Rating: 
Summary: I enjoyed the suspense of this movie
Review: I did not read the book but hear the movie was much better. Any comments from anyone who read the book and saw the movie. How different was the book?
Rating: 
Summary: High expectations
Review: I had intentionally not read this book because I wanted to be able to watch the movie without spoiling it and to avoid the inevitable disappointment with the way a movie mangles a book. I was excited to finally be able to watch this. I very much wanted to be pleased and overwhelmed by this movie because I was led to believe it was WONDERFUL!! I WAS overwhelmed, but I was not pleased.The cast was definitely star studded - it seemed that every star available was in this. The setting / props were gorgeous. So why 1 star? Albert Finney as Poirot was horrible - you could not understand a single word he said - we constantly rewound but were still unable to understand his garbled mockery of a foreign accent. Some of the other characters had the same problem though not nearly as bad. What is the point of spending all that money on a movie the audience can not understand or follow? I'm not comparing Albert Finney to David Suchet, I don't think that is fair or appropriate (different times, different budgets, etc) to do this. I was excited to watch this movie and I had great expectations, but within 15 minutes, I was disgusted and the only reason I continued to the end was because I forced mysself to - "I looked forward to this so much, I'm going to finish it even if it stinks" idea. I'm sorry, but I don't see how any one could give this movie anything but a bad rating if they are being honest. Agatha Christie, Poirot, and a wonderful cast and set do not automatically equate to a great movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Paging Mr. Lucas...
Review: I never thought I'd rate a Poirot film only 4 stars. But though this film is exquisite, there is one problem: Albert Finney. This man is simply not meant to play Poirot. His gravelly voice combined with a rather bad accent result in him being incomprehensible in some scenes. Also, Poirot shouting at a woman? Poirot making those hand gestures? Poirot laughing in a rather loony manner-THAT loudly? No... The cast other than that is superb, a joy to watch. The murder scene is honestly the most chilling one that I have ever seen, and the backstory for the movie is shown at the beginning without a word, only photos and newspaper clippings. This director did it RIGHT. This is the quintessential murder mystery, with such characters as the Jeevesian manservant, the Ugly American Salesman, the Perpetually-Talking Lady, the Sinister Businessman, the Rich Old Lady, the Heavily-Accented Italian, the Governess, the Indian Colonel, and so on. If only someone could call George Lucas and have him digitally insert David Suchet into this film, I would rate it stars into infinity!
Rating:
Summary: Take Me Back to This Train
Review: I'll admit it. I fell in love with the train, the landscape and the marvelous setting. I agree with others that David Suchet would do better than Albert Finney, but it is a close call. The plot does develop rather slowly, but I can understand, as the snow is delaying everything. Just get me a ticket on that train, for that trip. I would put up with George W. Bush playing Poirot if need be. Enjoy the movie! Earl Finkler
Rating:
Summary: The stuff that movies are made of
Review: It's one of those movies that made cinema important to me. I only read the book (or any of Agatha Christie's books, for that matter) much later on in life. Christie is full of little subtleties and, yes, pearls of wisdom about life that I feel never come across in adaptations of her work. They always smack a bit of overacting and sensationalism. She was really much colder than that, observing humanity amorally and without much love for it, as if it were a different species from her, that she didn't particularly care for.
I love the aesthetics of the movie. Albert Finney is definitive as Hercule Poirot, I think. I really liked Lauren Baccal, and I'm not usually a fan of hers. Too bad Ingrid Bergman is so frumpy looking here, but oh well...
And there's one thing the movie has that the book doesn't: that heart that is lacking in all of Christie's works. The assassination scene is one of the most moving, genuinely loving scenes I have ever seen (strange and morbid as it may sound for someone who hasn't seen the movie yet.)
It's glamorous, beautiful and with a message. It has it all.
Rating:
Summary: Worth Watching
Review: Lauren Bacall stole the show. I hadn't read the book and I was totally baffled as to who did it. It was well acted, I would have given it 5 stars except I found Albert Finney's Poirot difficult to understand and I had to strain to make out his conversations. Other than Finney, bravo Agatha!
Rating:
Summary: A Classy Whodunit
Review: Murder on the Orient Express is one of Agatha Christie's most famous stories, and in this film it is brought to life by an amazing cast. Businessman Richard Widmark is found dead with multiple stab wounds while aboard the famous train, and it's up to passenger and detective extraordinaire Hercule Poirot, played by Albert Finney, to solve the crime while everyone waits for the tracks to be uncovered from fallen snow. Surprisingly, my only criticism of the film is the lead performance by Finney, which is mannered, difficult to understand at times, and not at all what I picture Poirot as being like, having read a number of Christie's books. The rest of the cast is terrific, with special praise going to Ingrid Bergman and Wendy Hiller. The final scenes of revelation are very well done, and whether or not you already know the story and solution to the crime, I think you will find this movie to be very entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: "There are too many clues in this room..."
