting pomposity from Murder on the Orient Express is completely eliminated.

Ustinov’s relaxed performance gives the film its identity. Instead of consistently trying to impress with intelligent remarks, most of the time, Poirot looks like a curious outsider who has just as much trouble guessing the motives of the mysterious killer as the rest of the guests on the island. As the film progresses, it is easy to see that he is a lot more intelligent than everyone else, but he remains a human being capable of mistakes. As a result, it never feels like one is viewing an old-fashioned period play whose characters interact with each other simply because they have to.

The mystery is resolved quickly and convincingly. Poirot gathers all of the wealthy guests and, in a familiar fashion, reconstructs the murder of the beautiful singer. There are a few minor twists that add some flavor to the case, but they feel right for a film in which Agatha Christie’s famous character is expected to be a few steps ahead of everyone else.

Unsurprisingly, the supporting cast is quite big, but it is not difficult to remember the different names and the possible motives that make each character a suspect. Jane Birkin and Nicholas Clay are the handsome couple Christine and Patrick Redfern. Maggie Smith is the bubbly Daphne Castle, who owns the lavish hotel on the exotic island. Sylvia Miles and James Mason are the wealthy producers Myra and Odell Gardener. Denis Quilley is Arlena’s husband, Kenneth Marshall, while a young Emily Hone is his daughter, Linda. Finally, Roddy McDowall is the eccentric critic and writer Rex Brewster.

Evil Under the Sun was lensed by British cinematographer Christopher Challis (Stanley Donen’s Arabesque, Peter Yates' The Deep).

Evil Under the Sun 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

StudioCanal's new 4K Blu-ray release of Evil Under the Sun does not have a Blu-ray copy of the film. If you need one, you will have to consider this release.

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downsampled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray.

I have a couple of different Blu-ray releases of Evil Under the Sun in my library, and the best ones are this Region-B release, produced by StudioCanal, and this Region-A release, produced by Kino Lorber. Both are sourced from the same lovely organic master. StudioCanal's new 4K Blu-ray release introduces a new 4K 16-bit restoration, completed at Silver Salt Restoration in London.

On Blu-ray, Evil Under the Sun looked gorgeous, and I was quite curious to see how it would transition to 4K Blu-ray, because some of its cinematography is breathtaking. The 4K makeover provides the film with a striking, very healthy appearance, which I think will be considered demo material by some viewers. All of its visuals, from the bright daylight and darker indoor footage, boast tremendous delineation, clarity, and depth. Also, they are very sharp, not digitally sharpened, and maintain great density levels, so on a large screen, there is a significant uptick in quality from the previous 1080p presentation. The color temperature and balance of the 4K makeover are virtually identical to those of the previous presentation, but saturation levels are improved and various supporting nuances expanded. The HDR grade is quite good as well, enhancing the dynamic range of these already spectacular visuals quite well. I did several comparisons with the previous 1080p presentation, and in all areas, the brighter and darker, I thought that the native 4K presentation managed color reproduction significantly better. Image stability is excellent. The 4K makeover brings a small framing adjustment, too.

Evil Under the Sun 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this release: English: LPCM 2.0, French: LPCM 2.0, and French: LPCM 2.0. A descriptive audio track, presented as DTS 2.0, is included as well. Optional English SDH, French, and German subtitles are provided.

The lossless track on the previous Blu-ray release of Evil Under the Sun was already very healthy. I do not know if any new enhancements were done on the lossless English track included on this release because I did not hear anything different to report in our review. All exchanges were very clear, sharp, and stable. Dynamic contrasts are good, but it is usually the music that creates the most excitement. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies.

Evil Under the Sun 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Back to the Island - in this new program, actress Emily Hone recalls how she was cast to play Linda Marshall and her interactions with Guy Hamilton and various cast members. Hone also has some short but interesting comments about the period look of Evil Under the Sun and Majorca, Spain, where virtually all of the outdoor footage was shot. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (13 min).

• Excessive Creatures - this new video essay was created by critic David Cairns. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (18 min)

• Making of - this archival featurette contains raw footage from the shooting of Evil Under the Sun, as well as clips from archival interviews with Guy Hamilton and cast members. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (16 min).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by critics Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thomson. It initially appeared on Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release of Evil Under the Sun.

• Interviews - presented here are three video interviews in which the interviewees recall their contributions to Evil Under the Sun and discuss Guy Hamilton's vision for it as well as working methods. In English, with optional French and German subtiltes.
  
  1. Costume designer Anthony Powell (8 min).
  2. Screenwriter Barry Sandler (9 min).
  3. Producer Richard Goodwin (7 min).

• Stills Gallery One - a collection of original behind-the-scenes production stills. (2 min).

• Stills Gallery Two - a collection of original costume drawings/designs. (2 min).

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Evil Under the Sun. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (4 min).

• Premiere Footage - presented here is archival footage from the British premiere of Evil Under the Sun at the Odeon Leicester Square, attended by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. With music only. (6 min).

• Radio Spots - a few vintage radio spots for Evil Under the Sun. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (2 min).

Evil Under the Sun 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Guy Hamilton's Evil Under the Sun should appeal primarily to folks who have seen John Guillermin's Death on the Nile and enjoyed Peter Ustinov's Hercule Poirot. His return is even more convincing. Now, the case Poirot is hired to solve is a little less complicated, and this helps the characters he encounters appear more authentic, which I think is a good thing. This 4K Blu-ray release brings a new 4K makeover of Evil Under the Sun that is quite the visual stunner. It is also included in The Agatha Christie Collection, a lavish four-disc box set, which is out now. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.