Agatha Christie Best Movie Adaptations: The works of Agatha Christie have sold millions of copies, and she is often considered the best-known mystery writer in the world. In her long and successful career, she published 75 books and 14 collections of short stories, many of which are still popular today. Christie is well-known for her prolific use of poisons and other potentially lethal chemicals in her suspense books, and she is also famed for creating many famous characters, like Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
She worked as a Red Cross pharmacist during World War I, an expertise that would be useful in her later novels about Murder. Christie became one of history’s most prolific and popular mystery authors after publishing her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, in 1920. In it, she introduced readers to Hercule Poirot and other characters whom she would go on to develop further.
This classic mystery story has Hercule Poirot at his sleuthiest and most amusing while traveling on a packed train. This novel exemplifies Christie’s skill as a mystery writer with its compelling combination of gothic overtones and murder plot.
Christie’s husband’s infidelity in 1926 caused her much distress. After ten days of missing, she was located at a hotel using her mistress’s last name and claiming amnesia, causing an extensive police manhunt.
Here are 7 Most Memorable and Engaging Agatha Christie Adaptations as per IMDB:
Witness for the Prosecution (1957) – 8.4
Charles Laughton’s stellar performance in the classic courtroom murder mystery Witness for the Prosecution helps to elevate the picture to the level of a cinematic masterpiece. Witness is not just a fascinating look into the English legal system in the middle of the twentieth century but also a thrilling and tense thriller.
The protagonist, Leonard Vole, is the last person to see the affluent victim alive before her body is discovered, and murders her brutally. The Prosecution claims Leonard is guilty based on several detailed circumstances, including Christine Vole’s unwillingness to serve as his alibi owing to their history of sexual misconduct.
Sir Wilfrid Robarts’ decision to defend Vole despite his illness exemplifies his unwavering commitment to justice in the face of the many setbacks that have shaped his life and persona. The protagonists in this story are constantly at odds with each other because of their class differences.
Even in minor roles, Tyrone Power and Una O’Connor stand out. O’Connor’s performance as Janet, the murder victim’s deaf housekeeper, keeps the audience in stitches with her unfiltered thoughts and hilarious sidetracks. Her personality is a welcome change of pace from their more subdued comrades.
Knives Out (2019) – 7.9
Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, is a private investigator hired to investigate the Murder of famous mystery writer Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). Benoit Blanc suspects differently after learning that officials had ruled his death a suicide. It stars Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, and Toni Collette. The enigmatic Lakeith Stanfield Included are Jaeden Martell, Katherine Langford, and others. Johnson wrote and directed the script, with Ram Bergman serving as a producer under their nameless production company.
Johnson put his spin on Dashiell Hammett with 2005’s Brick and has done the same for Agatha Christie. The result is a snappy, meta-detailed, witty homage that’s almost as much fun to watch as unwind its coiled springs. The story may be too contrived, and the cast occasionally falls into caricature. Still, it is a delicious big-screen entertainment that proves there’s no rigid boundary between art and entertainment.
Nerdist’s Lindsey Romain was just as enthusiastic about the film, giving it four out of five stars. She praised the actors and said it is “a movie they don’t make anymore.” But she also found some issues with the second act, which stretches out too long and makes things seem a little overcrowded.
The original film hit the box office and made an impression on awards voters in 2020, with Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas scoring Oscar nominations for their performances. The sequel has yet to be formally announced, but production has started in Greece, where the first movie was filmed. Set photos reveal a more summery palette than the cold, autumnal setting of the first movie. Costume designer Jenny Eagan is returning, but this time around, she’s working with a lot more color and free-flowing fabrics.
Murder on the Orient Express (1974) – 7.2
Legendary Belgian investigator Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) begins an inquiry on the Orient Express when an avalanche delays the train. Everyone on board is now a potential criminal. Filmmaker Sidney Lumet adapted Agatha Christie’s 1934 book for this feature. Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, and Martin Balsam are playing pivotal roles. M. York, Michael Dame Vanessa Redgrave, Written by Paul Dehn and an unnamed Anthony Shaffer, directed by Anthony Perkins. M. Bouc finds Ratchett’s body and calls Poirot to the scene. When Ratchett wakes up in the middle of the night and yells for help, Poirot initially refuses but finally agrees to aid.
Poirot starts with the Wagon Lit conductor and one of the last persons to see the victim alive, Hector McQueen, then moves on to Armstrong’s nursemaid, Greta Ohlsson, and Hector Andrenyi. In addition, he learns that the husband and brother-in-law of Countess Andrenyi stabbed the deceased in the same way, inflicting twelve wounds on his body of various severity.
