I watched this classic on a whim. I was in the mood for something older (which happens sometimes — I love old movies!), and this was streaming on Amazon. I grew up watching Hercules Poirot on PBS with my parents. There is a definite soft spot in my heart for that odd investigator, and just an undeniable charm in the way Agatha Christie structures her murder mysteries. Plus…I read that this movie is widely considered to be the best adaptation of her work. Ever.
It is not. For me, anyway.
THE BLURB:
Having concluded a case, detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) settles into what he expects will be a relaxing journey home aboard the Orient Express. But when an unpopular billionaire is murdered en route, Poirot takes up the case, and everyone on board the famous train is a suspect. Using an avalanche blocking the tracks to his advantage, Poirot gradually realizes that many of the passengers have revenge as a motive, and he begins to home in on the culprit.
WHAT WORKED:
I get why people liked this movie so much back in 1974.
Movies were changing. The stars of the 40s and 50s were older now, and losing their luster in favor of younger stars. Storytelling was getting grittier, actors more realistic and “method.” And you had a huge section of the movie-going community that missed the glory days.
This movie was aimed at them, and it pretty much nailed it. At least, people felt so at the time.
It adheres wonderfully to Christie’s structure. A set up in which we meet all the characters, and each is given a possible motive for the crime; the murder itself; a series of interviews with each suspect; and a big reveal at the end, right before our train is rescued from its blocked tracks.
Without giving anything way, I do have to say that the ending to this particular mystery is a novel one. It makes the story stand out amongst all Christie’s other classics, because it’s different, and I really enjoyed that about it. Guessing along as the clues are revealed is always fun, and at the very least, this movie had me doing that.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK:
A movie made in 1974 just can’t replicate the look and feel of a 1950s classic. It just can’t, and this movie didn’t. The colors are off, the lens is too greasy…it just doesn’t feel right to me. There are many, maaannnyyy contexts where the 70s-look works incredibly well and stands the test of time: an homage to the 50s and 60s is not one of them.
But biggest to me was Albert Finney as Poirot. I did. Not. Like. Him. I was stunned to read that reviewers at the time thought he was brilliant in the role. I thought he was big, and unbelievable, playing a character that just didn’t fit him. I didn’t buy it. Any of it.
And, man, with out that slow-paced CHARM that older movies can have when they’re made well, all you have is a slow pace. And I was bored. I don’t have any special attachment to Lauren Bacall, you know? Just seeing her on screen again isn’t enough for me, as perhaps it was back in 1974.
It’s a watchable movie, sure, but in no way did I find it superior to the Poirot I watched as a kid on PBS, with sometimes 4 full hours of solving a murder. I’ll have to watch those again some day and see if they really do hold up. I’m betting they do.
4 out of 10 – not a “classic” meant for me, I guess