Murder On The Orient Express (2001)

The famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Alfred Molina) is traveling on the Orient Express from Istanbul when a brutal murder occurs on the train. The victim (Peter Strauss), who had earlier attempted to procure Poirot's services but was turned down, was stabbed multiple times in his sleep. When the train becomes stranded because of a rockslide, the railway director (Fritz Wepper, CABARET) asks him to help solve the case. Based on the classic novel by Agatha Christie and directed by Carl Schenkel (THE MIGHTY QUINN). This misguided attempt to update Agatha Christie must have the poor lady spinning in her grave. Instead of using the "little gray cells" to solve the murder, Poirot does it via a laptop computer! Poirot is even given a sexy girlfriend (I'm not joking!). Several of the novel's characters have been eliminated: the butler, the missionary, the cook/companion. So what are we left with? A watered down, modernized Readers Digest version of the Christie book. Purists will be appalled. The only high spot is Leslie Caron who brings elegance and grace to the part of the Spanish grande dame (the equivalent of the Russian princess in the book). With Meredith Baxter, David Hunt, Amira Casar, Nicolas Chagrin, Adam James, Dylan Smith and Natasha Wightman.