MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974) - 12/7/2024
Who done it?
The 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express is, somehow, a film that has just completely gotten by me. It came out in one of the most loaded years in film history and is still remembered as one of the great mystery/thrillers of the past one hundred years. Part of that is because the heralded and beloved Agatha Christie source material that is timeless. But the other part of this has to be because of Sidney Lumet.
Lumet is undoubtedly one of the directing GOATs, his résumé speaks for itself, so it’s not surprising that he was able to take such a bottled story and fill it with so much life. By utilizing an all-star cast (the likes of Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Micahel York, and Ingrid Bergman who won an Oscar for her performance) he fills this solitary train with so much excitement and style. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising when you consider that this man cut his teeth in making one of the best stage-to-screen adaptations in 12 Angry Men, a film that entirely takes place in one room but it is impressive nonetheless. This film just looks so good and feels so good and was such a perfect film to be curled up with on a cold, gray, Saturday morning in winter.