Murder on the Orient Express

1930’s, Long Island New York, the Armstrong baby is kidnapped by an unknown assailant at the Armstrong estate. Director of Dog Day Afternoon and The Wiz took on Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Belgian Inspector Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) has left Istanbul to return to England aboard the Orient Express. He meets his friend Bianchi (Martin Balsam) who’s the owner of the train line Compagnie Internationale des Wagons Lits. Poirot encounters the wealthy businessman Ratchett (Richard Widmark) who offers to pay $ 15,000 for Poirot’s services to investigate who has been sending him death threats. However, Ratchett is found stabbed to death in his cabin. Poirot and Bianchi team together to solve the murder case. A French conductor Pierre Michel (Jean-Pierre Cassel) also assists with the two on the mystery and is also a suspect.

During the snow drift that forces the train to stop, the next day Ratchett is found dead in his cabin with twelve stab wounds. While the snow drift continues, Poirot must figure out the murder’s identity. During the investigation, Poirot figures out that the passengers have a connection to the 5 year kidnapping and murder case of the Armstrong infant. As Poirot digs deeper into the case he discovers that Ratchett is not only a wealthy businessman but a criminal involved with the kidnap and murder of the Armstrong infant and in part with the Mafia.

Agatha Christie attended the movie premiere in November 1974 to see one of her beloved characters on the screen once again. In the 1930’s when Christie’s novels were going to be made into movies, one of the first choices to play Poirot was Charles Laughton. Christie was displeased with the choice and concerned about future productions of her work. In another film, THE AB.C MURDERS where Poirot was played by Tony Randall was not an amusement at all to Christie. In 1974, Christie saw her actor that would perfectly fit Poirot played by Albert Finney who also won Best Actor in a Leading Role, although at age 38 he was much too young to play the 55-60 year old Poirot.

Indeed Christy was satisfied with Sydney Lumet’s take on the movie such as cast, the time period, costumes, and aristocratic intake. Murder on the Orient Express was inspired by the true story of the Lindburgh baby story. In 1929, before the kidnapping, the Westbound Orient Express train was stuck in the snow for 5 days at Tcherkesskevy that is 15 130 km from Istanbul. The Murder on the Orient Express is a typical English murder mystery that includes English aristocrats, Russian monarchs, and service class servants and the clever detective who has to solve a puzzling mystery.