First off don't get excited thinking that the latest incarnation of this Agatha Christie classic has made its way to DVD already. This is the BBC produced version of the story made in 2006 starring the wonderful David Suchet as Christie's top sleuth Hercule Poirot. Suchet made a name for himself as the character in a series of TV films made at the time. Some have been available in the past but now a select few are making the rounds again from Acorn Media and it's a delight to have them.
Poirot is in Istanbul solving a case when he's called back to England to help on another. Fortunately for him one of the owners of the famed Orient Express is on hand and demands he allow him passage on the train. Forced to share a room the first night since the train is booked solid, Poirot is off and running.
On board the train are several passengers, some of whom Poirot has already seen in his time in Istanbul. These include a governess, a temperamental count, a duchess and her aide, an accountant, a trader and more. Most have never met with the exception of two Poirot saw talking to one another in Istanbul. All are bound to the train on this journey through the snow filled mountains.
The second night onboard Poirot is provided with a compartment of his own, located next to the trader Ratchett. Later on Ratchett approaches Poirot in the hopes of employing him. He feels that his life is in danger and that thinks Poirot can help prevent any attempts on his life. Disgusted with his ways Poirot turns him down, realizing that he is not who he claims but an ex-gangster named Cassetti instead. Knowing he is a criminal he prefers not to work for or with him.
The train is stalled on the tracks due to a snowdrift which will delay the passengers a few days. Poirot's decision to not aid Pratchett changes the next morning as he is found murdered in his compartment. Stabbed 12 times in varying depths with several other clues located in his compartment the owner of the Express pleads with Poirot to solve the murder. At first unwilling he decides he cannot let his friend down.
With only those on the train as suspects Poirot begins interviewing each of them to discover everyone's whereabouts at the time of the murder. With each succeeding interview he comes closer and closer to the truth. And with each a common thread begins to make itself apparent. All on board were in some ways tied to a crime that happened long ago, the kidnapping and subsequent death of the Armstrong baby, the child of a war time air ace. Cassetti was the kidnapper though he was not convicted.
With each interview we learn more and more about the passengers as well as where they were the night of the murder. Clues found by Poirot are assembled as are memories of what occurred that night that he witnessed himself. In the end he will find the killer/killers among this group. That discovery will be one that is unlikely but that makes this mystery a classic in its own right.
Made more than once this version of the film offers it straight as can be with little fanfare. It's almost as if the page were filmed straight from the book for the most part. While the latest incarnation throws in a little pizazz and action, this one holds straight to the technique of interviews and puzzle solving. It also tends to lend itself to an easier solution before the end.
I've seen three version of this story now, the first being the famed 1974 film version, the latest one and now this. Among them I'd have to say the Kenneth Branaugh version is the most entertaining with this one a close second. Suchet does such a marvelous job as Poirot and has done so in other films in the series that he makes you feel he is indeed the character. But the pacing of this version is slower than most which may turn off some viewers. Don't allow that to happen. If you stick with it you'll find a mystery with a solution that is far from what you will expect and a set of actors that include a young Jessica Chastain and David Morrissey as well as Barbara Hershey. It's worth looking into and adding to the collection of any real mystery lover's shelf.
Poirot is in Istanbul solving a case when he's called back to England to help on another. Fortunately for him one of the owners of the famed Orient Express is on hand and demands he allow him passage on the train. Forced to share a room the first night since the train is booked solid, Poirot is off and running.
On board the train are several passengers, some of whom Poirot has already seen in his time in Istanbul. These include a governess, a temperamental count, a duchess and her aide, an accountant, a trader and more. Most have never met with the exception of two Poirot saw talking to one another in Istanbul. All are bound to the train on this journey through the snow filled mountains.
The second night onboard Poirot is provided with a compartment of his own, located next to the trader Ratchett. Later on Ratchett approaches Poirot in the hopes of employing him. He feels that his life is in danger and that thinks Poirot can help prevent any attempts on his life. Disgusted with his ways Poirot turns him down, realizing that he is not who he claims but an ex-gangster named Cassetti instead. Knowing he is a criminal he prefers not to work for or with him.
The train is stalled on the tracks due to a snowdrift which will delay the passengers a few days. Poirot's decision to not aid Pratchett changes the next morning as he is found murdered in his compartment. Stabbed 12 times in varying depths with several other clues located in his compartment the owner of the Express pleads with Poirot to solve the murder. At first unwilling he decides he cannot let his friend down.
With only those on the train as suspects Poirot begins interviewing each of them to discover everyone's whereabouts at the time of the murder. With each succeeding interview he comes closer and closer to the truth. And with each a common thread begins to make itself apparent. All on board were in some ways tied to a crime that happened long ago, the kidnapping and subsequent death of the Armstrong baby, the child of a war time air ace. Cassetti was the kidnapper though he was not convicted.
With each interview we learn more and more about the passengers as well as where they were the night of the murder. Clues found by Poirot are assembled as are memories of what occurred that night that he witnessed himself. In the end he will find the killer/killers among this group. That discovery will be one that is unlikely but that makes this mystery a classic in its own right.
Made more than once this version of the film offers it straight as can be with little fanfare. It's almost as if the page were filmed straight from the book for the most part. While the latest incarnation throws in a little pizazz and action, this one holds straight to the technique of interviews and puzzle solving. It also tends to lend itself to an easier solution before the end.
I've seen three version of this story now, the first being the famed 1974 film version, the latest one and now this. Among them I'd have to say the Kenneth Branaugh version is the most entertaining with this one a close second. Suchet does such a marvelous job as Poirot and has done so in other films in the series that he makes you feel he is indeed the character. But the pacing of this version is slower than most which may turn off some viewers. Don't allow that to happen. If you stick with it you'll find a mystery with a solution that is far from what you will expect and a set of actors that include a young Jessica Chastain and David Morrissey as well as Barbara Hershey. It's worth looking into and adding to the collection of any real mystery lover's shelf.
