Adapted from Agatha Christie’s greatest mystery novel, Murder on the Orient Express is one of the best crime suspense thrillers of all times. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the movie focuses on an ensemble murder mystery of an unscrupulous businessman, who dies overnight, when the lavish Orient Express is halted by a snow drift in the middle of the tracks.
The American tycoon is discovered lying dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door surprisingly locked from the inside. The detective Hercule Poirot of world-over renown, who is also present on the train, investigates the murder mystery as the culprit is among the twelve passengers.
While doing so, he learns about the real identity of the victim and uncovers the hidden secrets of the past. (Spoiler Alert!) It turns out that all the passengers on the Orient Express belonged to the same family and had collectively planned the murder well in advance to avenge the abduction and murder of their child.
The 2017 adaptation was an immediate success at the box office, grossing $352 million globally. Much of the critical appraisal of the film was also favorable.
Here is the list of Best movies like Murder on the Orient Express:
And Then There Were None (1974) :
Available on Amazon Prime
This movie is also a cinematic adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel by the same name. In Christie’s playfully macabre puzzle and suspenseful drama, ten strangers are summoned to a remote island.
While they are waiting for the mysterious host to appear, a gramophone recording labels serious accusations at each of the guests, including the Judge Francis J. Quincannon, played by Barry Fitzgerald and Dr. Edward G. Armstrong, played by Walter Huston. Soon they start being murdered, one by one.
As the survivors try to keep their wits, they reach a disturbing conclusion that one among them is apparently the killer. This is one of the classic locked and trapped mysteries, characteristic of Agatha Christie. Unfortunately, Poirot is not around to identify the culprit!
Appointment with Death :
Available on Amazon Prime
This film is another among movies like Murder on the Orient Express, that have been adapted from Agatha Christie’s novel. Starring Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot, the film revolves around the mysterious death of a widow. The prime suspects of the murder are her step-children, who had discovered that their stepmother had destroyed their father’s will, which would have freed them from her tyranny and dominating behavior.
Although engaging, the film failed to gain much commercial success. Most of the critical reviews of the film were also disapproving of the cast performances, production and screenplay. However, the film is yet a favorite among classic ‘whodunit’ fans and all time Agatha Christie lovers.
To top it all, the action of the film takes place at an archaeological dig near the Dead Sea. It is one of the detective’s most famous adventures till date. With beautiful landscapes and a gruesome murder to top it all off, fans of the crime mystery genre are sure to revel in watching.
Bad Times at the El Royale:
Available on Amazon Prime
With a star-studded cast including Chris Hemsworth, Dakota Johnson and Jeff Bridges, this crime and murder mystery-thriller takes on ultra charming airs. This 2018 neo-noir film is the directorial venture of Drew Goddard. Set in the early 1970s, the plot focuses on four strangers who check-in at a hotel at the California-Nevada border.
The place is pretty much deserted, except for a single desk clerk. Soon enough, it becomes apparent that every guest has a guilty dark secret, that they have been hiding long. And now, no one is safe from the truth.
In the span of one night, this suspenseful flick brings in all the ingredients of a thriller – drama, secrets and a wild cast to top it all. Strangers being trapped together is kind of the essence of movies like Murder on the Orient Express; and from this movie too, mystery-thriller fans can expect the same entertainment.
The film was a moderate success at the box office, grossing a total of $31.8 million globally, although against a budget of $32 million. The critics were all praises for the cast performances.
Death on the Nile:
Available on Amazon Prime
Death on the Nile is an upcoming movie that is set to be released somewhere around October this year. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this film is a direct sequel follow-up of the 2017 movie, Murder on the Orient Express. Starring Branagh in the role of Poirot, the movie stars popular actors including Gal Gadot, Letitia Michelle Wright, Armie Hammer, Ali Fazal and several others.
The upcoming film will be the third screen adaptation of the novel, following the 1978 film and an episode in the ‘Agatha Christie’s Poirot’ television series.
Poirot is on a vacation in Egypt, and while on a cruise down the Nile, a newly-wed heiress is found dead – a love triangle goes murderously bad. Now, Poirot is assigned to hunt down the killer. Like Branagh’s other directions, this movie is definitely going to top the charts and give the viewers a complete combination of suspense, mystery, drama and some real chills.
