Murder on the Orient Express [VHS]

In this timeless classic, our Belgian detective (in his usual timely manner) finds himself on the Orient Express just as a murder takes place. A snow drift forces the train to stop, giving Poirot time to interview each of the passengers and investigate what turns out to be a most intricate case. As the detective unravels the clues left by the unknown assassin; the statements of the suspects; the murder's connection with the notorious Armstrong case from years earlier, we get the distinct impression that things are not as simple as they seem... and now we have ourselves a show.

I find Albert Finney's Poirot is not as purely cultivated as that of David Suchet, who has had years to perfect his role as the Belgian detective... but frankly, this is a matter of taste. Finney is not at all bad, even if I don't personally fancy his particular interpretation. The accent is a bit poor, but his body language, even his loudness does not bother me; it is a different way of doing it, but not at all out of place.

The rest of the cast, however, deserve a paragraph of their own. It is a list of juggernauts - Lauren Bacall is sharp, cold and talkative; Jacqueline Bisset shy and beautiful; Michael York the perfect gentleman; Sean Connery his usual authoritative and cultivated self; Vanessa Redgrave a golden bird lighting up the room whenever she enters; Ingrid Bergman a visual talent très magnifique. The list goes on, and that Bergman was the only one to take home an Oscar after this is a mystery to me - it could just as easily have been a nomination for Connery, Bacall and especially the director: Sidney Lumet. Frankly, the director did an excellent job keeping all this talent in check; you would want to unleash them all, giving each of them more time on the screen just as a matter of course... but that might have been a case of getting too much of a good thing - taking the limelight away from the mystery and its main protagonist: Hercule Poirot.

This item offers good value for money. It is a single DVD in a normal box, no extra wrappings, booklets or discs. You don't want that in a thing such as this. This film is a classic, and you don't really want hour upon hour of interviews with people you have hardly heard of, telling you about the intricacies of classic film-making and how the cast members insisted upon getting fresh pineapples in their trailers every morning... face it: all you want is the film itself on DVD - no sugar added. This item gives you that pleasure for less than a fiver - a good deal, my little grey cells think.

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 is approached by an American business man who tries to heir him for protection. Hercule turns him down and the next morning he is dead.

This movie has every that make 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.

The movie was made as a period piece. There are great scenes of the express, landscapes, food and other items. The costumes are also very plush. Even though the movie is star studded the actors to not out shine the characters they play.

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.