Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express [1974] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

As usual Hercule is in earshot of many private conversations that will be used later to his sleuthing advantage once processed by his little gray cells. On the train Hercule (Albert Finney) is approached by an American business man who tries to heir him for protection. Hercule turns him down and the next morning the business man is dead.

This movie has everything that makes Agatha Christie movies great. Everyone is a suspect. Everybody could have done it. Only Hercule Poirot can figure this out. Naturally Hercule Poirot must sort through the red herrings to extract the truth. This time he comes up with two different answers. You need to add this one to your collection.


"There are too many clues in this room..."   September 16, 2002
Jennifer Litchfield (Auckland, New Zealand)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful

Murder on the Orient Express would appear to have all the necessary ingredients for a classic film. It is arguably Agatha Christie's most ingenious and atmospheric novel, and her cosmopolitan dramatis personae aboard the famous train are vividly brought to life by the largely outstanding star-studded cast. Yet it somehow seems to fall strangely flat.
Having said that, the induction of the viewer into the mise-en-scene is superb. In an eerie silent sequence, drained of all colour and interspersed with newspaper headlines, we are acquainted with the kidnapping and slaying of little Daisy Armstrong. So when the perpetrator of the kidnapping is himself murdered, even the famous detective Hercule Poirot is inclined to consider it natural justice. But still, murder has been committed and somewhere amongst the strangers - whose destiny is controlled by the train - a killer is at work. But who is it? For they all have alibis, and yet, incredibly all have a motive.
Aside from some initial scenes in Istanbul, the action is confined to the train, making this a psychologically interesting and character-driven story. Hence, it is a pity that many of the parts have been reduced to little more than cameo roles. In addition, Albert Finney (whilst visually very much Christie's Poirot) plays the Belgian sleuth with unfortunate crudity.
The multi-cultural hustle and bustle of Istanbul Station is portrayed with vibrancy, but so much of the movie is spent in setting the scene and in the lengthy denouement, that important plot components are rather rushed and lacking in impact. Indeed, Poirot seems to deduce the killer's identity almost immediately, and with only a modicum of detection. However, in the end the excellent storyline carries the film to its unexpected and triumphant conclusion.


The Class of a by-gone age.   November 22, 2000
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

One of the best adaptations of an Agatha Christie novel. An excellent cast has been brought together to produce a first class production. The script is well written & very tight, keeping to the matter in hand. The costume & set design are excellent with a lot of time, money & thought going in them. The directors use of space & light gives the impression of the lack of room in the carriages. The pace of the film is very fast as Albert Finney works his way through the passengers to get to his conclusion. The yard stick that all later productions, would work from.