Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar

Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar follows the mystery writer Agatha Christie as she travels to an archaeological excavation in the deserts of Iraq in the late 1920s. Recovering from a divorce and unsettled by her sudden fame, she joins the dig and finds herself drawn into the lives and romances of the people around her. Before long, a killing takes place, and Christie becomes involved in investigating a series of murders rather than simply observing the excavation.

The film is a British crime drama directed by Sam Yates, from a screenplay by Tom Dalton, who also produced alongside Carol Harding. It was Yates's first feature as director, ahead of the theatre recordings National Theatre Live: Vanya and National Theatre Live: Golden Boy and the film Magpie. Lyndsey Marshal plays Christie, with Jonah Hauer-King as the archaeologist Max Mallowan, alongside Bronagh Waugh, Rory Fleck-Byrne, Jack Deam and Katherine Kingsley.

Released in December 2019, the film runs 95 minutes. On TMDB it holds a rating of 5.7 out of 10 from 88 votes, indicating a modest level of attention and a mixed response from those who have seen it.