Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Movie · 1974 · Drama, Thriller, Mystery · 2h 8m · PG · English
Curator score: 5.2/10 (155.9K ratings)
Tagline: The who's who in the whodunnit!
In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 5.2/10
- IMDb: 7.2/10
- Letterboxd: 3.57/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
- Metacritic: 62
- TMDB: 7.1/10
Director: Sidney Lumet
Production: EMI Films, G.W. Films
Cast: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Anthony Perkins, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Wendy Hiller, Vanessa Redgrave, Jacqueline Bisset, John Gielgud, Richard Widmark, Michael York, Colin Blakely, Rachel Roberts, George Coulouris, Denis Quilley, Vernon Dobtcheff, Jeremy Lloyd, John Moffatt
Where to watch: fuboTV
Curator Review
Verdict: A polished, star-studded whodunit that leans into classical mystery pleasures: locked-room tension, elegant period detail, and the fun of watching a detective untangle a morally tangled ensemble. It’s more about atmosphere, performance, and puzzle-box satisfaction than raw suspense, but that’s exactly the appeal.
Best for: Agatha Christie fans; viewers who like ensemble mysteries; period-piece crime stories; slow-burn puzzle films; classic studio-era craftsmanship
Skip if: you want fast-paced thrills; you prefer gritty realism over theatricality; you dislike talky investigations; you need a modern, twist-heavy mystery
Overview: Sidney Lumet turns a famous Christie puzzle into a handsome, impeccably controlled chamber piece. The snowbound train setting gives the story a sealed, almost theatrical pressure, while the cast keeps every compartment lively with vanity, suspicion, and carefully managed secrets.
Worth noting: Albert Finney’s Poirot is the film’s center of gravity: fussy, precise, and oddly comic without losing authority. The movie’s pleasure comes from watching him read people as much as clues, and from the way the ensemble slowly reveals that everyone aboard is carrying something heavier than luggage.
Bottom line: It’s not a mystery built on shock value so much as accumulation, mood, and performance. If you enjoy old-school detective stories where the fun is in the methodical unraveling, this is one of the classier examples of the form.
Top Letterboxd reviews:
- luke: Did Anthony Perkins actively seek out roles of guys with mommy issues
- lauren™: maybe the real murder was the friends we made along the way
- phoebe 💫: @ whoever was galaxy brain enough to put lauren bacall and ingrid bergman in a movie together ... thank you ...
- eely: well he was looking for a loco motive and he sure found it!
- Matt The Snapper: I love how Hercule Poirot has a sleep mask for his mustache.
Recommended similar titles:
- Witness for the Prosecution (1957 · Drama, Mystery, Crime · 1h 56m · NR · Curator 9.6/10 (275.9K ratings))
Another classic courtroom-and-mystery puzzle that rewards attention to performance, misdirection, and final-reveal structure.
- The Thin Man (1934 · Comedy, Mystery, Crime · 1h 31m · NR · Curator 9.6/10 (35.4K ratings))
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- Laura (1944 · Drama, Mystery · 1h 28m · Curator 8.8/10 (137.4K ratings))
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- The Lady Vanishes (1938 · Mystery, Thriller · 1h 36m · NR · Curator 8.7/10 (128.1K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Fandor, Philo, IndieFlix, Max)
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- Gosford Park (2001 · Drama, Mystery, Thriller · 2h 17m · R · Curator 7.4/10 (194.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads)
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- The Name of the Rose (1986 · Drama, Thriller, Mystery · 2h 10m · R · Curator 5.2/10 (227.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads)
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- Murder by Death (1976 · Comedy, Crime, Mystery · 1h 34m · PG · Curator 2.9/10 (46K ratings))
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- Sleuth (1972 · Thriller, Mystery, Crime · 2h 18m · PG · Curator 8.5/10 (85.2K ratings))
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- Death on the Nile (1978 · Mystery · 2h 20m · PG · Curator 5.2/10 (92.6K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV)
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- The Last of the Mohicans (1992 · Action, History, Romance · 1h 52m · R · Curator 6.6/10 (380.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads)
Not a mystery, but a period piece with strong craftsmanship and a similarly immersive sense of historical texture.
- A Passage to India (1984 · Drama, Adventure, History · 2h 43m · PG · Curator 6.3/10 (36.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu)
For audiences drawn to period detail, ensemble performance, and the slow revelation of buried tensions.
- The Big Sleep (1946 · Mystery, Crime, Thriller · 1h 54m · NR · Curator 8.5/10 (181.7K ratings))
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Topics: mystery, thriller, period piece, ensemble cast, locked-room, whodunit, suspense, classic cinema, investigation, 1930s
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/movie/murder-on-the-orient-express/4176
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Movie · 1974 · Drama, Thriller, Mystery · 2h 8m · PG · English
Curator score: 5.2/10 (155.9K ratings)
The who's who in the whodunnit!
