Rating: ****
Review Date: 11/25/17
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman,
Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Jacqueline Bisset, Michael York,
Jean Pierre Cassel, Richard Widmark
An all-star cast boards the luxurious Orient Express, which becomes the stage for a grisly murder. By some outrageous stroke of luck, master detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) happens to board the train as a last minute passenger, and gets thrust into trying to solve the puzzling crime. Everyone aboard the train is a suspect, and Poirot shrewdly deduces that everyone has some sort of connection with the victim.
Albert Finney gives a fantastic performance as the stuffy and eccentric Poirot and is completely unrecognizeable. Lauren Bacall is a hoot as the brassy and loud-mouthed Mrs. Hubbard, and Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar for her timid and heartfelt performance as an African missionary. Jean Pierre Cassel is excellent as the train's conductor and Jacqueline Bisset is stunningly beautiful as Countess Andrenyi. Sean Connery, Michael York, and a twitchy Anthony Perkins fall a bit short as mere caricatures, but they're still fun to watch. The cinematography is wonderful, and the shot of the ferry leaving Instanbul at sunset is breathtaking. The train itself and all of its passengers are exceedingly glamorous, and matched by an equally glamorous music score. A highly entertaining and first-rate production all around.