The Pale Horse

Unfolds at a steady, confident pace, with the director, Leonora Lonsdale, as surefooted as her writer, parcelling out twists and treats and fine performances as it goes.

Despite Sewell and Kaya Scodelario — who plays the in-over-her-perfectly-coiffed-head wife 2.0 — selling every spooky undercurrent, all these questions resolve with an ending that’s too purposefully oblique.

The series shares with its protagonist a tendency to spend too much time and energy on maintaining the look of normalcy, leaving large portions of its first installment feeling just a tad too restrained. There are early signs of life. ... But it’s not until the back half, when Sewell lets the mask start to slip, that The Pale Horse stops futzing around with classiness and finds its sense of nasty, brutish fun.

The Pale Horse looks great, and has fine performances. But Sewell’s slimy protagonist is the lynchpin that makes this one of Amazon’s better Christie adaptations.

There's more Rod Serling than Agatha Christie in the latest loose Christie adaptation. [16-29 Mar 2020, p.11]

A Pale Horse is as polished as the other pieces, showing a folksy horror beneath elegant surfaces, but the energy no longer feels fresh.