Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express

Albert Finney is Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in this classic Agatha Christie thriller. An American businessman (Richard Widmark) has been killed on board the famed transcontinental train, and it's up to Poirot to uncover the murderer. Ingrid Bergman (who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar), Lauren Bacall, Anthony Perkins, Sean Connery, Jacqueline Bisset, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, and Vanessa Redgrave head the all-star cast; directed by Sidney Lumet. 127 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; featurette; "making of" documentary; theatrical trailer.

Just the name "Orient Express" conjures images of a bygone era. Add an all-star cast (including Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, and Lauren Bacall, to name a few) and Agatha Christie's delicious plot and how can you go wrong? Particularly if you add in Albert Finney as Christie's delightfully persnickety sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Someone has knocked off nasty Richard Widmark on this train trip and, to Poirot's puzzlement, everyone seems to have a motive--just the setup for a terrific whodunit. Though it seems like an ensemble film, director Sidney Lumet gives each of his stars their own solo and each makes the most of it. Bergman went so far as to win an Oscar for her role. But the real scene-stealer is the ever-reliable Finney as the eccentric detective who never misses a trick. --Marshall Fine