Crooked House

In Agatha Christie's most twisted tale, "Crooked House," the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of a wealthy patriarch is investigated by spy-turned-private-detective Charles Hayward (Irons), who is lured by his former lover to catch her grandfather's murderer before Scotland Yard exposes dark family secrets. On the sprawling estate, amidst a poisonous atmosphere of bitterness, resentment and jealousy in a truly crooked house, Hayward encounters three generations of the dynasty, including a theatre actress (Anderson), the old man's widow 50 years his junior (Hendricks), and the family matriarch Lady Edith de Haviland (Close). Based on the book by Agatha Christie. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurettes "Agatha Christie: A Timeless Fascination" (HD 03:28), "Whodunnit?—The Characters (HD 05:19), and "Elegance & Innovation: The Design Of Crooked House" (HD04:31); and upfront previews.

The 2.38:1 1080p AVC picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, upconverted to 2160p with greater resolution and luminance, was photographed digitally and sourced from a 2K master Digital Intermediate format. The picture is effectively stylized with a wonderful fully saturated color palette with rich and warm hues that projects solid contrasty imagery. The digital capture exhibits a sharply pleasing viewing experience. Colors are often bright such as hair, makeup, and wardrobes contrasted against warm wood and darkly trimmed interiors. Fine detail is evident throughout in facial features, skin pores, hair ,and wardrobe clothing. Object textures are also nicely defined such as environmental attributes exhibited in saturated grasses and bushes, woods, and interior decorations. The picture consistently delivers a pleasing raw complexity of imagery. Contrast is excellent with deep black levels and revealing shadow delineation, as well as excellent highlights. This is a terrific colorful presentation that is visually engaging throughout. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is well crafted, with moments of intense dynamic impact enhanced with deep .1 LFE bass, such as rain, street scenes, shotgun blasts, and a thunder storm. The orchestral score occupies a wide and deep soundstage that extends aggressively to the surrounds. A swing music dance is nicely energized, and an orchestral record recording delivers a spacial sense of envelopment. Of course, dialogue is the focus and it is consistently intelligible and generally well integrated spatially. This is an effective soundtrack that perfectly complements the storytelling. (Gary Reber)