Overview In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.2/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.57/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 62
TMDB: 7.1/10
Production EMI Films, G.W. Films
Cast Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Anthony Perkins, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Wendy Hiller, Vanessa Redgrave, Jacqueline Bisset, John Gielgud, Richard Widmark, Michael York, Colin Blakely, Rachel Roberts, George Coulouris, Denis Quilley, Vernon Dobtcheff, Jeremy Lloyd, John Moffatt
Curator Review
Verdict
A polished, star-studded whodunit that leans into classical mystery pleasures: locked-room tension, elegant period detail, and the fun of watching a detective untangle a morally tangled ensemble. It’s more about atmosphere, performance, and puzzle-box satisfaction than raw suspense, but that’s exactly the appeal.
Best for
Agatha Christie fans
viewers who like ensemble mysteries
period-piece crime stories
slow-burn puzzle films
classic studio-era craftsmanship
Skip if
you want fast-paced thrills
you prefer gritty realism over theatricality
you dislike talky investigations
you need a modern, twist-heavy mystery
Overview
Sidney Lumet turns a famous Christie puzzle into a handsome, impeccably controlled chamber piece. The snowbound train setting gives the story a sealed, almost theatrical pressure, while the cast keeps every compartment lively with vanity, suspicion, and carefully managed secrets.
Worth noting
Albert Finney’s Poirot is the film’s center of gravity: fussy, precise, and oddly comic without losing authority. The movie’s pleasure comes from watching him read people as much as clues, and from the way the ensemble slowly reveals that everyone aboard is carrying something heavier than luggage.
Bottom line
It’s not a mystery built on shock value so much as accumulation, mood, and performance. If you enjoy old-school detective stories where the fun is in the methodical unraveling, this is one of the classier examples of the form.
Top Letterboxd reviews
luke (4★) · 2204 likes
Did Anthony Perkins actively seek out roles of guys with mommy issues
lauren™ (4.5★) · 1295 likes
maybe the real murder was the friends we made along the way
phoebe 💫 (3.5★) · 831 likes
@ whoever was galaxy brain enough to put lauren bacall and ingrid bergman in a movie together ... thank you ...
eely (3★) · 758 likes
well he was looking for a loco motive and he sure found it!
Matt The Snapper (3★) · 686 likes
I love how Hercule Poirot has a sleep mask for his mustache.
Recommended similar titles
1957 · Drama, Mystery, Crime · 1h 56m · NR · Curator 9.6/10 (275.9K ratings)
Another classic courtroom-and-mystery puzzle that rewards attention to performance, misdirection, and final-reveal structure.
1934 · Comedy, Mystery, Crime · 1h 31m · NR · Curator 9.6/10 (35.4K ratings)
For viewers who enjoy elegant banter, social sparkle, and mystery as a vehicle for character chemistry.
1944 · Drama, Mystery · 1h 28m · Curator 8.8/10 (137.4K ratings)
A stylish, atmospheric mystery where obsession and suspicion are as important as the crime itself.
1938 · Mystery, Thriller · 1h 36m · NR · Curator 8.7/10 (128.1K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Fandor, Philo, IndieFlix, Max
A train-bound suspense story with escalating paranoia and a strong sense of playful intrigue.
2001 · Drama, Mystery, Thriller · 2h 17m · R · Curator 7.4/10 (194.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
If the appeal is the ensemble dynamics and class tensions, this is a richly detailed modern counterpart.
1986 · Drama, Thriller, Mystery · 2h 10m · R · Curator 5.2/10 (227.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A period mystery with intellectual investigation, atmosphere, and a strong sense of enclosed-world menace.
1976 · Comedy, Crime, Mystery · 1h 34m · PG · Curator 2.9/10 (46K ratings)
A playful ensemble parody that still scratches the same itch for famous-detective-style sleuthing.
1972 · Thriller, Mystery, Crime · 2h 18m · PG · Curator 8.5/10 (85.2K ratings)
A tightly controlled duel of intellects that shares the pleasure of watching people perform and conceal.
1978 · Mystery · 2h 20m · PG · Curator 5.2/10 (92.6K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV
A lavish, closed-circle Christie adaptation that trades on glamour, suspicion, and ensemble intrigue.
1992 · Action, History, Romance · 1h 52m · R · Curator 6.6/10 (380.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Not a mystery, but a period piece with strong craftsmanship and a similarly immersive sense of historical texture.
1984 · Drama, Adventure, History · 2h 43m · PG · Curator 6.3/10 (36.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu
For audiences drawn to period detail, ensemble performance, and the slow revelation of buried tensions.
1946 · Mystery, Crime, Thriller · 1h 54m · NR · Curator 8.5/10 (181.7K ratings)
A classic detective film that prioritizes mood, dialogue, and the pleasure of piecing together a labyrinthine case.
Topics
mystery, thriller, period piece, ensemble cast, locked-room, whodunit, suspense, classic cinema, investigation, 1930s
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