Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Director: Sidney Lumet
Stars: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman
Runtime: 128 minutes

Synopsis: In December 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.

Performances: 5/5
Screenplay: 5/5
Costumes/Makeup: 5/5
Editing: 3/5
Cinematography: 4/5
Score/Soundtrack: 4/5

Verdict: With films such as "12 Angry Men", "Dog Day Afternoon", or "Network", Sydney Lumet has earned his place in the prestigious small circle of directors that have shaped the Hollywood of today. "Murder on the Orient Express" may not be one his better crafted works, but that doesn't stop it from being, in my humble opinion, the best adaptation of any Agatha Christie book (an author I happen to be an immense fan of) and one of the best whodunits of all time.

The mystery takes place in a train halted by a terrible snow storm and in which one of the passengers is found stabbed to death. Unfortunately for the murderer, famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot happens to be on that same wagon and is selected to conduct the investigation. As a big fan of the character of Poirot, defined by both his genius and arrogance, I was very pleased with Finney's career-defining take of him (with his minimal French dialect being my only issue with it). The rest of the cast, consistent of a perfectly cast Anthony Perkins, as well as names such as Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Vanessa Regrave or Wendy Hiller, were also tremendous in their respective roles. However, what truly drove the movie for me was, as expected from an Agatha Christie adaptation, the investigation itself. Despite having read the book prior to watching the film (which I have seen about 4 times now), I always find myself invested in each and every scene with Poirot, and seeing him work out the clues as the movie progresses is an absolute delight. This is of course the result of outstanding performances combined with a brilliant script, but Sidney Lumet's vision for the project also played a huge role in the final result. I don't have many issues with what I consider to be one of the very best mystery dramas of all time, but one of my main criticisms of it would be the inclusion of unnecessary flashbacks of previously shown scenes.
"Murder on the Orient Express" is an absolute must for fans of the genre and I had a blast revisiting and reviewing it for #Suspectember, which I highly encourage you to follow if murder mysteries are your thing.

FINAL GRADE: 8/10