Evil Under the Sun:
Available on Amazon Prime
This is yet another cinematic adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel, that goes by the same name. This locked-room mystery hit the big screens in 1982. In the movie, one can find the protagonist investigating the murder of a rich and famous actress under suspicious circumstances, in a case, that will leave even the shrewdest amongst the audience puzzled.
Everyone in the room is a potential suspect, having many a good reasons to commit the murder. The magnificent creation of the author – the detective, Hercule Poirot, is played by the Academy Award-winning actor, Peter Ustinov.
The movie earned favorable ratings from the critics, who appreciated it for its ability to keep the viewers hooked. It did not, however, perform too well at the box office, grossing about $6 million against a production budget of $10 million.
Gosford Park
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
This 2001 satirical black comedy and mystery thriller is a directorial venture of Robert Altman and is an atypical dinner party – murder mystery investigation. Taking place in 1932, servants and guests at a party in the English countryside investigate a murder, and someone among them is supposedly guilty. The family’s secrets, lies and deceptions come tumbling out as the drapes over Sir William’s murder are unfolded.
The film performed well at the box office and amongst the critics as well. It managed to bag $87 million worldwide against a production budget of $19.8 million. With all the classiness of the 30s, the critics were approving of the sets, performances, production and thematic relevance. The film was also felicitated with the Academy Awards among several other achievements.
Knives Out :
Available on Amazon Prime
Knives Out is a more recent screen portrayal of a whodunit thriller that hit the big screens in 2019. The plot of the film goes as: the circumstances surrounding the death of crime-novelist, Harlan Thrombey are mysterious. When the rich patriarch of a family dies, the private investigator, renowned Detective Benoit Blanc suspects foul play.
Now, he must deal with the greedy and eccentric family. Still unaware of the culprit, there is one thing that he knows for sure, that everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a potential suspect. Blanc must sift through an intricate web of lies and accidental red herrings to uncover the truth.
The film received critical acclaim, particularly for the actors’ performances, screenplay and direction. It profited immensely by grossing $312 million worldwide against a $40 million budget. For fans of movies like Murder on the Orient Express, this film is a definite, must-watch.
Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery :
Available on Amazon Prime
This 1989 film directed by Christopher Petit, is a cinematic adaptation of another of Agatha Christie’s masterpieces. While on a vacation at a resort hotel in the West Indies, the legendary fictional creation, Miss Marple correctly suspects that the apparently natural death of a retired British major is actually the work of a murderer, who must be planning yet another killing.
The film was exclusively made-for-television, starring Helen Hayes playing the character of Miss Marple. She later reprised her role in the 1985 mystery-thriller Murder with Mirror. The audiences and the critics alike, were appreciative of the movie’s presentation. The New York Times praised it primarily for its exceptionally good cast.
Murder in Three Acts :
Available on Amazon Prime
This is a made-for-television mystery thriller, directed by Gary Nelson and produced by Warner Bros. Studios. As in many Agatha Christie’s novel adaptations, this movie features the renowned actor, Peter Ustinov playing Hercule Poirot. It has been adapted from the 1934 novel ‘Three Act Tragedy’ and it first premiered on television in 1986.
The plot of the film gains momentum when Poirot joins his assistant Hastings in Acapulco, Mexico. As they go to a party, where the writer Janet Crisp, the American actor Charles Cartwright, a clergyman named Babbington, Daisy Eastman with her daughter Egg, Dr. Strange and Ricardo Montoya are also present, Babbington mysteriously dies of poisoning.
This remains a seemingly natural death until Dr. Strange is poisoned too. And lo! Poirot to the rescue. He hunts down the murderer and in the process, leaves the audience astounding.
Name of the Rose :
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
This film is unique from other movies like Murder on the Orient Express, for it is specifically a historical mystery thriller. The movie was adapted from Umberto Eco’s novel by the same name and was released in 1986. In the movie, William of Baskerville, a renowned Franciscan monk and his apprentice, Adso of Melk, travel to an abbey where a suspicious death has occurred.
Using his deductive powers, William begins investigating what he believes to be a case of murder. During the course of his investigation, several more monks turn up dead. With fear running through the abbey, the church leaders call forth Bernardo Gui – William’s nemesis, to find the truth.
This historical murder mystery, set in an Italian monastery in the 14th century, is an intellectual mystery that combines semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, literary theory and medieval studies, into the framework of crime mystery and thriller.
