Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Starring: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Rachel Roberts, Richard Widmark, Michael York
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Mystery
1974

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) investigates a murder on the Orient Express but finds the case troubling and a challenge, even to his brilliant mind.

Review:

Tim: Sidney Lumet directs a very engaging adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous novel. The movie is an engaging mystery, keeping the audience guessing. I typically enjoy detective movies and this one is no exception. It features a large and talented cast and was really an effective movie. I might not have completely loved the film, but it's really, really strong.

You have to start talking about a film like this by highlighting the cast. Albert Finney was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Hercule Poirot. That was an interesting development. Finney is good as Poirot- he's eccentric and different you certainly see Finney flex his acting muscles. However, there was something about his performance that was a little off-putting. I never loved his Poirot. He was fine, he was funny, but it felt like a solid connection was missing. I wanted him to solve the mystery, but that was because the mystery was interesting- it had nothing to do with caring about his character. It felt like Finney was so determined to make his character odd and memorable that he wasn't able to make him feel like a real person. His performance tends to feel a bit over-the-top. That's why I was surprised he was nominated.

Continuing that theme, I was pretty surprised that Ingrid Bergman won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Make no mistake, she is really good. There are a few scenes where you do marvel at her performance. Those are undoubtedly the moments that won her an Oscar. I was surprised because her performance is just one of a very large, talented cast. I'm not sure she shined significantly brighter than some of the other members of the cast. She doesn't have a ton of screen time, so her ability to impact the film was minimal. Now, I'm a big fan of Bergman, so I'm pleased she won, I just struggled a bit to see what about this performance was so noteworthy. The rest of the cast give solid performances as well. It feels like an embarrassment of riches- Lauren Bacall, Jacqueline Bisset, Vanessa Redgrave, and Wendy Hiller (I really like her) all give such great performances. It's amazing to see these four momen on screen in the same film. The women felt slightly stronger than the men. I loved seeing Sean Connery here, but he really doesn't have a whole lot to do. He gets a few decent moments, but felt underutilized. Anthony Perkins had some solid moments, but he had some moments that felt forced, too. It was a bit of an uneven performance. Richard Widmark was solid, too. Really, the cast as a whole was quite impressive.

The movie itself is quite entertaining. Lumet is a talented director and that is apparent here. He keeps the film moving at a nicely brisk pace. The film could have been too long at 2 hours, 8 minutes, but I never once felt like the film was dragging. There's a lot here and Lumet covers it quickly without giving the sensation that the story was rushed. That was a great aspect of the film.

Murder on the Orient Express is an effective, twisting, surprising film. It was fun and featured so many great actors and actresses. It's absolutely a movie worth checking out. .

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



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