Review: Murder on the Orient Express would appear to have all the necessary ingredients for a classic film. It is arguably Agatha Christie's most ingenious and atmospheric novel, and her cosmopolitan dramatis personae aboard the famous train are vividly brought to life by the largely outstanding star-studded cast. Yet it somehow seems to fall strangely flat. Having said that, the induction of the viewer into the mise-en-scene is superb. In an eerie silent sequence, drained of all colour and interspersed with newspaper headlines, we are acquainted with the kidnapping and slaying of little Daisy Armstrong. So when the perpetrator of the kidnapping is himself murdered, even the famous detective Hercule Poirot is inclined to consider it natural justice. But still, murder *has* been committed and somewhere amongst the strangers - whose destiny is controlled by the train - a killer is at work. But who is it? For they all have alibis, and yet, incredibly all have a motive. Aside from some initial scenes in Istanbul, the action is confined to the train, making this a psychologically interesting and character-driven story. Hence, it is a pity that many of the parts have been reduced to little more than cameo roles. In addition, Albert Finney (whilst visually very much Christie's Poirot) plays the Belgian sleuth with unfortunate crudity. The multi-cultural hustle and bustle of Istanbul Station is portrayed with vibrancy, but so much of the movie is spent in setting the scene and in the lengthy denouement, that important plot components are rather rushed and lacking in impact. Indeed, Poirot seems to deduce the killer's identity almost immediately, and with only a modicum of detection. However, in the end the excellent storyline carries the film to its unexpected and triumphant conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Still one of the most stylish who-dun-its
Review: Nearly 30 years after its release, the star-studded "Murder on the Orient Express" remains one the the best of the big screen's adaptations of Agatha Christie's works. Confined to the fabled train with the richest of the ultra-privileged class and trapped by a mammoth snow drift, everyone comes under suspicion when a self-described businessman (Richard Widmark) who turns out to be the mastermind of a child kidnapping that ends in murder of the child, is himself murdered (who can ignore the obvious similarity to the Lindbergh baby kidnapping?). Everyone in the all-star cast comes under suspicion, from Lauren Bacall as a character intended to scrape the nerves raw, to Ingrid Bergman in an Oscar-winning supporting role, to the breathtakingly beautiful Jacqueline Bissett, to Anthony Perkins, the late Sir John Geilgud and a magestic Wendy Hiller. But Albert Finney, as celebrated investigator Hercule Peroit, is amazing. True to Christie form, we come to a totally unexpected solution and resolution that doesn't deter us from watching this film time and again. Lavishly produced and rich in scenery, we actually get a sense of being trapped on the motionless train wondering who of our fellow passengers did the dirty deed, which is what makes this film so enjoyable with every viewing. More satisfying is that the viewer won't feel cheated by an ending that one critic at the time dismissed as "too easy." That aside, it's little wonder the film was an Academy favorite in multiple nominations.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Mystery Comes To Life On Screen
Review: One of Agatha Christie's best novels has been transformed into perhaps the best feature film based on her works. Of the six I have seen, only the 1945 version of "And Then There Were None" rivals this one. After a newsreel style montage descrbing a kidnapping, based on the Lindbergh case, which is backstory for the film, we open in Istanbul. A group of passengers board the famous Orient Express for a journey across Europe to Calais. On board, among others, are a railway executive, Bianchi, and his friend Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgian (don't call him French) detective. Also on board are an American businessman, Mr. Ratchett, and his secretary and valet, as well as about 10 other passengers. One night, the train is forced to stop by a snowstorm, and the next morning, Mr. Ratchett is discovered murdered in his berth. Bianchi persuades Poirot to determine who has killed him, and the real story begins... As Poirot, Albert Finney is the center of this film. While his Poirot may be jarring to those used to David Suchet in the BBC series--Finney is far more animated, even histrionic--he nevertheless conveys the character's intellect, and his ego, quite ably. Finney is superb in the extended final scene, where Poirot reconstructs the murder. The supporting cast is glittering, and generally very strong. Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, although her role is actually fairly small. Lauren Bacall has the meatiest role aside from Poirot, and she is in splendid form. Vanessa Redgrave, despite having only minimal dialogue, makes a very strong impression, while John Gielgud and Wendy Hiller are nearly as fine. Only Anthony Perkins, somewhat miscast and stammering through his lines, and Michael York, whose accent, ostensibly Hungarian, comes and goes, fall short of the high standards of their costars. Richard Rodney Bennet's score is very nice, and well matched to the action, and the opening scenes, before the action closes in on the snowed-in train, are visually beautiful. While the pace may be a bit slow for those accustomed to action films in the "Lethal Weapon" style, I encourage everyone to give "Murder on the Orient Express" a try.
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