Directed by Jean Jacques Annaud, the film became a huge commercial disappointment in the United States. However, on the contrary, it became immensely popular among European audiences, which is the reason why it grossed $77 million worldwide!
The Girl on the Train:
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
Adapted from Paula Hawkins’ debut novel by the same name, this film is a mystery and thriller revolving around alcoholic divorcee, Rachel Watson. Commuting, she catches glances of a seemingly ideal couple Scott and Megan, who live in a house that her train passes every day.
However, one morning she witnesses something shocking happen at their house. Rachel informs the authorities what she ‘thinks’ she had seen, after she learns the fact that Megan is now missing and feared dead.
Troubled and unsure about her own memory, she inevitably becomes entangled in the investigation, while police suspect that Rachel may have crossed a dangerous line.
Much of critical responses called the film’s plot to be convoluted and overly predictable, offering little in terms of character development and thematic build-up. However, the film bagged a whopping amount of $174 million at the box office globally, making it a massive success.
The Last of Sheila
Available on Amazon Prime
This 1973 mystery and drama thriller, is a game of Hollywood personalities unwittingly unveiling who was responsible for the hit-and-run murder of a gossip columnist named Sheila. A year later, her widower brings his friends – all of whom are potential suspects – onto a yacht for a few nights of games, in which everyone assumes different identities that reflect the darkest parts of themselves.
Directed by Herbert Ross, The Last of Sheila is one of the most underrated crime stories of its kind; a big twist in the middle shifts the film’s course in a truly audacious way. It stands at par with ensemble murder mystery movies like Murder on the Orient Express, when it comes to the intense whodunit flicks. The film was received with majorly positive reviews from the critics as well from the audience.
The Mirror Crack’d
Available on Amazon Prime
Directed by Guy Hamilton, this movie is one of the crime mysteries that will have you hooked from the beginning to the end. It is another brilliant cinematic adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1962 novel, ‘The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side’. Set in the 1950s, the story unfolds on a film set in a small British town.
Elizabeth Taylor plays a formerly celebrated actress, trying to make a comeback. But she is plagued by a mysterious incident from her past. This follows the mysterious poisoning of an unsuspecting local on the premises where the movie is being made. It seems like the poisoning was intended for none but the actress herself.
Miss Marple – another of Christie’s celebrated creations – arrives on the scene with her nephew, Inspector Craddock, played by Edward Fox, to investigate. The movies hit the screens in 1982 and proved to be a major disappointment at the box office. And the actress playing the iconic Miss Marple, never reprised her role in any of the coming movies.
Thirteen at Dinner
Available on Amazon Prime
This movie was especially made solely for broadcasting on television in 1985. Adapted from the novel ‘Lord Edgware Dies’ by Agatha Christie, the movie features Peter Ustinov playing the celebrated detective Hercule Poirot.
When actress Jane Wilkinson demands a divorce from her husband, Lord Edgware, she appears unstable. Soon after when the husband is found murdered, she becomes the prime suspect of the act.
At first, the case seems to be a straightforward one. But as the plot progresses, the twists and turns that follow along, leave the audience baffled. (Nothing that Hercule Poirot cannot solve, though!) The movie also starred the actor David Suchet, the actor who later played Poirot in the long-running television series entitled Agatha Christie’s Poirot.
Sherlock Holmes
Available on Netflix | Amazon Prime
Just like the enchanting Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes – the man is an intriguing character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This 2009 mystery and action drama is based on this character and is played by the famous actor, Robert Downey Jr. Directed by Guy Ritchie, the movie centers on the legendary detective, Holmes and his all-time partner, Watson engaging in a battle of wits.
Full of twists, this mystery and suspense flick keeps every viewer on their toes. Its humor, ingenuity, and crime mystery is enough to give all ‘whodunit’ fans an entertaining experience, from the start to the last. The audience never really knows what to expect next.
Plus, this detective partnership is surely one of the best for all the crime dramas that you’ve ever seen. The movie was an instant success, grossing a whopping net of $524 million internationally. The movie earned much critical acclaim, that praised it for its action sequences, costumes designs and sets.
Conclusion:
So, awaken the detective inside of you and solve the ‘whodunit’ crime mysteries yourself, as you binge watch these movies like Murder on the Orient Express. And surely, your insatiable appetite for shocking and twisted revelations, is up for finding fulfillment, for these movies are no less than classics in crime mystery, suspense and thriller.