Poirot learns that many of Armstrong’s fellow passengers had motives for murdering her, including Beddoes (an acquaintance), Princess (Armstrong’s godmother), Colonel Arbuthnott (her former lover), Foscarelli (Armstrong’s chauffeur), Hardman (her bodyguard), and Mrs. Andrenyi (Armstrong’s love interest) who died while sleeping with Armstrong. Therefore, Poirot thinks that all of these people, including Beddoes, must have specific reasons if they wish to murder the American. He is convinced that whoever it is must be a gang member. Somewhere among this bunch is where he’ll make up his mind; try to identify the source among these suspects.
Death on the Nile (1978) – 7.2
After the success of their previous collaboration on Murder on the Orient Express, Kenneth Branagh and Armie Hammer reunited to adapt Agatha Christie’s 1937 thriller Death on the Nile. In Death on the Nile, the protagonists, Simon Doyle and Jacqueline de Bellefort, are honeymooning on a sumptuous cruise down the Nile River until a murder occurs. Hercule Poirot must investigate the ship to find the killer(s).
Although Death on the Nile drags a bit at the beginning while it sets up the premise, it becomes much more engaging later. The pacing is excellent, the acting is solid, and the riddles are clever.
While Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile has its flashy moments, it also falls into some of the same pitfalls much too often. Although Christie was a master at illustrating the decline of the upper middle class into poverty and the resulting strain on families, Branagh and screenwriter Michael Green appear more prone to overplay the theatrical flourishes, making the characters feel less like people and more like cardboard cutouts.
Some suspects may have good intentions, but the film lacks character development and some baffling choices in CGI and editing, making it difficult to get behind any of the characters. It’s a pity because the film’s potential is enormous.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) – 7.1
Daniel Craig returns as investigator Benoit Blanc in the Greek island setting of Rian Johnson’s follow-up to his murder mystery.
The film has exciting parts for families to watch, even if it could be more family-friendly. For instance, the film borrows something from painter Mark Rothko’s oeuvre. Frequently, his paintings will have several layers of beautiful, contrasting hues.
The narrative differs from the original Knives Out, yet it serves the same purpose of keeping viewers on edge. In this installment, Edward Norton plays Miles Bron, a wealthy businessman who organizes a murder-for-hire plan on his island. A murder during the game, however, causes things to go wrong for him and his guests.
It becomes clear that this is no run-of-the-mill hit-and-run as the film unfolds. Everything happens so Miles Bron can discover what happened to his ex-wife Andi. Luckily, Detective Benoit Blanc is working on the case and has the expertise to solve it. Families could discuss how Blanc resembles Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple and why fictional investigators sometimes have peculiarities. And it may be an excellent opportunity for parents to expose their kids to the work of Looper and Brick filmmaker Rian Johnson.
Evil Under the Sun (1982) – 7
The luxurious island resort serves as a background in this lighthearted Agatha Christie film. This entertaining murder mystery features Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot.
The production duo of John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin has now adapted two of Christie’s works. Director Guy Hamilton has already worked on four James Bond movies, making this his fourth feature.
Poirot investigates the death of a theater star at a five-star resort on the Italian Riviera in Evil Under the Sun. Poirot begins his investigation after a hiker comes upon her strangled death.
As the evidence piles up, many of the hotel’s guests are prime candidates. Poirot solves the murder mystery and exposes the villainous plot with his trusty helper, Miss Lemon.
The film’s show business vibe, evident in the actors’ colorful clothes and the repeated shots of socializing in the resort’s main drawing room at night, is one of its best features. The scriptwriters also did an excellent job changing Arlena Marshall’s character from the novel to that of a gorgeous celebrity rather than a bitter, spoiled diva.
Starring Maggie Smith as Daphne Castle, Roddy McDowall as the blustering Patrick Redfern, and Diana Rigg in the height of her glamour as the argumentative Christine, the cast is a who’s who of British television and film.
A Haunting in Venice (2023) – 6.8
This last installment in Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot trilogy has the same talented crew that worked on Murder on the Orient Express (2021) and death on the Nile (2022). In A Haunting in Venice, based on an Agatha Christie novel, we see the return of the lovable Belgian investigator. The film examines the thin line that separates the living from the dead against the backdrop of a dark and foreboding Venice on Halloween night.
Poirot has retired and settled into a quiet life in Venice in A Haunting in Venice. Author Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) approaches him and begs him to attend a seance with her at the palazzo of Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly). Poirot accepts grudgingly and finds himself drawn into a realm of dark shadows and eerie secrets.
The series has shifted gears with this edition, which is a claustrophobic ghost story. In addition to being more somber than the previous two, it creates an eerie mood without resorting to cheap scares. Branagh employs several cinematic tricks to create an unsettling atmosphere, including shifting camera angles and using Dutch angles to create a claustrophobic effect. The end product is a suspenseful ghost story with an intelligent storyline that will have viewers wondering what will happen next.