Review of Murder on the Orient Express (1974) by Peter P — 16 Nov 2010

Probably the best filmed treatment of any of great Mystery-writer Agatha Christie's classic stories, with a scenery devouring & virtually-unrecognizable Albert Finney as odd-ball-genius Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot investigating the murder of Ratchett, a ruthless and much-hated ex-gangster on the famous Orient Express circa the early 1930's.

Featuring a film-lover's dream-cast of international all-star suspects/passengers: among the more interesting ones, Richard Widmark as the suitably-nasty Ratchett, Sean Connery as an uppity British Colonel, Lauren Bacall as a loud-mouthed American actress, Anthony Perkins as Ratchett's jittery secretary, Ingrid Bergman as a sheepish Swedish missionary, Michael York & the gorgeous Jacqueline Bisset as a regal Hungarian Count & Countess, Wendy Hiller( In a scene-stealing part-) as the ancient, pasty-faced Gorgon-like Russian Princess Dragomiroff, Rachael Roberts as the Princess's Uber-German maid, Denis Quilley as avuncular Italian car salesman Foscarelli, & John Gielgud as Ratchett's stuffy English butler.

With superb production values, rich cinematography, & opulent costuming, & some fine acting by the majority of the cast (Although Bisset & Vanessa Redgrave are given very little to do in minor parts, & Connery & Bergman are hammily-unsubtle in their respective roles.

) Plot, character, & dialogue-driven, at times drawn-out & very talky, DEFINITELY not for the action freak, the easily-bored, or those with short attention spans.